NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands

What NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands does

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands is a publicly funded applied health and care research collaboration established in 2019 and hosted by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in partnership with the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham. It operates as one of ten NIHR-designated ARCs in England, delivering research across five themes — Building Resilience in Later Life, Data4Health, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Multiple Long-term Conditions — with three cross-cutting themes (Data4Health, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities, Translation and Implementation Research). Since 2019 it has completed nearly 130 projects, supported 60 PhD students and 30+ postdoctoral fellows, and published over 750 papers.

The organisation's core outputs are evidence-based toolkits and digital platforms rather than commercial products. Resources include the Co-Trust Toolkit (for inclusive research practice with ethnic minority communities), the Action Falls Toolkit and FaME Implementation Toolkit (endorsed by NICE and WHO for falls prevention), Steps4Health (a digital platform translating wearable step data into personalised movement plans for people with multiple long-term conditions), the Babysteps gestational diabetes prevention programme, the Diabetes Model of Care Toolkit, and training programmes in implementation science and cultural competency. Underlying technology includes machine-learning models for therapy outcome prediction (~90% accuracy in the TRIPOD programme) and diabetes risk prediction using UK Biobank and wearable sensor datasets. Research findings have generated measurable NHS impact, including £55.9 million in estimated savings from the QbTest ADHD diagnostic rollout and £2.19 million annual savings from the diabetes model of care.

The business model is non-commercial: ARC East Midlands is funded through NIHR grants (securing £15.5 million since 2019 as part of a £157 million national ARC programme) and operates without product pricing, generating no commercial revenue. Distribution is free via the ARC Store website and through direct NHS, local authority, community, and academic partnerships across the East Midlands. Customers are NHS trusts, Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, patients, and community organisations, with international expansion now underway via the CREATE programme in Ghana, Kenya, and Mozambique.

Name

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands

Legal name

NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands

Website

https://arc-em.nihr.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NIHR ARC East Midlands is a publicly funded UK research collaboration delivering applied health and care research to NHS organisations, local authorities, and communities across the East Midlands through evidence-based toolkits, digital platforms, training programmes, and policy-aligned research across five priority themes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Health Research

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Applied health research
• Implementation science
• Knowledge mobilisation
• Healthcare evaluation
• Health inequalities research

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government research funding: NIHR-funded applied health and care research. NIHR awarded £157 million over five years to 10 ARCs across England. ARC East Midlands secured £15.5 million in funding.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NIHR ARC East Midlands is a publicly funded applied health and care research collaboration that conducts research across five themes (Building Resilience in Later Life, Data4Health, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Multiple Long-term Conditions, and Translation and Implementation Research) and produces evidence-based resources, toolkits, digital platforms, and training programmes distributed free of charge through the ARC Store to NHS organisations, healthcare practitioners, commissioners, and patients.

Product overview

NIHR ARC East Midlands is an applied health and care research collaboration that does not offer a traditional product suite. Its offerings consist of evidence-based resources including research toolkits (Action Falls Toolkit, Co-Trust Toolkit, DACHA-DASH, Diabetes Model of Care), digital platforms (Steps4Health, Babysteps app), training programmes (Short Course Training, Implementation Science training), and research programmes across five themes (Data4Health, Building Resilience in Later Life, Multiple Long-term Conditions, Ethnicity and Health Inequalities, Translation and Implementation Research). These resources are distributed free of charge through the ARC Store to practitioners, managers, commissioners, and patients. The organization also supports the QbTest ADHD diagnostic technology, developed by Qbtech, which was trialled in the East Midlands before national NHS adoption.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Co-Trust Toolkit
• PATHFINDER Study Resources
• LiLaC (Living Labs for Care)
• DACHA-DASH
• Short Course Training Programme
• Action Falls Toolkit
• Steps4Health
• Diabetes Model of Care Toolkit
• Knowledge Mobilisation Support Unit (KMSU)
• Building Resilience in Later Life Research Theme
• Data4Health Research Theme
• Ethnicity and Health Inequalities Research Theme
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Research Theme
• Multiple Long-term Conditions Research Theme
• Translation and Implementation Research Theme

Quantifiable outcome

• £2.19 million annual savings from diabetes model of care (£83 per patient), potential £276 million if scaled nationally
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, moderate and minor.

• University of GhanamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026International partner in CREATE programme (four-year NIHR-funded initiative) developing and testing integrated cardiometabolic care models. Launched in Ghana alongside Lancet series.
• Kenya medical research institutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026International partner in CREATE programme for cardiometabolic disease research across sub-Saharan Africa.
• Mozambique medical research institutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 April 2026International partner in CREATE programme for cardiometabolic disease research across sub-Saharan Africa.
• University of LeicestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner; hosts Co-Directors Professor Kamlesh Khunti and Professor Sam Seidu. Provides research infrastructure including Leicester Diabetes Centre and Biomedical Research Centre.
• University of NottinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary academic partner; houses Institute of Mental Health. Professor Elizabeth Orton and Professor Richard Morriss affiliated.
• University Hospitals of Leicester NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for ARC East Midlands. Major NHS acute trust providing clinical research infrastructure.
• Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health trust partner hosting research collaborations including TRIPOD study. Key partner in mental health research theme.
• Health Innovation East MidlandscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealth innovation network supporting implementation and adoption of research innovations into practice. Partner in QbTest ADHD technology rollout.
• Centre for Ethnic Health ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist centre addressing health inequalities. Developed Co-Trust Toolkit and Equality Impact Assessment resources. Part of ARC East Midlands structure.
• QbtechcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology company whose QbTest ADHD diagnostic tool was trialled by ARC East Midlands and is now used by NHS nationally. Achieved £55.9 million estimated NHS savings.
• Medical Research CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed Co-Trust Toolkit with Centre for Ethnic Health Research to strengthen trust in medical research among ethnic minority communities.
• Crohn's and Colitis UKmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable partner collaborating on inflammatory bowel disease research and patient-centred care improvements.
• Eli LillyminorOthersPharmaceutical company listed as industry partner for research collaborations.
• Novo NordiskminorOthersPharmaceutical company listed as industry partner for research collaborations.
• Sanofi-AventisminorOthersPharmaceutical company listed as industry partner for research collaborations.
• Baxter Healthcare LtdminorOthersHealthcare products company listed as industry partner.
• Medtronic DiabetesminorOthersMedical technology company listed as industry partner.
• MSD LtdminorOthersPharmaceutical company listed as industry partner.
• NIHR ARCs (national network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of 10 ARCs sharing methodology, implementation expertise and collaborating on cross-ARC studies (e.g., FLEXI study, FinCH study, MLTC research).
• East Midlands Clinical Research NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical research infrastructure supporting delivery of ARC research across the East Midlands.
• NHS Integrated Care Boards (5 in region)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Derby and Derbyshire, NHS Leicester Leicestershire and Rutland, NHS Lincolnshire, NHS Northamptonshire, NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire - key partners in implementing research findings.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The King's Fund: Independent UK health think tank working on health policy, leadership development, and applied research informing NHS practice. Overlaps with ARC East Midlands in applied health research dissemination and influence on NHS priorities.
• The Health Foundation: Independent UK foundation funding health research, policy, and improvement. While it has a much broader remit and significantly larger budget, it commissions applied health research and workforce development that overlaps with ARC East Midlands' areas of focus.
• Wellcome Trust: Major charitable foundation funding global health research, including population health and applied research programmes. Overlaps with ARC East Midlands in mental health, ethnicity and health inequalities, and global health research themes, though at a vastly larger scale.
• Cochrane: International evidence synthesis organisation producing systematic reviews used globally in healthcare decision-making. Comparable in its evidence-based applied research mission and emphasis on translating research into practice, though operating at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• NIHR ARC Yorkshire and Humber: Direct peer NIHR ARC operating across the Yorkshire and Humber region with the same applied health research remit, NIHR funding, and NHS partnership model. Collaborates with ARC East Midlands on cross-ARC studies such as the FLEXI study.
• NIHR ARC West Midlands: Another of the 10 NIHR ARCs sharing the same funding model, regional NHS partnership approach, and applied health research themes. Directly comparable organisational structure and outputs to ARC East Midlands.
• NIHR ARC South West Peninsula: Another of the 10 NIHR-funded Applied Research Collaborations. Direct peer with the same applied health research mission, NIHR funding structure, and NHS partnership approach, operating across the South West Peninsula.
• NIHR ARC North Thames: One of the 10 NIHR-funded Applied Research Collaborations operating across England. Direct peer with the same funding structure, governance under NIHR, and applied health research mission; ARC East Midlands regularly collaborates with ARC North Thames on cross-ARC studies.

Regional players

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): US federal agency funding comparative effectiveness research, implementation science, and patient safety research. Closest international analogue to NIHR ARCs in mission and structure, but serves the US healthcare system rather than directly competing with ARC East Midlands.

Emerging players

• Health Innovation East Midlands: Health Innovation Network (formerly AHSN) operating across the East Midlands; ARC East Midlands lists it as a core implementation partner for translating research into practice (e.g., QbTest rollout). Complementary rather than competing role, but operates in adjacent applied health space in the same region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arc_em
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCSGnnBPGFosOwGCMGUn6K2w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nihr-applied-research-collaboration-arc-east-midlands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East Midlands