The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has partnered with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association to speed up the discovery of new treatments and insights into MND.
The partnership will span across five years and will build research capacity in MND by helping researchers receive valuable input from public and patient MND groups, as well as greater research exposure.
Since first launching its Charity Partnership Fellowships in 2018, the NIHR has worked with 19 research charities to support individuals to become ‘future leaders’ in health and social care.
The partnership with the MND Association aims to provide career development opportunities for doctoral and post-doctoral researchers by partnering with the MND Association as part of the NIHR Doctoral Fellowship and Advanced Fellowship schemes.
Additionally, the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have committed £50m to MND research over the next five years.
Currently affecting around 5,000 people in the UK, MND is a neurodegenerative disease that causes the loss of motor neurone function.
With no cure, the average life expectancy of an individual with the condition is 18 months from diagnosis.
Sean White, who is currently undertaking the NIHR-funded Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship, said: “The NIHR has a long history of supporting healthcare professionals from all clinical backgrounds to develop an academic career, while the MND Association has a long history of funding research to find treatments and hopefully eventually a cure for this horrible disease and also of focusing on overcoming the present day-to-day challenges.
“Bringing the strategic aims of these two organisations together has to lead to benefits for people with MND.”
Professor Waljit Dhillo, dean of the NIHR Academy, commented: “This new partnership demonstrates our commitment to helping health and care researchers tackle the complex challenges of MND.
“Research is the best opportunity we have to find new ways to treat MND and improve the lives of everyone impacted by the disease.”
Applications for the NIHR’s Doctoral Fellowship and Advanced Fellowship schemes will open on 17 and 19 October 2023, respectively.