At BHF, we are clear about the role we must play: not only driving discovery, but ensuring that discoveries translate into real benefits for patients.
We are entering a period of extraordinary scientific opportunity. Advances in artificial intelligence, data, and technology are rapidly reshaping what is possible in cardiovascular research. But the real test of progress is not what we discover. It is what we deliver.
That is why translational research is now a central priority in our strategy.
Real-world impact for patients
Our aspiration is to translate discoveries into real-world impact for patients. We have a long history of supporting world-leading discovery science, and that commitment remains unwavering. We are now sharpening our focus to ensure more scientific discoveries are translated into patient care. The first step in that path is ensuring we pull discoveries into first-in-human evaluation to test their safety and potential.
To achieve our ambition, we have expanded our translational awards remit to develop a more connected funding portfolio to better support the human translation of discoveries across the full pathway—from early validation through to early human evaluation (up to and including Phase II).
We have also created an agile pump-priming scheme, designed to enable researchers to generate a key piece of robust data needed to de-risk subsequent investment, positioning them to progress towards human translation and attract follow-on capital.
What has changed
We have launched a new translational pump-priming award to provide agile funding and rapid decision-making, enabling researchers to answer key questions, validate data and generate the evidence needed to de-risk larger scale investment and accelerate progress to the next stage of the translational pathway.
We have also refreshed our translational award scheme. In this revised scheme, we want to see novel discovery science and innovative technologies pulled through into early phase human trials as a critical first step towards clinical application.
Projects funded through this refreshed scheme can start and finish at any point along the early translational pathway from initial development, through pre-clinical studies to early phase clinical trials (up to and including phase II).
To enable this, we have removed the maximum funding cap on the translational award to encourage more ambitious applications with a focus on potential for subsequent patient impact.
We also recognise that translating research requires skills and experience that extend beyond the science itself. Through our partnership with Panacea Innovation, the CardioStars programme provides researchers the knowledge to understand the translational pathway and gives access to training, mentorship and valuable networks that can help accelerate progress towards patient benefit.
Ultimately, success will not be defined by what we discover alone, but by how effectively we turn those discoveries into tangible patient impact.
Join our webinar
Whether you’re just starting to learn about our Translational Award schemes, or are ready to take the next step towards turning your discovery into benefit for patients, you’re welcome to our upcoming webinar on BHF Translational Awards. The webinar will take place September 17, 11:30-12:30.
Register your place in our webinar here
