The University of Birmingham in the UK has secured £7m funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to launch a joint research unit with the Universities of Edinburgh and Warwick to develop global surgical research.

To be based at the University of Birmingham, the new NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery will be led by the university’s Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences colorectal surgeon professor Dion Morton and the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit director professor Peter Brocklehurst.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The unit is set to establish sustainable international research hubs in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) over four years, until March 2021.

Approximately five hubs are being initially planned across southern, central and western Africa, central and south America, and south Asia.

"The first clinical trial by the new unit will analyse methods designed to minimise wound infections after abdominal surgery at various international sites."

University of Birmingham professor Morton said: “The impact of the NIHR Global Health Research Unit will be greatly enhanced through collaboration with the Universities of Warwick and Edinburgh, who will provide expertise in research training and in improving surgical service delivery to train the future research leaders in our partner LMIC centres."

The universities have collaborated with the Royal College of Surgeons to form an alliance with local hospital networks, governmental health ministries, industry, and non-governmental organisations to drive translation of research findings to evidence-based patient care.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

The research hubs will be led by LMIC surgeons and supported by UK researchers, who will develop and train regional surgical networks.

Expected to be commenced in October, the first clinical trial by the new unit will analyse methods designed to minimise wound infections after abdominal surgery at various international sites.

Image: UK universities establish new global surgical research unit. Photo: courtesy of the University of Birmingham.

Medical Device Network Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Medical Device Network Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact

Excellence in Action
Awarded for Innovation in Remote Hearing Diagnostics , hearX’s Self Test Kit (STK) delivers clinically validated audiometry via smart devices, enabling remote, scalable hearing assessments in homes, clinics and retail. Learn how hearX is redefining hearing care delivery and reducing costs for providers globally.

Discover the Impact