News and impact

NIHR Biomedical Research Centre Leicester

Our NIHR infrastructure

As well as a BRC, Leicester hosts multiple parts of the NIHR infrastructure, which creates a seamless link from the laboratory to early phase clinical trials to late phase commercial research, together with the support of services to help design, co-ordinate and deliver high-quality research in the NHS.

Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) were established in April 2025 to enhance the speed and efficiency of commercial clinical research delivery in the UK, boosting the global competitiveness of the UK life sciences sector and contributing to the health and wealth of the nation.

The RRDN give researchers and delivery teams the practical support they need in our region so that more research takes place and more people can take part.

NIHR Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) support applied health and care research that responds to, and meets, the needs of local populations and local health and care systems.

The NIHR ARC East Midlands (EM) is one of 15 ARCs across England, part of a £135 million investment by the NIHR to improve the health and care of patients and the public. 

ECMCs drive the discovery, development and testing of new treatments to combat cancer.

Our BRC hosts one of 18 NIHR BioResource Centres across England. The NIHR BioResource recruits and maintains a resource of data and samples donated by over 200,000 people. Researchers can use this resource to call up potential participants for studies to understand the links between genes, the environment, health and disease.

The RDS provides a network of skilled advisers offering free and confidential advice to develop competitive funding applications for health and social care research.

The NIHR Leicester BRC is part of the following Translational Research Collaborations (TRCs):

TRCs are collaborative groups of world-leading investigators established via NIHR Biomedical Research Centres with significant expertise in specific disease areas. The TRCs enable NIHR to work together with industry, charities and other stakeholders to develop and deliver early-phase translational research at scale.

Read more about NIHR Translational Research Collaborations.

The Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) UK Network has been established to strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in commercial clinical research. The Network coordinates activities across the UK’s CRDCs, providing national leadership, alignment and strategic engagement. 

The Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Chemical Threats and Hazards is a partnership between the University of Leicester, UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Delivered by the University of Leicester and partners, our NIHR Research Support Service (RSS) is part of a national service that provides free and confidential advice on application design for researchers in applied health, public health, and social care across England. Our service is delivered by experts across more than 20 research groups and clinical trials units across the East Midlands.


Leicester is also home to charitable and industry-funded centres including:

Other major recent funding grants have included:

And we sit alongside regional infrastructure including:

The NIHR Leicester BRC is also part of the Midlands Health Alliance. Its purpose is to facilitate industry access to leading experts within NIHR infrastructure across the region.