The Elizabeth Blackwell Institute (EBI) - named after one of Bristol’s unsung pioneers in public health – has been awarded the Wellcome Trust’s Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF), designed to support biomedical research and related activities in the UK over the next five years.  The ISSF award of £3.75 million is being matched by the University: it is the third and largest ISSF award for the EBI and recognises the successful work the Institute has delivered during the previous five years.

Since its inception in 2012 the EBI has made great strides in identifying new approaches to solving health challenges by creating a collaborative environment for experts across the biomedical sciences, the physical and engineering sciences, arts and humanities, social sciences, alongside public, industry and clinical practitioners.

Working with colleagues across the University and external partners, the EBI will use its latest ISSF award to identify and support a range of strategic interdisciplinary research priorities underpinning a wider health research strategy and framework.

The Institute will continue to invest in supporting the next generation of health research leaders by offering fellowships and support for clinical and non-clinical early career researchers. Clinical researchers in particular will benefit from opportunities offered by the EBI and the recently announced Wellcome Trust-funded clinical PhD programme for the South West.

The Institute will also prioritise work on diversity and inclusion, as well as public engagement with focus on building capacity, creating and developing partnerships to co-design and increase the impact of the University’s research and deliver activities like the upcoming Feel It Festival.