A research institute at the University of Portsmouth is charting a bold new course for life sciences and healthcare innovation in the South East, with a renewed mission to tackle regional health challenges through cutting-edge collaboration.
With a focus on understanding life at the molecular level, developing technologies and approaches to address global challenges, tackling diseases, developing new treatments, and improving everyday health and care, the Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare (ILSH) brings together scientists, health care practitioners, and local partners to create real benefits for society.
The Institute was developed by the University's Faculty of Science and Health and is funded by Research England quality-related (QR) funding.
The relaunch event at the University's Portland Building underscored the Institute's vital role in fostering an inclusive, collaborative research environment for Research and Innovation (R&I) activities, embracing a multidisciplinary approach to biosciences. Additional funding for the event was supported by the University Research Culture programme, NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network , and commercial sponsors.
As the University of Portsmouth is a founding member of Wessex Health Partners , ILSH will benefit from close links with other universities in the region, NHS organisations, voluntary and community sector organisations, as well as NIHR -funded and other research infrastructure.
Key regional partners include Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust , who the University has an ongoing strategic partnership with, particularly in the realm of research and education, the NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network , the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, Portsmouth City Council , Health Innovation Wessex , the Drug Safety Research Unit , and the other 13 members of Wessex Health Partners - the region's academic health science partnership.
These connections are vital to ensure researchers can align to address regional health and societal challenges and priorities, work alongside those with lived experience, and vastly increase the real-world impact of their research, with potential for global reach.
Professor Richard Thelwell , Executive Dean for the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Portsmouth, said: "This marks a new chapter for the Institute at the University of Portsmouth, reaffirming our commitment to inclusive, high-impact research of benefit to health and society. By strengthening collaborations with NHS trusts, Wessex partners, and industry leaders, and expanding key initiatives such as the dental academy and medical programme, we are paving the way for innovation that delivers direct benefit. It is not just a relaunch - it's a renewed vision for the future of research excellence.
"The Institute is committed to fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and dynamic research environment that drives innovation in life sciences and healthcare. This event has provided a platform to share our strategic vision, highlight key successes and research priorities, and strengthen partnerships that enhance real-world impact", adds Professor Thelwell.
Christine McGrath, Managing Director of Wessex Health Partners, added: "The Institute strengthens our region's ability to work across organisations, bringing academic researchers together with clinicians in hospitals, community and primary care settings to really combine our excellence and accelerate our impact. It's more evidence of how Wessex as a region is stepping up to take a leading role in the life sciences, which is crucial to meet the government's strategic shifts in healthcare."
The Institute focuses on four key Research and Innovation (R&I) themes:
- Frontier Biomolecular Science - advancing the understanding and manipulation of biological molecules for discovery
- Translational Medicine and Disease - bridges fundamental scientific research with clinical applications to tackle human diseases
- Advanced Therapeutics and Delivery - develops and optimises delivery systems for targeted therapeutic interventions
- Advancing Health and Wellbeing: Innovations, Equity and Care Delivery - develops innovative solutions to improve healthcare and wellbeing
The Institute will also better enable regional partners to work collaboratively to respond to the government's 10-Year Health Plan and its 3 strategic shifts, moving care from:
- Hospital to community
- Sickness to prevention
- Analogue to digital
This event served as a key milestone in shaping the future of the Institute, offering a strategic overview, defining research priorities, showcasing current and emerging strengths, and fostering valuable connections among members to drive collaboration and innovation.
To find out more, please visit: https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/institute-of-life-sciences-and-healthcare
