UK Center for Tobacco Control Studies to be based in ...(equalities and drug/alcohol abuse. E...),Health

Each centre will receive up to 5m over the next five years to bring together leading experts from a range of disciplines working in partnership with practitioners, policy makers and others to tackle public health issues which are likely to have a significant impact on the health of the nation. The funding will create new academic posts and develop strong training and career development programmes. Funding will also provide the technical staff, IT systems, equipment, administrative support, research facilities and other infrastructure needed to support high quality research.

The other four successful Centres, which were awarded funding via a competitive process, are based in Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast and Cambridge.

The partners who provided the 20m investment for the initiative came together under the umbrella of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) to develop a coordinated approach to strengthen public health research in the UK, and tackle complex issues which have the potential to improve the health of the UK population.

The partners are the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Health and Social Care Research & Development Office for Northern Ireland, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, Wales Office of Research and Development Welsh Assembly Government, and the Wellcome Trust.

Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the ESRC, who leads the funding group, said: "I am delighted to announce these important new Centres, which will be vital for bringing together world-class experts from a diverse range of backgrounds to ensure that essential research is carried out to make a significant impact on the public health of the UK population.

There have been big improvements in health and life expectancy over the last century. For example, the reduction in the number of adults who smoke can
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