Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has secured £1.48 million in capital funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to develop a new Centre for Stroke, Neuroscience and Ageing Research (CSNAR) at the Royal Preston Hospital.
The award forms part of the £47.8 million national NIHR capital programme, funded through the Government and industry‑supported Voluntary Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme.
The initiative aims to strengthen the NHS’s ability to deliver high‑quality commercial clinical research, academic links and improve access for patients across England.
Subject to approvals, the funding will refurbish 198sqm of unused ‘mothballed’ space beneath the Rosemere Cancer Centre, converting it into a modern clinical and academic research hub. The new facility will form a key extension of the Centre for Health Research and Innovation (CHRI) and build on the established capability of the NIHR Lancashire Clinical Research Facility (LCRF).
The redeveloped hub will include flexible clinical, administrative and meeting space including academic collaboration space, and accessibility improvements including modular lift access. This purpose‑built environment will enable expansion of commercial and academic research, supporting CHRI’s long‑term growth strategy and providing essential infrastructure for delivering innovative clinical studies.
At the centre of the development is the creation of CSNAR, a new multidisciplinary research unit, bringing together clinicians and academics from the University of Lancashire, Lancaster University, and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals’ stroke and neurosciences teams.
Lancashire experiences some of the highest stroke incidence and poorest outcomes in the country, with high levels of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease. The region also includes communities with significant ethnic diversity and some of the most deprived local authority areas nationally.
Establishing CSNAR in Preston presents an opportunity to increase participation in high‑quality research, improve early diagnosis and treatment pathways, and strengthen long‑term rehabilitation outcomes across Lancashire and South Cumbria. The facility will also support NIHR‑aligned academic training, including clinical academic pathways in neurology and stroke medicine.
The investment underpins the Trust’s ambition to not only become a University Hospital but also to grow its commercial research portfolio from 20 to 25 open commercial trials to more than 30 in the coming year, sustaining growth over the following two years.
As part of Lancashire and South Cumbria’s integrated research strategy, the hub will increase capacity in high‑priority areas including cancer, respiratory and renal research, enable clearer separation of early‑ and late‑phase trials across the LCRF and new hub, and strengthen partnerships with primary care, local communities and industry.
This expansion is expected to help retain specialist staff, attract further investment and stimulate the regional economy by drawing life‑science and biotech partners to Lancashire.
The new hub will help address these challenges by delivering research closer to underserved communities, reducing travel and geographic barriers, increasing participation among ethnic minority groups, building trusted, long‑term community partnerships, and embedding research within routine care pathways.
Professor Pierre Martin-Hirsch, Director of Research and Innovation at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “This investment marks a major step forward for research in our region. By transforming the existing space into a dedicated home for stroke, neuroscience and ageing research, we are building a future‑ready, sustainable and cost-effective research ecosystem, that will directly benefit patients across Lancashire and South Cumbria.”
Paul Brown, Deputy Director of Research and Innovation, added: “The new hub gives us the space and capability we need to expand commercial research, develop our academic partnerships, and provide more opportunities for local people to participate in ground‑breaking studies. We are deeply grateful to NIHR and our university partners for their support.”
The Trust will work closely with local faith organisations, cultural groups and community networks – including the Lancashire Health Mela – to ensure the space is inclusive, welcoming and co‑designed with public input.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals acknowledges the support of NIHR and the VPAG Investment Programme, University of Lancashire and Lancaster University, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft), and regional NHS, primary care and industry collaborators.
Their combined expertise and partnership underpin the development and future success of the new facility.
The new facility is scheduled to open by Spring 2027.
