Southampton NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

Our vision is to enhance health and quality-of-life by improving resilience to disease, injury and the impacts of ageing. We will drive innovation through world-class research to understand what influences resilience, and how. We will use this understanding to develop and test new ways of improving resilience.

We will translate our innovations into real-world use for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ill-health by: Working with the best minds, bringing together many disciplines Collaborating regionally, nationally and globally, with patients, public, academics and industry Developing guidelines and policies that benefit patients, public and the health and care system Five research Themes will address challenges in human resilience.

We chose our Themes according to local/regional and national health needs. Selection was based on world-leading quality, expertise and impact. 1.

Nutrition, Lifestyle and Metabolism Building resilience through healthier nutrition and behaviours from before conception to adolescence Sustaining resilience in later life through nutrition, risk management and new therapies 2.

Respiratory and Allergy Preventing allergy and asthma from infancy Predicting and pre-empting chronic respiratory disease crises Developing earlier, faster diagnosis of lung disease for personalised therapy 3.

Data, Health and Society Building a trusted and trustworthy learning healthcare system Advancing ethical debate and developing new forms of consent Connecting people, data and organisations to improve care Combining complex data to improve prediction and meet individuals health needs 4.

Microbiology, Immunology and Infection Reducing and controlling infections through new vaccines, digital resources and using friendly microbes Developing faster tests for infections and antimicrobial resistance Overcoming antimicrobial resistance with new strategies, materials and therapies 5.

Perioperative and Critical Care Informing better decisions about surgery, resuscitation, critical and palliative care Improving preparation for, and recovery from, surgery Refining surgical and critical care therapies We always involve patients in the development of our research. Our Community Panel of over 300 people reflects the diverse communities of our region.

We work with them to build engagement and prioritise the views of under-served groups. We work hard to promote a diverse workforce and remove barriers to working with us. We are active in regional and national patient and public involvement networks. Together, these activities contribute to an outward-looking, equitable and nurturing research culture.

We strive to improve this culture continuously.

The pandemic showed our ability to turn research into results for patients quickly: Rapid point-of-care COVID-19 testing from idea to frontline use within weeks Southampton-developed antiviral drug targeting COVID-19 tested globally Mass COVID-19 saliva testing launched within months Cornerstone of rapid development of nine vaccines, including Oxford-AstraZeneca These examples and our case studies demonstrate the global impact of our work.

Our hospital-university partnership drives this success. University Hospital Southampton is one of the largest UK acute teaching hospitals, ranking 3rd for trial recruitment. University of Southampton is a top 100 global research university. We will ensure added value for NIHR through focus, ambition and excellence.