Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a £48 million partnership between government and industry to support dementia research and make it easier to recruit people into clinical trials.
Downing Street published the announcement on 8 October ahead of Friday’s Innovation Nation Summit in Manchester.
Public and industry funding
The package includes £33 million of government investment through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, alongside funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK and Gates Ventures.
The £48 million total combines public and industry contributions. It should not be treated as £48 million of government expenditure alone.
Helping researchers recruit participants
The investment supports The BARBARA Alliance and a coordinated platform connecting health data, research and clinical trial capabilities. Ministers say the aim is to remove recruitment barriers and speed up studies of promising treatments.
The alliance brings together government, industry, academia, the NHS, charities and people affected by dementia. The wider Dementia Goals programme was launched in August 2022 and supports work on biomarkers, trials and the implementation of new approaches.
BARBARA stands for Brain Ageing Registry for Biomarkers, Access to trials, Research, and Adoption. Government previously commissioned the alliance to deliver a proof of concept for the programme.
Dementia research priority
Dementia will also be an early priority for the new Health Data Research Service, which is intended to connect NHS and research data in a secure system for approved studies.
Burnham said he wanted Britain to lead the search for a breakthrough. That is a research ambition: the announcement does not report the discovery of a cure or guarantee when new treatments will become available.
The funding supports research infrastructure and trial recruitment. Its impact will depend on implementation and the results of future studies.