NICE has extended a major collaboration project with the University of Manchester and Health Innovation Manchester to improve overall health through research and evaluation of health policy and technology.

The partnership is extended another three years, until June 2021, and will involve a key project, DataLab. The project builds on Greater Manchester’s expertise and data assets to explore how routinely collected information, such as anonymous data derived from patient records, can be used to evaluate drug effectiveness, new technologies and support guidance development.

The news comes after an announcement that Greater Manchester will receive a large investment from NHS England to be designated as a local health and care record exemplar, connecting health and social care IT systems across its ten boroughs to more efficiently share information.