New Scottish research partnership set to deliver cardiovascular breakthroughs thanks to £5m boost
NHS Research Scotland (NRS) and the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) are delighted to be partnering on a new national research network aimed at tackling the country’s heart health challenge
The CardiovascuLar Academic Network of Scotland (CLANS) is being made possible through a £5million investment from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), in partnership with CSO and NRS Networks.
It will bring together world-leading researchers, NHS clinicians, universities, and patients to accelerate breakthroughs and translate them into lifesaving care.
Led jointly by the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, CLANS is “the first formal collaboration across institutions designed to galvanise their collective impact and supercharge research to fast-track progress,” says the BHF.
Five NRS Networks involved in the initiative are Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Metabolic and Endocrine, Renal, Stroke, as well as six NRS Clinical Research Facilities and four regional Safe Havens.
Key NRS Network assets will support successful delivery of clinical research in CLANS including contracts and project management expertise; a network of local Principal Investigators and research nurses; established Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement groups; and access to data through embedded links to Public Health Scotland (PHS).
The Scottish Health Research Register and Biobank (SHARE) and NRS Diabetes Register are also key platforms enabling pre-consented volunteers to be contacted about relevant clinical trials.
Despite decades of scientific progress, cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to devastate communities and is responsible for more than a quarter of all deaths in Scotland.
Research has helped transform survival from cardiovascular diseases over previous decades, but progress cannot be taken for granted. With mortality improvements stalling and the future burden of CVD expected to rise, CLANS is essential to develop better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these conditions.
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Chief Scientist (Health) for the Scottish Government welcomed the announcement: “The partnership between the Scottish Government and British Heart Foundation is a strategic investment in Scotland’s cardiovascular research future.
“By bringing together national priorities with BHF’s expertise and support, the Network will strengthen collaboration across academia, the NHS, industry and communities, and help build the capacity and leadership needed for long-term research impact.”
It will be led jointly by co-directors Professor Rachel Myles, Professor of Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Glasgow, and Professor David Newby, BHF Duke of Edinburgh Professor of Cardiology, University of Edinburgh.
“We have designed CLANS to have a broad impact from discovery science right through to clinical trials, across a range of cardiovascular disorders. We have also designed it so that patients and the public are a key part of the network so that they can help us shape the impact that comes through our research,” says Professor Myles.
Professor Newby added: “At the moment we are all working separately to a degree, although we do collaborate, but this investment from the BHF will synergise that more.
“It will be a catalyst for us all to work together as a concerted effort — rather than doing it for each of the individual universities — we are Team Scotland, and we are going to come together as CLANS to really deliver the best research.”
Professor Bryan Williams, our Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, said: “The launch of the BHF Scottish National Cardiovascular Research Network marks an important step in delivering BHF’s research strategy: connecting outstanding cardiovascular researchers, strengthening collaboration across institutions, the local ecosystem and accelerating the journey from discovery to real-world patient benefit.”
More information
- Read the full release from the British Heart Foundation
- Read about the NRS Networks
Publication date: 12th August 2026
