Government Announces £50 Million Investment to Accelerate Groundbreaking Mental Health Research Across the UK
The UK Government has unveiled a transformative £50 million investment to accelerate groundbreaking mental health research, placing people with lived experience at the heart of innovation. Announced on World Mental Health Day, the funding forms a central pillar of the Government’s Plan for Change, supporting the mission to strengthen NHS mental health services, drive scientific breakthroughs, and grow the UK’s world-leading Life Sciences Sector.
With 1 in 4 people in England experiencing poor mental health each year—and the economic impact estimated at £300 billion annually—this investment aims to reshape how mental health conditions are understood, prevented, and treated. The initiative will ensure the UK leads the way in developing effective, personalised mental health therapies backed by cutting-edge science, powerful data, and real patient insight.
Over the next five years, the new funding will expand the Government’s Mental Health Goals programme, a national effort to fast-track the development of new medicines, digital technologies, and therapeutic innovations. The investment will:
- Establish a 20,000-strong volunteer cohortwhose securely held health data will transform understanding of the links between biology and mental health.
- Create a new Industry Alliance Team, providing a streamlined gateway for innovators to access the UK’s advanced research facilities, high-quality data, and clinical trial infrastructure.
- Launch a pioneering Lived Experience Industry Partnership, ensuring people who have experienced mental ill health directly shape research priorities and influence how new treatments are developed.
Science Minister Lord Vallance emphasised the importance of unlocking scientific potential:
“Mental health challenges affect millions, and we must be just as ambitious for scientific breakthroughs here as we are for cancer or heart disease. This investment is essential to driving faster, more targeted, and more effective solutions.”
Health Minister Stephen Kinnock added:
“Too many people are struggling without the tailored support they need. By investing £50 million in breakthrough research—and building an NHS fit for the future—we can transform lives and deliver treatments that genuinely work for patients.”
The programme is co-chaired by leading experts Professor Kathryn Abel and Professor Husseini Manji, who highlighted the transformative potential of this investment. Their vision centres on deep collaboration between researchers, industry, and those with lived experience—an approach designed to ensure treatments make a real and lasting difference.
The investment builds on successful models such as DATAMIND, a Mental Health Research Hub funded by the Medical Research Council. By co-creating tools like a plain-English glossary of mental health data terminology, DATAMIND has shown how involving people with lived experience builds trust, improves understanding, and empowers volunteers to influence research more meaningfully.
This landmark funding strengthens the UK’s role as a global leader in mental health innovation, supporting the wider Life Sciences Sector Plan and the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. By driving discovery, improving prevention, and accelerating access to new therapies, the programme promises to reshape the future of mental healthcare—delivering hope, progress, and better outcomes for millions across the UK.
