UK and South Korea Join Forces! £2.8 Million to Create Intelligent Clinical Trials

The UK and South Korea have officially announced a new partnership aimed at accelerating the clinical trial process and enhancing efficiency and productivity. The main objective of this collaboration is to provide faster, simpler, and fairer access to safe medical innovations for patients in both countries.

The project is jointly funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (including the National Institute for Health Research) and the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (including the Korea Health Industry Development Institute). It aims to leverage the world-class capabilities of both countries in clinical research and technology expertise to promote research collaboration, capacity building, and knowledge sharing in the field of intelligent clinical trials. These trials will utilize innovative technologies and methods, including artificial intelligence (AI), to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and inclusiveness of clinical research.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Department of Health and Social Care and CEO of the National Institute for Health Research, stated: "By integrating resources and expertise, we can create a greater impact." She emphasized that this partnership marks a significant advancement in conducting more efficient, innovative, and patient-centered clinical trials. The collaboration will help break existing boundaries in clinical trials, focusing more on patient outcomes at its core.

The launch of this partnership was jointly announced by Professor Lucy Chappell and Dr. Kim Hyun-cheol, Director-General of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, at a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Health Cooperation between the UK and South Korea.

Dr. Kim Hyun-cheol expressed excitement about collaborating with the UK’s leading National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), saying, "This partnership combines Korea's technological innovations with the UK's leading position in clinical research, setting new standards for clinical trials and delivering tangible benefits to patients in both countries."

Baroness Gillian Merron, UK Minister for Research, Life Sciences, and Innovation, stated: "This collaboration is an important step towards the future of healthcare, ensuring that it is more predictive, preventive, and personalized." As part of the UK’s 10-Year Health Plan, we will ensure that the National Health Service (NHS) is at the forefront of the AI and technology revolution.

"By collaborating with South Korea, we can gather world-class researchers to accelerate the development and rollout of advanced treatments for major diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease."

Between 2025 and 2028, the partnership will provide a total of £2.8 million in funding support, with equivalent funding from the National Institute for Health Research and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute to cover the research components in their respective countries. This funding will be used to establish a robust UK-Korea research network, identify research priorities that benefit patients in both countries, and conduct feasibility studies and pilot projects.

Researchers interested in finding partners in the UK or South Korea are invited to submit expressions of interest before the program launches in January 2025.