Delivering more clinical research in Yorkshire

Without clinical researchers in Yorkshire, many breakthroughs in cancer research wouldn’t benefit people living in our region. Working in hospitals, universities and healthcare settings across Yorkshire, they bring scientific discoveries to people with cancer, so they can benefit from the latest innovations and treatments.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research helps make this happen, funding pioneering cancer research and clinical trials that help attract and retain talented experts in our region.

Despite these efforts, long-standing gaps in regional funding continue to hold back Yorkshire's full potential in cancer research, limiting the number of the people who stand to benefit from new and better ways to detect, diagnose and treat cancer.

Yorkshire Cancer Research believes it is time to act and address these funding gaps, for the benefit of people with cancer now, and in the future.  

The charity recently published a new report, setting out the barriers to research funding in Yorkshire and the steps that are needed to address this. This blog explains some of these issues. 

The benefits of research-active hospitals

When clinical research happens locally, it can have a meaningful impact for the people living in that area.

Research active hospitals are often quicker to introduce new treatments and improvements in healthcare, enabling people to benefit sooner from the latest innovations and advancements in cancer research.

Studies have shown that, for some types of cancer, people treated in hospitals with higher levels of research activity are more likely to survive compared to those who are treated in hospitals with less research taking place. A recent study found that people with colorectal cancer who were treated in hospitals with high levels of research participation were nearly 4% more likely to survive for 5 years after their diagnosis.  

The benefits of clinical research extend beyond healthcare. Clinical research can drive economic growth by attracting investment, supporting high-skilled jobs, and helping people stay well and in work. Expanding research activity in regions like Yorkshire could therefore play an important role in reducing economic inequalities between the North and the South.  

Health research funding in Yorkshire

Despite these clear benefits, significant inequalities in research funding persist.

In 2022, Yorkshire received 5% of health research funding, despite representing 8% of the UK population. By contrast, London received 32% of research funding yet accounts for 13% of the population. For Yorkshire, this imbalance has lasted for at least two decades. 

Yorkshire is home to exceptional clinicians and scientists conducting world-leading research for the benefit of everyone in the region. However, long-term underinvestment makes it harder for our region to compete equally with areas that have consistently received higher levels of funding. 

In 2023/24, 24% of applications from Yorkshire-based researchers to UK Research and Innovation were successful - higher than in London. Yet many researchers in Yorkshire have fewer opportunities to apply for large-scale funding, resulting in less overall investment flowing into the region.

To carry out research on a greater scale, researchers need the right buildings, equipment and support teams, known as research infrastructure. However, Yorkshire has received far less investment in this vital infrastructure than London.  

In 2022, London received over £300 million - nearly twenty times more than the combined total for Yorkshire’s three Combined Authorities. For researchers working here, this can mean fewer opportunities to take on large scale cancer research projects, which offer the greatest potential to save and extend lives. 

Clinical researchers in Yorkshire

Despite their importance, Yorkshire is facing a significant loss of clinical researchers. Between 2012 and 2022, Yorkshire experienced the largest decline in clinical academic posts of any region in England, nearly four times the national average decline. Whilst there has been some recovery since, Yorkshire still has fewer clinical academics than it did in 2012.  

The decline in the number of early career researchers in Yorkshire is particularly concerning. As experienced staff retire, they are not being replaced at a fast enough rate by younger clinical researchers, threatening Yorkshire’s ability to conduct research that gives people in the region access to cutting-edge research and clinical trials.

Addressing this decline will require targeted and sustained support for clinical academic careers in Yorkshire, particularly for those early in their career.  

Delivering more world leading research in Yorkshire: What needs to happen next?  

Yorkshire Cancer Research has published a new report, Delivering more clinical research in Yorkshire: Unlocking regional potential. The report sets out practical changes to change the research system, so that more world leading research can happen in Yorkshire and other regions of historic under investment. 

Taken together, these actions could unlock Yorkshire’s full potential, enabling more world-leading research to happen closer to home and ensuring people in our region can be among the first to benefit from pioneering cancer breakthroughs.  

Addressing long-standing funding inequalities is not just about fairness; it’s about giving people across Yorkshire the best possible chance to live longer, healthier, cancer-free lives.