At least 50 cross-party MPs have urged the government to support the Life Sciences-Charity Partnership Fund, a £310m initiative designed to counter the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on medical research into major conditions such as dementia, heart disease and cancer. The fund, developed by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), would see the government's contribution matched by charitable organisations over three years.
The pandemic has severely affected medical research charities. The British Heart Foundation, which funds over £100m of research annually, reported a £10m monthly loss, halving its net income. Cancer Research UK announced it would cut a quarter of its workforce. Over 100 charities, including Diabetes UK, Alzheimer's Research UK and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, back the fund.
Aisling Burnand, chief executive of the AMRC, said the UK's research and development sector was a national strength. 'Medical research charities play an integral role within that research ecosystem,' she said. The fund would bridge a projected £310m gap in research funding for 2020–21.
The MPs, in an open letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, noted that the medical research sector did not benefit from the £750m charity support package announced in April. They warned that charities were planning an average 41% decrease in research spend this financial year, leading to a potential reduction in UK medical research investment of £310m. Charity investment in UK research since 2008 totals £14bn, with AMRC members funding half of publicly funded medical research in 2019.
A Treasury spokesperson said medical research charities were integral to the UK's life sciences sector, and the Department of Health and Social Care was working with the sector to understand its needs.
