Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine's Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics awarded close to £10m to aid expansion

Research England has awarded £9.8m to the Centre for Drugs and Diagnostics (CDD) at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to train the next generation of leaders in infectious disease research.

The CDD will use the funding to expand the breadth and depth of its research portfolio over five years through investment in creating a skilled workforce, particularly Early Career Researchers. This will be combined with investment in novel emerging technologies to deliver new, better global health solutions, from proof of concept through to market.

The award is part of the Expanding Excellence in England Fund, or E3, and recognises the CDD as an international centre of excellence in translational infectious disease research.

Professor Steve Ward from the CDD and funding bid lead said: “This award is built on nearly two decades of investment by LSTM in translational infectious disease research, and is testimony to the regionally important and internationally recognised excellence established at LSTM. This funding guarantees the continued growth of CDD and the impact its research will deliver in addressing challenges in global health.”

Professor Giancarlo Biagini, Director of the CDD and Dean of Research and Innovation at LSTM, said: “This investment will be strategically channelled into cultivating a highly skilled multi-disciplinary workforce, with a special emphasis on nurturing Early Career Researchers, working with disruptive technologies, towards the development of innovative next-generation solutions.”

The CDD is a global leader in translational infection research. It comprises an experienced multi-disciplinary group of experts working together to develop and deliver novel therapies and diagnostics for a range of pathogens.

National and international global health priorities post-COVID have opened up considerable opportunities to expand the centre’s work and develop future leaders in this area of research.

Dr Steven Hill, Director of Research at Research England, said: “We have invested in research units in universities across England.

“This will diversify the regional spread of research disciplines to support the sustained enhancement of research capacity across England, and enhance the skills base, build and diversify talent and bring disciplines together to develop new skillsets and “future leaders” in areas of research excellence where there is untapped potential.

“Our investment will also help to reinforce the contribution of HEPs to their region through strategic local partnerships, focusing on sharing resources and infrastructure and generating local impact, backed by robust institutional leadership.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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