NIHR announces £11.6m workforce investment to boost UK clinical trial delivery

The NIHR has launched an £11.6m funding investment to strengthen the UK’s pharmacy, radiography, and nursing research workforce, addressing critical capacity challenges that currently impact commercial clinical research. By expanding early career research programmes, funding Senior Research Leader roles, and creating new primary care fellowships, the investment aims to build long-term system capability.

This initiative directly supports wider UK clinical trials reform activity, working to reduce study set-up times, increase commercial research activity, and ensure the UK remains a fast, predictable, and globally competitive environment for health research and life sciences growth.