The University of Huddersfield is set to launch a new research centre aimed at improving mental health research capacity and support in the local area, following an £11 million award from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The Centre for Equity in Mental Health (CEMH) will open in April 2026. The funding, the largest to date for the University’s School of Human and Health Sciences, spans five years and comes from the highly competitive NIHR Mental Health Research Groups programme.
The centre will focus on addressing challenges identified in Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield, including long waiting times for appointments, inaccessible services, inappropriate referrals, and limited signposting to charities and voluntary organisations.
CEMH will partner with University of Liverpool experts Professors Mark Gabbay and Dan Joyce, drawing on expertise in health inequalities, large-scale datasets, AI, and co-produced research with patients and the public. The centre will also collaborate with M-RIC and the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre for future trials. South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust will be the lead NHS partner.
Professor Ann Caress, Professor of Health Services Research, said: “Mental health matters… The funding from NIHR is both important and greatly valued, as it will be transformative for mental health research and service delivery across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.”
Professor Michael Doyle, Professor of Mental Health Research, added: “We are excited to be working with the NIHR Mental Health Research Groups team, our collaborators in the NIHR Centre for Equity in Mental Health and our many partners across Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield over the next five years. This collaboration will help develop innovative, applied mental health research rooted in the lived experiences of local communities.”
The initiative aims to position the University of Huddersfield as a national leader in mental health research, while addressing local service challenges and increasing research capacity across the region.
