Contact CamRARE

Contact CamRARE

Richard Evans

Programme Manager, UK Medical Research Council

Richard Evans

Richard Evans is a programme manager at the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), which is part of UK Research & Innovation (UKRI). His background is in neuroscience and toxicology research, and research data management. At the MRC, rare disease interests are led by the population and systems medicine research board, where rare disease research has been identified as a board opportunity area. Rare disease research is of interest across the MRC, including other research boards, translational funding schemes and training and careers. During 2023 MRC is pleased to partner with NIHR to launch the MRC-NIHR UK Rare Disease Research Platform (RDRP), in order to connect and enable rare disease research across the UK, bringing together stakeholders including patients and families, charities, industry, regulators, policymakers and researchers in the UK and overseas.

Rare Research and Funding

Rare disease researchers take part in a poster and pitch session to share their novel approaches to engaging patients in research. Then joined by a panel of research funders to explore the challenges, opportunities and novel approaches to funding this vital research.

My three wishes for rare disease are: easier development of team science approaches in rare disease research; increased mechanistic research that can benefit multiple rare diseases, perhaps with common mechanisms; and increased connectivity to draw maximum value from the UK’s many research strengths and to apply successes in one area to other, related areas.

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