Written question WQ85820
- Asked by
- Laura Anne JonesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
What is the Government doing to invest in medical research?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
The Welsh Government currently provides Health and Care Research Wales with £42m each year to grow capacity, stimulate and fund health and care research, including medical research. The Welsh Government recognises the significant impact that medical research has on health, education and the economy.
Through Health and Care Research Wales, the Welsh Government supports an extensive Wales-wide research development and delivery research infrastructure as well as a range of research funding schemes and personal awards at different levels. This includes investment in a range of research centres – including areas such as cancer, primary care, mental health, population health, older people and dementia, clinical trials and data linkage – where there is Welsh research strength. It also includes an extensive NHS-based workforce to support the delivery of trials and other well-designed studies across a wide range of topics and disease areas.
As Minister for Health and Social Services, I have recently agreed an additional £5m in recurrent funding increases for Health and Care Research Wales, bringing the overall budget per year to just under £47m.
The increase will provide additional resource in priority areas such as: Wales Cancer Research Strategy implementation; support for career pathway development to ensure we can attract and retain research talent as part of medical, academic and social care careers; implementation of the UK clinical research strategy in Wales; and funding for an Evidence Centre and commissioned research to support decision making in policy and practice.
This investment will also strengthen potential for collaboration with funding partners such as the UK research councils and the medical research charities, building on current strategic and financial partnerships.
It will further help build capacity and capability across the health research spectrum, and help Welsh researchers lever additional research funding from UKRI and other UK-level funders through competitive grant capture.