CHE part of £11m NIHR Mental Health Award

News

Posted on Monday 2 February 2026

Major new NIHR investment is expanding community-led mental health research in high-need areas, with CHE researchers playing a key role in tackling mental health inequalities through health economics.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is investing almost £55 million in five additional Mental Health Research Groups (MHRGs), bringing its ambitious national mental health research pipeline closer to full capacity. This expansion is designed to strengthen mental health research in parts of England with a high burden of mental ill-health and historically limited research capacity.

The areas targeted through this funding face particularly acute challenges, including higher suicide rates, greater deprivation, and higher prevalence of severe mental health diagnoses. The new MHRGs will lead research aimed at reducing inequalities in mental health provision, with a strong focus on reaching people who are often under-represented in research. This includes mothers, people living in rural and coastal communities, and those who frequently “fall through the gaps” in current services, such as individuals with intellectual disabilities or complex emotional needs.

The MHRG programme was launched in 2023 under the wider Mental Health Research Initiative (MHRI), with the aim of establishing up to ten research groups, each funded with up to £11 million over five years. The scheme specifically targets regions combining high mental health needs with low levels of prior research participation.

This year’s approval of five new MHRGs marks a significant step forward. By connecting universities, local health systems and communities, these awards ensure that mental health research is grounded in local priorities and supports more equitable access to evidence-based care.

University of York and CHE involvement

University of York academics, including two researchers from the Centre for Health Economics (CHE), Dr Vijay GC and Professor Laura Bojke, will contribute to one of the newly funded MHRGs, hosted by the University of Huddersfield, alongside colleagues from Hull York Medical School and the Health Sciences Department, Professor Lina Gega and Dr Lucy Tindall.

The Centre for Equity in Mental Health (CEMH) will open in April 2026, following the award, the largest to date for the University of Huddersfield School of Human and Health Sciences, from the highly competitive NIHR MHRG programme.

Working across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, the group will develop innovative, community-rooted research aimed at reducing mental health inequalities. The MHRG is delivered in partnership with the University of Liverpool and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

CHE and University of York colleagues will lead the health economics component of the programme, contributing to economic evaluation, value-for-money analysis and capacity development, ensuring that evidence on costs, outcomes and equity directly informs local and national mental health policy.

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