NIHR | Manchester Biomedical Research Centre

Our Impact

The NIHR Manchester BRC is the beating heart of translational research across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria, transforming scientific breakthroughs into diagnostic tests and life-saving treatments for patients.

Awarded £64.1 million for 2022-28, Manchester BRC brings together world-leading researchers based at The University of Manchester and six of the country’s foremost NHS Trusts, with a vision to drive forward health improvements.

Our year: 2024-25

We are delighted to share highlights from our 2024-25 Annual Report to demonstrate the impact Manchester BRC has made across our diverse communities. 

Here we focus on some of our key outcomes, outputs and progress to date showcasing how we are delivering lasting change for all through creative, inclusive, and proactive research that identifies and bridges gaps between new discoveries and individualised care. 

Professor Anne Barton, Director of Manchester BRC, introduces our key achievements from 2024-25

Read a summary of our key achievements from from April 2024 to March 2025. (opens in new window)

In this summary, we look back at some of the highlights from our 2024-25 Annual Report to showcase the positive impact we made across our diverse communities. Covering activity from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, we demonstrate how we are delivering lasting change for all through creative, inclusive, and proactive research. 

Read the Annual Report Summary 2024/25 in an accessible HTML format.

Who we are

The NIHR Manchester BRC is made up of:

191 NIHR Investigators (world-class researchers) , 285 NIHR Associates (multidisciplinary team to support our research), 62 PhD Trainees (the next generation of researchers)

We believe in Team Research – collaborating across different fields and professions to deliver cross-disciplinary science, from clinicians to engineers and project managers to health economists. We know research is enhanced through the collective input, strengths and expertise of many different people working together in a team, which is why we support a Team Research approach.

To find out more about our people, please visit our Leadership Team and Core Team pages.

This year we had…

490 BRC-linked publications, 35,813 participants recruited to research projects, 470 research projects supported by the BRC, 308 new public partners who have worked with us, through Vocal, £81.2 million external income leveraged

What our research has changed

Read our impact case studies from 2024/25 below.

Our connections

Manchester BRC has long-standing experience of delivering collaborative commercial work with industry partners. Key commercial partnerships support our goal of improving people’s health through experimental research.

This year…

We worked with 237 industry partners, including 159 international companies and 127 small and medium-sized enterprises

The NIHR Manchester BRC connects the very best pharmaceutical, diagnostics, digital technology and medical device organisations with our world-leading academics and clinicians to work together on the latest translational research. We prioritise co-development and collaboration with the commercial sector to enable wider adoption and impacts from our research. 

We continue to strengthen our relationships with international companies, enhancing our reputation as a leading centre of globally competitive research. 

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the heart of innovation. Our partnerships with SMEs can provide the evidence base needed to turn novel ideas into clinical answers and look at ways they can be implemented into the NHS. 

Visit our Innovation and Partnerships pages to find out how you can work with us. 

Shining a spotlight on our research

Graphic with navy background and red spotlight. Text reads: Spotlight On. Build, Embed, Accelerate

Watch our Spotlight On films to find out more:

Visit our news page and research theme pages where you can find our latest updates.

Read our mature impact case studies to see how we have made a difference

The success of Manchester BRC is based on the lasting impact we make to improve people’s lives across our diverse communities. Find out how we transformed scientific breakthroughs into diagnostic tests and life-saving treatments, delivering wide-ranging benefits to the health and care system.