£15.5m funding boost secures future of Exeter’s leading health research partnership

A major South West health research partnership led by the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has secured £15.5 million in national funding to continue its work improving health and care services across the region.

The Applied Research Collaboration South West Peninsula (PenARC) has received the award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), ensuring the partnership can continue for another five years. 

PenARC brings together universities, NHS and social care providers, local authorities, charities, and community groups to conduct research addressing real-world health priorities across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, and the Isles of Scilly.

READ NEXT: Major Exeter road to close for three weeks as upgrade work begins

Professor Stuart Logan, Director of PenARC and Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at the University of Exeter, said the renewed funding will help strengthen local research and collaboration: “This renewed investment allows us to deepen our work with communities and services, and to continue producing research that makes a real difference locally and nationally. The next phase offers exciting opportunities to scale our impact and ensure that the voices of patients and practitioners remain at the heart of research and innovation.”

The funding forms part of a £157 million national investment supporting ten Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs) across England from April 2026. The ARCs will help deliver research that improves NHS services and supports the Government’s Health and Growth Missions.

In Exeter, PenARC’s projects have already influenced health and care practice. Research has led to new approaches such as using oral antibiotics at home for newborns with suspected infections, applying artificial intelligence to improve outcomes for stroke patients, and introducing midwife-led training to prevent incontinence which is now recommended across the NHS.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which hosts the partnership, said the new funding will help ensure that health research continues to directly inform care in hospitals and communities across Devon. 

Professor Helen Quinn, the Trust’s Research and Development Director, said: “PenARC’s work has a direct impact on the way we deliver care – from informing clinical practice to shaping national policy. This funding ensures we can continue working together to generate research that improves outcomes for patients, both locally and nationally.”

PenARC’s focus for the next five years will include research in dementia, mental health, ageing, children’s health, and disease prevention. The partnership also works closely with other NIHR-funded centres in the region, including the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre and the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation, helping to position Exeter as a leading hub for health research and innovation in the South West.

Professor Richard Byng, Deputy Director of PenARC and Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Plymouth, said the continued support reflects the strength of collaboration across the region:

“This renewed funding is a strong endorsement of the collaborative research approach we’ve built over many years. Over the next five years, we’ll continue to co-produce evidence that addresses the most crucial real-world challenges for people and systems in order to drive improvements in health and care.”

The renewed investment will also support greater involvement of patients and the public in research, ensuring that local people help to shape studies and that findings are used to improve care across the South West.