University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) and its partners have been awarded an £800,000 research grant and been designated a Healthcare Technology Co-operative (HTC).

The Healthcare Technology Cooperative scheme is run by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and provides funding to NHS organisations to act as centres of expertise, developing new concepts which are applicable across the NHS.

UHB were supported in their bid by a number of partners, including the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine, and will be working collaboratively with these and other organisations, including patient groups, charities, and partners in industry.

Led by a Clinical Director, the HTC will address clinical areas of high morbidity and unmet need for NHS patients who have not benefited from a high degree of innovation.  UHB’s HTC will focus on healthcare technologies which aim to improve patient outcomes through reducing the effects of all forms of trauma, including reducing mortality, pain and long-term disability.

Dr Tom Clutton-Brock, Clinical Director of the new NIHR Healthcare Technology Co-operative, said: “It is estimated there are at least 20,000 cases of major trauma in England each year, resulting in 5,400 deaths and many more cases of disability.

"The Trust, a major UK centre of clinical excellence, is exceptionally well placed to become an HTC, with a world leading academic partner in the University of Birmingham. Recently, the two organisations joined together to form Birmingham Health Partners, with the aim of co-ordinating research policy and management across the NHS and university sectors. We look forward to working with all our partners to develop new innovations which will ultimately benefit trauma patients. New technology will play a pivotal rile in improved survival and reduction in long term disability.”

The funding has been awarded for a four-year period starting in January 2013.