RESPIRE secures funding for a further 4 years

Following a successful bid to the NIHR Global Health Research Programme, RESPIRE has successfully secured funding for a further 4 years of research to reduce the impact of respiratory disorders in Asia.

A look to the future

The new funding expands the previous RESPIRE structure of 10 partners across Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Pakistan to three additional low- and middle-income countries: Bhutan, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

As well as the expansion into additional countries, the scope of research within the project is also increasing. Building on RESPIRE research in acute and chronic respiratory disorders, future research programmes will encompass:

• Infectious diseases, like pneumonia and TB
• Non-communicable diseases, like asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Preventable risk factors for respiratory conditions, like tobacco smoking and exposure to air pollution

Local solutions for local priorities

RESPIRE continues to collaborate closely with Ministries of Health, study communities and other key stakeholders to make sure projects are appropriate for local patients and communities. This is done through the RESPIRE stakeholder and community engagement and involvement platform, which has had strong impact over the past 5 years.

Other platforms in RESPIRE will focus on education and capacity building; open science, data and methodologies; and digital health and innovation. All these platforms will feed into a ‘translational hub’ which will be tasked with ensuring the new knowledge gained is used to improve healthcare and support the development of appropriate health policy across Asia.

New leadership

With the new grant comes a change of leadership. Professor Ee Ming Khoo (University of Malaya) and Professor Harry Campbell (University of Edinburgh) are the new Co-Directors of RESPIRE during this new phase. They are excited to start the research under the new grant.

Professor Ee Ming Khoo said:

Welcome to the RESPIRE communities. Let us work together to improve respiratory conditions in Asia and beyond.

Professor Ee Ming Khoo

Professor Harry Campbell said:

This funding from NIHR gives us the opportunity to widen the number of partners and countries in which RESPIRE will carry out research for the coming 4 years. We will continue to work together to ensure our work makes an impact in tackling respiratory diseases in Asia.

Professor Harry Campbell

Look out for changes on the RESPIRE website over the coming months to reflect the new grant.