Swansea University research centre to lead on new £1.4m partnership
The project brings together leading researchers from several universities across the UK
A new research collaboration aimed at improving research into maternal and infant health has received a £1.4 million funding boost.
The Mother and Infant Research Electronic Data Analysis (Mireda) partnership, led by the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research based in Swansea University, has been awarded the grant from the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The partnership brings together leading researchers from Swansea, the University of Edinburgh, King’s College London, the University of Nottingham, the University of Birmingham, and the Bradford Institute for Health Research.
Poverty, disadvantage and associated poor health frequently start at the earliest stages of life with behaviours such as drug and alcohol use affecting a baby's development before and after birth with implications that can last a lifetime.
Mireda aims to improve maternal and infant health, particularly among disadvantaged groups by developing new resources and tools for research using routinely collected data.
It will shape understanding by creating a UK-wide resource that includes maternal and infant birth-health data linked to local data in public health, neonatal health, primary care and hospitals.
It will also launch multidisciplinary collaboration and work to build research capacity and networks in the field.
Professor Kieran Walshe, director of Health and Care Research Wales, said: "We are delighted to see this innovative and exciting partnership putting maternal and infant health at the forefront of Welsh research capability, and look forward to seeing the Mireda partnership develop with colleagues from across the UK and with welcome support from the MRC, to help improve real-life outcomes in maternal and infant health.”
