UK Government Funds ‘Privacy-Preserving’ Data-Sharing, Manufacturing

The UK government said it will invest almost $345 million to support life sciences research and development initiatives, including almost $265 million to give researchers better access to National Health Service (NHS) data through new privacy-preserving platforms and digital clinical trial services.

“This will make crucial data more secure and quickly available for research … [and] ensure that the NHS will be able to deliver new life-saving treatments to patients faster,” said a joint statement from the UK departments of health and industry.

The initiative will support more “diverse and inclusive clinical research to tackle health inequalities and improve patient care,” they said.

The rest of the funding, nearly $80 million, will go toward commercial-scale manufacturing for companies producing innovate technologies, such as cell and gene therapies, the departments said.