Nearly 200 NCIC staff and partners packed into the auditorium at the University of Cumbria to take part in the first ‘Ascent Cumbria;’ research and innovation symposium.
The event, the brainchild of consultants Chris Rao and Kathie Wong, aimed to capitalise on the opportunities created by the development of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine at the University of Cumbria. The medical school is backed by Imperial College London, which has an international pedigree for research and innovation.
Opening the event, Executive Medical Director Adrian Clements said: “Creating a research rich environment has to be our aim in north Cumbria because it leads to better care for our population and it attracts the best medical professionals to our region. It means that our clinicians and our patients have better access to the latest research and innovative treatments, and that has to be good for us all.”
Professor Brian Webster Henderson, Deputy Vice-chancellor of the University of Cumbria added: ”Cumbria has historically been a cold spot for medical education and research, and the partnership we are building around the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine is a great example of how we can work together to meet the needs of place.”
Lord Ari Darzi, the influential Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial sent a recorded message. He paid tribute to the North Cumbria partnership: “… for their vision for home grown education and research, which is challenging the perception that education and innovation should be concentrated in big hospitals in big cities, when in fact it should reach every corner of every community.”
The symposium heard wide ranging sessions through the day including innovations such as portable low cost rapid production devices helping to improve care in sub-Saharan Africa, AI avatars that can carry out health screening interviews, and new optical technologies which may provide diagnostic resources without the need for radiology. There was also advice from the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) about how to navigate the complex world of research funding.
Professor Jonathan Weber, Non-Executive Director of NCIC and Co-Director of the Pears Cumbria School of Medicine Research Hub ended the session with exciting news about funding for eight clinical research projects worth up to £50k each. The funding is intended to help foster a strong research culture in our region. Projects should demonstrate close partnership working and have the potential to improve health outcomes in Cumbria. Closing date for applications is 15 July and there are lots of opportunities to engage and find out more before then – further information is available at https://cumbriamed.ac.uk/research/