University of Liverpool researchers join £11 million NIHR programme to build the new Centre for Equity in Mental Health at Huddersfield

University of Liverpool researchers join £11 million NIHR programme to build the new Centre for Equity in Mental Health at Huddersfield

(IN BRIEF) University of Liverpool Professors Mark Gabbay and Dan Joyce will take on central roles in a new £11 million NIHR-funded mental health research initiative linked to the University of Huddersfield’s forthcoming Centre for Equity in Mental Health, bringing expertise in health inequalities, large-scale data analysis, AI and co-produced research with patients and communities. The five-year programme, supported through the NIHR Mental Health Research Groups scheme, aims to strengthen regional research capacity, build clinical trials capability and tackle entrenched mental health disparities through collaboration with partners such as M-RIC and the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre. The centre builds on prior work assessing local mental health services in West Yorkshire and reflects a wider shift toward community-based, preventative research, with regional support now encompassing four NIHR mental health infrastructures across the North West Coast.

(PRESS RELEASE) LIVERPOOL, 3-Feb-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Two academics from the University of Liverpool – Professors Mark Gabbay and Dan Joyce – are set to play a leading role in a major new mental health research programme following a £11 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Based within the University’s Institute of Population Health, the pair will bring specialist knowledge in health inequalities, advanced analysis of large-scale datasets and artificial intelligence, and the co-production of research alongside members of the public, patients and carers.

Their involvement coincides with preparations at the University of Huddersfield to launch the Centre for Equity in Mental Health (CEMH) in April 2026. The NIHR award, the largest ever secured by Huddersfield’s School of Human and Health Sciences, was won through the highly competitive NIHR Mental Health Research Groups (MHRG) programme. The funding will support five years of work aimed at strengthening local mental health research infrastructure, skills and capacity.

Professors Gabbay and Joyce will collaborate closely with partners linked to the new centre, including the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) and the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre. Together, these organisations will focus on building future clinical trials capability while developing research that directly addresses long-standing and structural mental health inequalities across the region.

Professor Dan Joyce said that the partnership with the University of Huddersfield represents an important opportunity to pool expertise across institutions and to embed the lived experiences of local communities within research design and delivery. He highlighted that the investment will enable studies that generate meaningful evidence and lead to tangible improvements in mental health outcomes.

Professor Mark Gabbay, who also serves as Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast, described the development as a major boost for regional mental health research. He noted that, with this new centre, the region now hosts four NIHR-supported mental health research infrastructures working in partnership with institutions including the University of Liverpool, Lancaster University and Edge Hill University.

The establishment of the CEMH builds on extensive groundwork carried out by Professors Michael Doyle and Ann Caress. Over 2024 and 2025, they worked alongside South West Yorkshire Partnership Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and local collaborator Debs Teale of The Debs Effect to examine how mental health services are delivered across Kirklees, Calderdale and Wakefield, identifying gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR, emphasised the value of research that is rooted in local communities. She said that relocating research activity closer to where people live and work supports a shift toward earlier intervention and more preventative, community-based approaches to mental health care, particularly in underserved areas.

Media Contact:

Alison Cornmell
Media Relations Manager – Health and Life Sciences
T: +44 (0) 7771 700680
E: Alison.Cornmell@liverpool.ac.uk

SOURCE: University of Liverpool