The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds our work. We carry out applied health and care research, which means we study what works in real life and help organisations use that learning to improve health and care. This work can improve people’s health, strengthen services and reduce differences in access to care and outcomes.
We launched the ARC KSS programme in October 2019. Since then, we have built a wide network of partners across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and we also work with organisations across the South East and nationally.
We work with partners to run research studies, share evidence and build skills through training and support. Together with partner organisations and the public, we build a joined-up research system where strong evidence shapes day-to-day decisions, policy and practice, so health and care services improve over time. Our goal is simple: to help people use evidence to make decisions, so improvements happen faster and reach the people who need them most.
Our vision
Over the next five years (2026–2031), we will generate and use evidence to improve health, wellbeing and care. We will also help more people gain the skills, support and confidence to take part in research and use findings in day-to-day decisions.
As we move into our next phase, NIHR and government want us to work more closely with other Applied Research Collaborations and deliver larger-scale research with national relevance.
Our core values stay the same: partnership and collaboration, public and community involvement and engagement, and research that meets the needs of our local population.
As part of the national research infrastructure, we will attract additional investment, support innovation and work with industry.
We will also:
- Strengthen our role in knowledge mobilisation (making sure research findings are shared in useful ways and put into practice).
- Improve research inclusion (helping more people and communities to take part in research).
- Develop new research leaders (supporting people to lead research and improvement work).
To do this, we will build closer links with partners including the NIHR Research Delivery Network, NIHR Health Determinants Research Collaborations, other Applied Research Collaborations, the Secure Data Environment and the Health Innovation Network Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
In practice, this means we will:
- Partner with communities to shape research around real priorities, experiences and needs.
- Generate and mobilise evidence so partners can improve services more quickly and effectively.
- Tackle inequalities by focusing on people and places that have historically been underserved.
- Build capacity and champion innovations that can operate at scale, by helping people across the region develop skills and ideas that can spread across the NHS.
We will do this by:
- Increasing the amount of good‑quality, locally led research.
- Enabling a diverse range of communities and the public to engage in and shape research - including people who are underserved.
- Carrying out relevant research that meets our communities’ needs.
- Helping our partners use research to deliver improvements in care.
- Carrying out quick reviews, known as rapid evidence synthesis, that bring together findings from many research studies so services can make decisions and act quickly when needed.
- Supporting researchers from diverse backgrounds to deliver the above.
Download our summary booklet: Building healthier futures together: Applied health research for health equality and better outcomes in Kent, Surrey and Sussex to find out more.
About the NIHR
NIHR's mission is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. The NIHR was established in 2006 and is primarily funded by the Department of Health and Social Care.
Working in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients and the public, the NIHR delivers and enables world-class research that transforms people’s lives, promotes economic growth and advances science.
