£15.5 million to continue South West health research partnership

The funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) will support the partnership, which includes the University of Plymouth

15 October 2025

A partnership that carries out vital health research across the South West Peninsula to directly benefit patients and NHS services has been awarded £15.5 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC) is a regional research partnership hosted by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth.

Set up in 2008, it has conducted and supported projects which have had a significant impact on patient care and improved service delivery. PenARC brings together NHS and social care organisations, local authorities, charities, Health Innovation Networks, community groups, patients, and academic experts to conduct applied research that addresses the health and care priorities of communities across Devon, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Somerset and beyond. The new funding means its work can continue for another five years.

This renewed funding is a strong endorsement of the collaborative research approach we’ve built over many years.

Over the next five years, we’ll continue to co-produce evidence that addresses the most crucial real-world challenges for people and systems in order to drive improvements in health and care across the country.

Professor Richard Byng
Professor in Primary Care Research/PenARC Deputy Director

We are absolutely delighted to secure another five years of PenARC funding from the NIHR.

This renewed investment allows us to deepen our work with communities and services, and to continue producing research that makes a real difference locally and nationally. The next phase offers exciting opportunities to scale our impact and ensure that the voices of patients and practitioners remain at the heart of research and innovation.

Professor Stuart Logan, Director of PenARC and Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the University of Exeter

From mental health to criminal justice - Plymouth's PenARC research

NHS 10 Year Plan

This award forms part of a £157 million investment by the NIHR to fund 10 regional Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across England. From April 2026, these ARCs will play a vital role in supporting the transformation of the health and care system by delivering high-quality applied research and accelerating the adoption of innovations into practice. The ARCs are central to achieving the aims of the NHS 10 Year Plan, the Life Sciences Sector Plan, and the Government’s Health and Growth Missions.

This funding will accelerate the breakthroughs that will underpin the success of our NHS 10 Year Health Plan, ensuring research is going from laboratory to living room and supporting the shift from patient to prevention.

As we work towards our mission of building an NHS fit for the future, this investment will drive the innovations that matter most to people's daily lives.

Every pound invested in this research is an investment in hope – hope for faster diagnoses, more effective treatments, and a health system that truly works for everyone, no matter where they live or what their background.

Health Innovation Minister, Zubir Ahmed

The renewed investment will enable PenARC to expand its patient-centred research, strengthen the use of evidence to improve health and care outcomes, and build capacity across the sector to generate and apply research effectively. Its work will ensure that insights and innovations developed in the South West inform improvements in health and care across England and further afield.

A particular area of PenARC’s strength is the meaningful involvement of patients and the public in research. Patients and members of the public take an active role in research, helping to set the research agenda, working with researchers to design and conduct studies and helping to make sure that the results get used in practice. This Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) activity will continue to be a key component of PenARC activities over the next five years.

Benefitting the South West region and beyond

This announcement is the latest boost amid NIHR investment in research infrastructure across the South West, reinforcing the region’s growing reputation as a centre of excellence for health and care innovation. In its next phase, PenARC will continue to focus on producing research that can lead to meaningful improvements in care delivery and population health.

In addition to the £157 million national ARC funding, NIHR will make up to £75 million available to support responsive research addressing emerging health and care challenges. This is alongside a further £5 million to establish a new ARC Network for strategic coordination and national collaboration. PenARC expects to contribute actively to this wider programme of national impact.

This renewed NIHR funding is fantastic news for the South West and for the NHS more widely.

PenARC’s work has a direct impact on the way we deliver care – from informing clinical practice to shaping national policy. This funding ensures we can continue working together to generate research that improves outcomes for patients, both locally and nationally.

Professor Helen Quinn, Research and Development Director at Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Find out more

Community and primary care research