For the last 3 years, the NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) has been at the forefront of innovation in brain and mental health research in the UK, working in partnership with the University of Oxford and 13 national collaborators.
Alongside hosting the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) with the MH-TRC Mission, OH BRC has set new standards for research excellence, research capacity, industry engagement, and patient-centred innovation.
Building a national network for mental health research
The renewal of OH BRC funding in 2022 marked the start of an ambitious five-year programme to create a network of centres of excellence across England. Eleven research Themes now span areas from Better Sleep and Data Science to Psychological Treatments, Depression, Dementia and Mental Health in Development, tackling priorities such as child mental health and adult treatment-resistant conditions. This expansion has been facilitated by large-scale collaborations and has accelerated translation of discoveries towards clinical practice, ensuring patients benefit sooner from cutting-edge science.
Driving the Mission
Launched in 2023, the MH-TRC Mission secured over £60 million to strengthen mental health research infrastructure across the UK. Two demonstrator sites in Birmingham and Liverpool are pioneering new models for integrating research and clinical care, particularly in underserved regions. Five national workstreams, Early Psychosis, Mood Disorders, Children and Young People’s Mental Health, Data & Digital, and Capacity Development are reshaping the research landscape. These initiatives are broadening research opportunities and making lived experience a driving force in shaping and delivering research.
Embedding research in care through specialist clinics
OH BRC has built a network of research-active clinics that integrate cutting-edge studies into routine NHS care. At the heart of this network is the Oxford Brain Health Clinic, which over the past five years has assessed more than 500 patients, improving the accuracy of dementia diagnosis and offering opportunities to take part in ongoing research. Alongside this, the AnDY Research Clinics in Reading and Oxford support children and young people with anxiety and depression, while specialist clinics for mood disorders and psychosis accelerate recruitment into trials and ensure discoveries translate at pace into better outcomes for patients.
Breakthroughs and highlights
The past three years have seen remarkable achievements. Digital therapies for childhood anxiety and PTSD, developed with OH BRC support, are now available on the NHS, and internationally transforming access to clinical support. OH BRC funded research has shown that certain vaccines, such as the RSV vaccine, may help reduce the risk of dementia, offering promising new avenues for prevention and public health impact and our research has identified a link between COVID-19 hospitalisation and an increased risk of cognitive impairment, highlighting the importance of monitoring and supporting brain health in those affected.
Industry partnerships and inclusive research
The MH-TRC Mission has a team dedicated to cultivating strategic partnerships across pharma, MedTech, and digital health sectors. Acting as a vital bridge between the NHS, academia, and industry, the team accelerates innovation by offering signposting through regulatory pathways, streamlining study set-up, fostering collaborative research, and ensuring rapid translation of discoveries into patient care. Recent initiatives such as the introduction of a multi-site single sign-off process for Confidentiality Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) have enabled faster and more efficient clinical trial set up across the UK.
Crucially, these partnerships are underpinned by a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP). Lived experience and community voices are embedded at every stage, shaping research priorities, design, and delivery. This approach ensures that innovation is not only technically advanced but also relevant, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of diverse communities nationally.
NIHR MH-TRC Mission Operational Lead, Dr Julie Bieles told us:
“Sometimes it’s the seemingly small things that make a big difference. By simplifying processes and strengthening our partnerships, we’re making it easier for companies and researchers to collaborate and bring innovative new research to the UK ultimately benefiting people who have experienced mental ill health.”
Looking ahead
The mid-term review in 2025 confirmed OH BRC’s trajectory towards delivering its ambitious objective of driving innovative research that improves the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health and brain disorders, translating scientific discoveries into real-world benefits for patients and communities. With continued focus on the 3 priority areas aligned to prevention, hospital to home and analogue to digital the next phase promises even greater impact advancing treatments, shaping policy, and improving the lives of patients across the UK. Our MH-TRC mid-term showcase was a vibrant celebration of progress illustrating collaborative initiatives within UK mental health research that will continue to develop over the coming years.
OH BRC Director and Chair of the NIHR MH-TRC Professor Rachel Upthegrove MBE said:“Over the past three years, Oxford Health BRC and the MH TRC Mission has delivered substantial progress in mental health research by fostering cross-sector partnerships, advancing innovative clinical trials, and embedding lived experience into every stage of our work. Our commitment to rigorous science, inclusivity, and real-world impact has enabled us to accelerate the development and implementation of new treatments, improve diagnostic pathways, and ensure our research addresses the needs of diverse patient populations. These achievements are the result of dedicated collaboration across our teams and partners, and they set a strong foundation for continued progress in the years ahead.”
