NIHR Annual Report Reveals £1.7 Billion Investment in Health and Care Research, Marking Two Decades of Impact
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has published its Annual Report for 2025/26, marking two decades of transforming the health and social care research landscape in the UK.
The report reveals that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) invested £1.7 billion in health and care research through the NIHR during 2025/26 — a 5% (£84 million) increase on the previous year.
This continued investment is delivering significant economic and social returns, generating more than £13 for every £1 spent and acting as a powerful driver of national economic growth. Initial estimates suggest that activities funded or enabled by the NIHR in 2025/26 contributed £8.8 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy and supported 111,845 jobs nationwide.
Driving Impact Across the Sector
Throughout the year, the NIHR directed cutting-edge research towards the nation’s most pressing health and care challenges, aligning its work with major government initiatives including the 10-Year Health Plan, the Life Sciences Sector Plan and the new National Cancer Plan.
Inclusion remained a central priority for the organisation, which views diversity in research as fundamental to good science and effective health outcomes that reflect the UK’s diverse population.
This year saw the launch of the NIHR’s landmark Sex and Gender in Research Policy, designed to improve inclusivity by requiring researchers to consider how sex and gender-related factors influence findings.
The NIHR also committed £50 million to investigate inequalities in cardiovascular disease, a condition that disproportionately affects older people and Black African, Black Caribbean, and South Asian communities — a matter of particular relevance to the care sector, given the age profile of many residents.
The flagship Be Part of Research volunteer service continued to grow, reaching 702,751 registered volunteers willing to take part in research, including 15% from historically underrepresented ethnic minority groups. Meanwhile, the NIHR refocused its Global Health Research programme to prioritise health security and diseases of poverty across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Strengthening the UK’s Life Sciences Standing
The UK’s global position in life sciences and healthtech was also strengthened over the past year. Responding to the government’s target to reduce commercial study set-up times, the NIHR reduced average commercial trial set-up times to 122 days in the first half of the year.
A record 707 new commercially sponsored studies were added to the NIHR portfolio — the highest number in a decade — achieving 100 international recruitment firsts, comprising 32 global and 68 European milestones.
The organisation also progressed a number of pioneering technological innovations, including trialling AI-powered “SmartSocks” to track early signs of dementia in adults with Down Syndrome, and backing the AI Research Screening Platform (AIR-SP) with almost £6 million to speed up cancer diagnoses across the NHS — developments that may in time offer real benefits for residents in care settings.
Investment in career development and research training also rose by 30% (£71 million), supporting 10,401 researchers as part of efforts to secure the future of the UK’s research workforce.
Reflecting on Two Decades of Progress
Professor Lucy Chappell, CEO of the NIHR, said: “This year’s annual report showcases the best of the NIHR: delivering research that improves lives whilst strengthening the UK’s economy.
“We are very proud of our researchers, research participants, patients and public involvement communities who bridge the gap between world-class science and frontline health and care.
“In our 20th anniversary year, we reflect on the impact NIHR has had on research on a global stage and its role in making the UK a world leader for life sciences. We look to the next 20 years with excitement as we continue to innovate, invest, deliver impact and champion inclusion.”
