CVD contributes to a quarter of all deaths in the UK (26%), with more than 170,000 deaths annually, but it does not affect everyone equally. Higher risk groups include ethnic minority communities and people living in deprived communities.
The NIHR Cardiovascular Disease Inequalities Challenge Consortium, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation, will focus on tackling inequalities in these higher-risk groups. It also seeks to address inequalities in CVD outcomes between women and men.
The consortium will generate evidence and innovative solutions that deliver improved detection and monitoring of undiagnosed or poorly managed hypertension and high levels of bad cholesterol.
It will also have a major focus on developing research capacity to help shift the dial on CVD.
Nine universities have successfully applied to become part of the consortium - University of Glasgow, University of Leeds, University of Surrey, Swansea University, University of Birmingham, King's College London, University of Nottingham, University of Ulster, Imperial College London and University of Bristol - and will collaborate with many other organisations around the UK. These include other universities and research institutes, charities, social enterprise organisations, local councils, NHS Trusts and industry, to ensure system-wide change can be delivered.
These members each represent much wider multi-disciplinary collaborations. These include patient and community groups, industry, local authorities, and third sector partners. Members have been selected to span the UK, ensuring the consortium's activities will benefit different populations.
The success of the consortium's health outcomes objectives will be enabled by research activities, such as leveraging wearables and other digital health technologies and innovative public health messaging and education, including supporting sustained behaviour change.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at DHSC and chief executive at the NIHR, said: ‘"Cardiovascular disease causes 170,000 deaths annually in the UK, with a large long-term disease burden on the NHS. But it can be preventable with the right early intervention. This investment from the NIHR is one of the most ambitious attempts to tackle the root cause of inequalities of one the biggest killers.
‘Now in our 20th year, the NIHR continues to drive life-changing research that matters. From earlier diagnosis and prevention in the community, to better treatments and improved quality of care, NIHR is funding and delivering research that tackles the health and care needs of the nation.'
Professor Danny McAuley, scientific director for NIHR Programmes, added: ‘Combining health research with social, economic and place-based solutions - including partnering with industry - this consortium includes some of the UK's best experts, aiming to accelerate knowledge, strengthen research capacity and empower future research leaders.'
Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at British Heart Foundation, said: ‘Research-driven innovation has already delivered huge progress in reducing the burden of CVD, but it is clear the benefits of advances in prevention and treatment have not been felt evenly across the UK. In some parts of the UK people are twice as likely to suffer or die from heart disease or stroke as in other areas of the country.
‘This new research will focus on understanding why these disparities persist as well as developing practical solutions to strengthen detection and monitoring of major cardiovascular risk factors to tackle these unacceptable inequalities in care and outcomes.'
The research projects will begin in autumn 2026.
