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.

Professor Stuart Logan, Director of PenARC and Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the University of Exeter, said: ‘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’.

This award forms part of a £157 million investment by the NIHR to fund ten 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.

Health Innovation Minister, Zubir Ahmed, said: ‘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’.

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.