The National Institute for Health Research or NIHR and over 50 partners has provided £28 million in funding to NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East Midlands or CLAHRC EM, a statement about the initiative said.

The project, which will be launched on February 14 at the Holywell Conference Centre in Loughborough, is a collaboration among universities, the NHS, industry, local authorities and the public from the East Midlands. CLAHRC EM is geared towards carrying out research on the health priorities of the East Midlands, the statement said.

The funding will enable CLAHRC EM to conduct health studies and see to it that the results are put to practice in the soonest possible time. It will also support the NHS in setting forth the most efficient and effective strategies to transform to practical results the ideas that will be generated from the research, the statement said.

NIHR CLAHRC EM Director Professor Kamlesh Khunti said, "This is a wonderful opportunity to develop new ways of improving health across the region. With life expectancy in the East Midlands lower than the England average and prevalence of long term conditions, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and poor mental health, being much higher in some inner city areas, it is vital that we find new ways of tackling these issues. This collaboration across all the people involved in health care and research in the region provides a unique framework in which to carry out and implement studies that will mean a real difference to local people."

Meanwhile, NIHR CLAHRC EM Chair Professor Mike Cooke CBE said the East Midlands has some of the world's best health researchers and possesses a record of success. He added that CLAHRC EM will allow them to "build on their skills, experience and dedication to deliver projects that match what the NHS is telling us is important to them."