A new data research centre, coordinated from Edinburgh, will help to improve the lives of people living with respiratory conditions. The centre, known as BREATHE – Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health at the University of Edinburgh, will use data to advance the development of new treatments and innovations in care delivery for conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory infections. Experts say BREATHE will position the UK at the forefront of what is known as digitally-enabled respiratory health, and will benefit the NHS, patients and industry. Seven hubs BREATHE is one of seven new hubs led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK). The hubs are part of a four-year £37million investment from the Government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), led by UK Research and Innovation. The aim is to create a UK-wide network for the safe and responsible use of health-related data on a large scale. Open competition More than 100 organisations across health and care, patient groups, universities, charities, and companies will be involved. The hubs were selected following an open competition by an independent panel involving patient and public representatives, clinicians, academics and industry. They were assessed against criteria that included the potential for impact, the innovative uses of data, plans for patient and public involvement, and the value for public funding. The hub will support high-quality research and cutting-edge innovation that will improve the lives of people living with respiratory conditions in the UK. Professor Aziz SheikhDirector of BREATHE The University of Edinburgh's partners at BREATHE are: Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Swansea University, University of Leicester, Queen Mary University of London, Kings College London, Asthma UK, British Lung Foundation, NHS Waltham Forest Clinical Commissioning Group (on behalf of One London LHCRE), Greater London Authority, Respiri Ltd, StormID, Tiny Medical Apps, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, BreatheOx, GE Healthcare Finnamore Partners and Optimum Patient Care. Related links BREATHE Publication date 12 Sep, 2019
