Key Collaborators

The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is built upon a strong foundation of diverse and impactful collaborations. These partnerships span leading public health agencies, esteemed academic institutions, key healthcare providers, and vital community organisations. This extensive network is crucial for driving our research forward, ensuring it is comprehensive, equitable, and directly addresses the most pressing public health challenges.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

Our core partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is central to the HPRU. UKHSA’s Health Equity and Inclusion Health Division helps guide our commitment to reducing health inequalities across all research themes. This ensures our work directly informs UKHSA’s policies and services, supporting more accessible, inclusive, and equitable public health outcomes.

Academic Institutions

Our research is significantly enriched by collaborations with a network of distinguished academic partners, bringing together diverse expertise and cutting-edge research methodologies. Our key academic collaborators include:

Imperial College London: As the host institution, Imperial provides foundational support, with significant contributions from units such as the Ethnicity and Health Unit, led by Mala Rao. This collaboration ensures that principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in all aspects of our research and team development.
University of Bristol: Contributing vital expertise in infectious disease epidemiology and public health interventions, Bristol strengthens our capacity to conduct rigorous evaluations of health protection strategies.
University of Edinburgh: Edinburgh offers strengths in respiratory medicine, immunology, and public health data science. Their contributions are key to advancing our understanding of respiratory infections and developing innovative approaches to surveillance and intervention.
University of Oxford: A leader in infectious disease research, Oxford contributes extensive expertise in vaccine development, clinical trials, and epidemiological modelling—particularly supporting our work on pandemic preparedness and optimising respiratory interventions.
University of Sheffield: Sheffield brings critical focus to public health, health inequalities, and community-based research. Their insight helps ensure our work translates into tangible benefits for underserved populations.

Healthcare and Surveillance Networks

Partnerships with healthcare providers and surveillance networks are vital for translating our research into actionable interventions and generating robust, real-world data. Key collaborators include:

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: A core clinical partner linking research with patient populations and care pathways. This collaboration ensures clinical relevance and supports translation into practice.
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Research and Surveillance Centre Sentinel Network: A key source of real-time primary care data on infectious disease trends, vaccine effectiveness, and emerging respiratory threats.
VIVALDI Network: A critical contributor to our care home research, supporting surveillance and outbreak response in one of the most vulnerable settings.
Hospital-based Acute Respiratory Infection Sentinel Surveillance (HARISS): This network supports our understanding of healthcare-associated respiratory infections, strengthening evidence around transmission dynamics and informing infection prevention strategies.

Public and Community Partners

A cornerstone of our collaborative philosophy is deep engagement with public and community partners. These relationships ensure our research is co-produced, culturally sensitive, and responsive to the needs of the communities we serve, especially those often underrepresented or marginalised.

Bromley-by-Bow Centre: A core PPIEP partner and member of our Public Steering Committee. The Centre plays a central role in co-designing health literacy programmes, supporting outreach to families in deprived areas, and ensuring research is accessible and relevant to local communities.
Doctors of the World UK: A third-sector partner supporting inclusive recruitment, culturally sensitive communication, and advocacy for migrants and excluded populations. Their expertise ensures that our research and engagement strategies reflect the realities of people facing systemic barriers to care.
Mosaic Community Trust: A key engagement partner supporting outreach to multigenerational, ethnically diverse, and faith-based communities. Their involvement helps ensure our research addresses the distinct needs and inequalities these groups face.