Support for UK Government's move to join European Rare Disease Research Alliance

July 08, 2026

The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC) has been featured in The Pharmaceutical Journal following the UK government's announcement that the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has joined the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA), a major international partnership supporting rare disease research.

In the article, Professor Matthew Wood, Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the OHC, welcomed the UK's participation, highlighting the importance of international collaboration in accelerating research for rare diseases.

"The UK’s participation in ERDERA is a welcome step. At the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, we see first-hand that international collaboration is essential to advancing rare disease research, where small patient populations require researchers, clinicians and industry to work together across borders."

Professor Wood added that initiatives such as ERDERA can strengthen translational research infrastructure and multinational clinical trials, helping promising discoveries move more rapidly towards new therapies for patients living with rare diseases.

Read the full Pharmaceutical Journal article: "UK signs up to European rare diseases network"