Dr Stuart Griffiths on World Cancer Research Day 2025

Thanks to major advancements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, more lives are being saved and extended in the region, and beyond.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding 59 programmes, including 25 clinical trials, offering 175,000 people the opportunity to take part in pioneering research and services. The charity works with 710 researchers and cancer experts to bring vital expertise and knowledge to the region, so people in Yorkshire are among the first to benefit from life-saving cancer breakthroughs.  

A fairer share of funding

While today is a moment to celebrate progress, it’s also a time to confront a stark reality. When it comes to cancer research funding, Yorkshire continues to be overlooked.

Despite being home to nearly 8% of the UK population, the region receives just 5% of health research funding. In contrast, London receives 32% of funding while accounting for 13% of the population. This imbalance limits the amount of research taking place here in Yorkshire, reducing opportunities for people to take part and making it harder to attract future investment.  

The power of participation  

Clinical research – studies involving people to test new treatments and approaches – is vital to saving lives. Research shows that hospitals offering research opportunities are linked with delivering better care, improved outcomes and even higher survival rates.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is funding two world-leading bowel cancer trials, FOxTROT 2 and 3, to test the effectiveness of chemotherapy before bowel cancer. Delivered at hospitals across Yorkshire and beyond, these trials aim to cure more people of bowel cancer and provide early access to innovative cancer treatments before they become widely available on the NHS.

Encouragingly, recent analysis from Yorkshire Cancer Research shows that people in Yorkshire are more likely to be told about research opportunities during their cancer care than almost anywhere else in England.¹ As the biggest funder of cancer research study places in Yorkshire, Yorkshire Cancer Research is working closely with clinical academic researchers to bring innovative research into the real world. In 2024-2025, the charity funded 33% of all opportunities to take part in cancer research study places in the region, helping more people benefit from innovative treatment and clinical trials.

However, despite this progress, there is still a long way to go. Greater investment is vital to grow these life-changing research opportunities and reach more people across the region.  

Addressing a crisis in clinical research careers

Clinical academics – doctors who combine careers in healthcare with research – are essential to the delivery of research in the NHS. Yet between 2012 and 2022, their numbers declined, particularly in Yorkshire where they fell by 25.6%, the sharpest decline of any region in England and four times the national average. While numbers have begun to recover nationally, despite some improvements, data from 2024 shows Yorkshire continues to lag behind.

Without investment in people, Yorkshire’s healthcare system cannot deliver the research needed to move towards a cancer-free future. The charity is calling for greater support to grow and retain the expertise required to bring life-saving clinical trials and research to people in Yorkshire, ensuring they build their careers here, and not elsewhere.  

The charity also supports the development of a national career framework to make it easier for a more diverse range of healthcare professionals to get involved in research.

A cancer-free future

With the government preparing to publish its National Cancer Plan later this year, Yorkshire Cancer Research is calling for urgent action to address the recommendations set out in its landmark White Rose Cancer Report, including the need to give Yorkshire a fairer share of cancer research funding. As part of the charity’s White Rose campaign, the report sets out clear recommendations to reform funding for clinical research and grow research opportunities across Yorkshire. 

Backed by over 40 cross-party MPs and thousands of people across the region, the campaign shows there is passionate support for the Government to grow the region’s research capacity, so the benefits of cancer research can be felt by everyone in the region, no matter where they live.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research remains focused on its mission: a Yorkshire free from cancer. But to get there, greater investment, better opportunities for emerging cancer researchers, and a national commitment to building a more balanced and inclusive cancer research system is essential.  

There are huge success stories in cancer research happening across Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Lung Screening Trial, funded by the charity, helped pave the way for a national lung screening programme by proving, through an innovative lung cancer trial, community-based lung screening saves lives. These achievements demonstrate what’s possible when the right environment for research is created.  

At the heart of this progress are those who take part in research, stepping into the unknown to trial new research to help others live longer, healthier, cancer-free lives. It’s thanks to them that more people in Yorkshire, and beyond, can access life-saving cancer research and share more precious moments together.  

1 NHS England (2025). National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2024: National Results. Published 19 August 2025. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-cancer-patient-experience-survey-ncpes-2024