Moorfields Eye Hospital has received a major five year funding award for clinical research from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The Moorfields NIHR Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has been awarded £5.3m over five years, starting on 1 April 2017.
The accreditation recognises the world-leading excellence of our clinical research and is testament to our CRF research colleagues whose preparatory work allowed us to present a robust application to the Department of Health and expert international panel earlier this summer. You should all feel deservedly proud.
The Moorfields NIHR CRF is our facility dedicated to patients with eye disease and enables us to ‘fast track’ innovative research through to new diagnostic methods and treatments, including clinical trials. This CRF is primarily dedicated to and will support the translation of experimental medicine research into patient care, including new gene, stem cell and drug therapies, and new diagnostic and surgical techniques. Core funding of the CRF was awarded by the NIHR for 2012-17 and renewed with a further award to 2022. It has enabled us to set up a first class facility that is well placed to deliver an increasing pipeline of translational and commercial work.
This substantial investment in eye research will enable us to continue to fast track innovative research to the benefit of our patients and people with sight loss around the world.