The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Unit (PRU): Dementia and Neurodegeneration (DeNPRU Exeter) hosted by the University of Exeter has been granted an extension until 2028, securing additional funding of £2 million from the NIHR.
Established in 2024 as one of a network of NIHR PRUsacross the country, the multidisciplinary centres bring together academic experts to help ensure policy in health and social care issues is based on evidence.
Over the next two years, the NIHR PRU:Dementia and Neurodegeneration will work in collaboration with the University of Bradford, Newcastle University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Ulster University, alongside Innovations in Dementia CIC. It will expand its remit to include a wider range of neurological conditions.
Linda Clare, Professor of Clinical Psychology of Ageing and Dementia at the University of Exeter, is Director of the NIHR Policy Research Unit. She said: "This funding is crucial to enabling us to continue our work across all types of dementia and neurological conditions. Our goal is to benefit people living with these conditions and all those who support them by providing evidence to support effective service delivery."
In 2024, more than £100 million was awarded to 20 NIHR PRUs across England to tackle important emerging health and social care issues. The PRUs provide the government and arm's-length bodies with high-quality evidence to inform policy and decision-making. 19 of the PRUs will continue their work through to 2028.
