The University of Portsmouth has relaunched its Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare with a renewed focus on collaborative research to tackle regional health challenges and deliver real-world impact across the South East.
The revamped Institute of Life Sciences and Healthcare (ILSH) represents a fresh chapter in collaborative research, bringing together scientists, healthcare professionals, and regional partners to address pressing health issues through innovative approaches.
The institute concentrates on molecular-level research, technology development for global challenges, disease treatment, and improving daily healthcare delivery. It operates under the University’s Faculty of Science and Health with backing from Research England quality-related funding.
A relaunch ceremony at the University’s Portland Building highlighted the institute’s commitment to creating an inclusive, collaborative research environment that embraces multidisciplinary bioscience approaches. The event received additional support from the University Research Culture programme, NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network, and commercial sponsors.
As a founding member of Wessex Health Partners, the institute benefits from strong regional connections with universities, NHS organisations, voluntary groups, and NIHR-funded research infrastructure.
Principal regional collaborators include Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, with whom the university maintains a strategic partnership in research and education, alongside the NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network, NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, Portsmouth City Council, Health Innovation Wessex, the Drug Safety Research Unit, and the 13 other Wessex Health Partners members.
These partnerships ensure researchers can address regional health priorities, work with communities, and maximise research impact with potential global reach.
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Professor Richard Thelwell, Executive Dean for the Faculty of Science and Health, commented: “This represents a fresh chapter for our institute, reinforcing our dedication to inclusive, high-impact research benefiting health and society. Through strengthening partnerships with NHS trusts, Wessex collaborators, and industry leaders, plus expanding initiatives like our dental academy and medical programme, we’re creating pathways for innovation with direct benefits. This isn’t merely a relaunch – it’s a refreshed vision for research excellence’s future.
“The institute commits to nurturing a collaborative, inclusive, and dynamic research environment driving life sciences and healthcare innovation. This event provided a platform for sharing our strategic vision, showcasing key achievements and research priorities, and strengthening partnerships that enhance real-world impact.”
Christine McGrath, Managing Director of Wessex Health Partners, stated: “The institute enhances our region’s capacity for cross-organisational collaboration, uniting academic researchers with clinicians across hospitals, community, and primary care settings to combine excellence and accelerate impact. It demonstrates how Wessex is emerging as a life sciences leader, essential for meeting government healthcare strategy shifts.”
The institute operates across four Research and Innovation themes:
Frontier Biomolecular Science – advancing biological molecule understanding and manipulation for discovery
Translational Medicine and Disease – connecting fundamental research with clinical applications for human disease treatment
Advanced Therapeutics and Delivery – developing optimised delivery systems for targeted therapeutic interventions
Advancing Health and Wellbeing: Innovations, Equity and Care Delivery – creating innovative healthcare and wellbeing improvement solutions
The institute will enable regional partners to collaborate effectively in responding to the government’s 10-Year Health Plan and its three strategic transitions:
- Hospital to community care
- Sickness to prevention focus
- Analogue to digital transformation
The relaunch event marked a significant milestone in the institute’s future development, providing strategic overview, defining research priorities, demonstrating current and emerging capabilities, and building valuable member connections to drive collaboration and innovation.
Further information is available at: https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/institute-of-life-sciences-and-healthcare or contact ILSH@port.ac.uk
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