HPRU Network

About the HPRU Network

The NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) Network brings together leading health protection researchers to strengthen collaboration and impact, to ensure national preparedness for health, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Working in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Network coordinates activities across all HPRUs and Health Protection Research Focus Awards (HPRFAs) to align research with national health protection priorities.

The HPRU Network connects expertise, shares best practice, and drives innovation across five key themes:

• Research Capacity Development (RCD) – building skills and leadership in health protection research (Leads: Prof Fred Piel, Imperial College London & Dr Azadeh Peyman, UKHSA)
• Public and Community Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PCIEP) – embedding public voices in research (Leads: Dr Carmel McGrath, University of West of England & Dr Helena Wehling, UKHSA)
• Knowledge Mobilisation (KM) – translating research into real-world impact (Leads: Dr Clare Thomas, University of Bristol & Dr Aimee Harragan, UKHSA)
• Pandemic Preparedness and Biosecurity (PPB) – strengthening resilience to emerging health threats (Leads: Prof Lance Turtle, University of Liverpool and Dr Claire Gordon, UKHSA)
• Research Inclusion and Health Equity (RI), ensuring diversity and fairness in research, will cross-cut all the themes (Leads: Dr Binta Sultan, University College London & Prof Mala Rao, Imperial College London)

The HPRU Network Core will provide strategic leadership and operational delivery across all themes (Leads: Prof Tom Solomon, University of Liverpool & Dr Richard Vipond, UKHSA)

Together, the HPRU Network serves as a national hub for collaboration, enabling a unified, evidence-based response to the UK’s most pressing health protection challenges.

 

The HPRUs and HPRFAs

• NIHR HPRU in Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections at University College London
  • Director: Professor Caroline Sabin
  • Website: https://bbsti.hpru.nihr.ac.uk/ 

• NIHR HPRU in Chemical Threats and Hazards at University of Leicester
  • Director: Professor Anna Hansell
  • Website: https://le.ac.uk/cehs

• NIHR HPRU in Climate Change and Health Security at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Director: Professor Shakoor Hajat
  • Website: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/hpru-cchs 

• NIHR HPRU in Emergency Preparedness and Response at University of Birmingham
  • Director: Professor Antonio Belli

• NIHR HPRU in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at University of Liverpool
  • Director: Professor Tom Solomon
  • Website: http://hpruezi.nihr.ac.uk/ 

• NIHR HPRU in Evaluation and Behavioural Science at University of Bristol
  • Director: Professor Matthew Hickman & Professor Katy Turner
  • Website: https://hpruebs.nihr.ac.uk/ 

• NIHR HPRU in Gastrointestinal Infections at University of East Anglia
  • Director: Professor Paul Hunter

• NIHR HPRU in Health Analytics and Modelling at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Director: Professor Sebastian Funk
  • Website: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/hpru-ham 

• NIHR HPRU in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance at University of Oxford
  • Director: Professor Sarah Walker
  • Website: https://www.expmedndm.ox.ac.uk/research/hpru/nihr-hpru 

• NIHR HPRU in Public Health Genomics at University of Birmingham
  • Director: Professor Nick Loman
  • Website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/microbiology-and-infection/hpru-in-public-health-genomics  

• NIHR HPRU in Radiation Threats and Hazards at Imperial College London
  • Director: Professor Paul Elliott
  • Website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/school-public-health/epidemiology-and-biostatistics/hpru-radiation/ 

• NIHR HPRU in Respiratory Infections at Imperial College London
  • Director: Professor Ajit Lalvani
  • Website: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/nihr-hpru-respiratory-infections/

• NIHR HPRU in Vaccines and Immunisation at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Director: Professor Anthony Scott
  • Website: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/nihr-hpru-vaccines-immunisation

• NIHR HPRFA in Outbreak Related Behaviours at King’s College London
  • Director: Professor James Rubin
  • Website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/nihr-orb

• NIHR HPRFA in Vaccines and Immunisation at University of Bristol
  • Director: Professor Matthew Hickman & Professor Katy Turner
  • Website: https://hpruebs.nihr.ac.uk/