Written - Health and Social Care Research Funding

Developing further understanding of major health and social care topics is vital in providing an evidence base for developing future policy and, ultimately, improving patient care.

I am announcing new funding worth £3.8m for research projects into a range of major health issues and conditions.

The funding, provided by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Medical Research Council, is being awarded under the Research Funding Scheme (RFS), which was set up to promote research and evaluation in a broad range of health and social care topics.

This is the third round of funding made under the RFS, and the funding I am announcing today is more than double than that committed in 2006.

The funding is being allocated for projects led by teams at Cardiff University (£1.8m in total), Swansea University (£1.2m in total) and Bangor University (£780,000 in total).

The projects will commence from 1 April 2008 and are expected to be completed by March 2010.

The full list of awards are attached.