- Aston University’s Advanced Services Group has secured a leading role in a major new £7.1m UKRI/NIHR-funded initiative
- It will be the UK’s first National Transdisciplinary Hub focused on Decarbonising the Commissioning and Delivery of Healthcare
- Five-year programme brings together top UK universities alongside 22 industry partners from across healthcare and the NHS.
Aston University’s Advanced Services Group (ASG) has secured a leading role in a major new £7.1m initiative, the UK’s first National Transdisciplinary Hub focused on Decarbonising the Commissioning and Delivery of Healthcare.
The five-year programme, led by Brighton and Sussex Medical School, brings together a consortium of top UK universities – including Aston, Sussex, Leeds and Nottingham – alongside 22 industry partners from across healthcare and the NHS.
£42m is being invested by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) into seven game-changing, transdisciplinary research hubs across the UK, designed to accelerate the nation’s journey to net zero.
Each Hub will receive up to £6m to research powerful ways to ensure the UK’s transition to net zero also protects physical and mental health. They will deliver high-impact research focused on reducing health inequalities. They will also undertake research into developing a standardised way to measure the trade-offs and unintended consequences as part of these measures.
ASG will be leading the work stream on service-led business models and servitization, contributing to the Hub’s overarching vision: to create a world-leading international centre that supports the NHS in becoming a low-carbon healthcare provider, serving as a blueprint for health systems globally.
Professor Ali Bigdeli, associate dean research and enterprise at Aston Business School and one of the co-investigators of this programme, said:
“We are proud to be playing a key role in this transformative national effort.
“At ASG, we’ve been exploring the potential of service-led business models and servitization to drive productivity and sustainability for several years now.
“Applying these principles to healthcare offers a powerful opportunity to deliver meaningful change – not only by reducing carbon emissions but also by supporting care models that are more resilient, equitable and future-ready.”
To find out more about the initiative, visit the National Institute for Health and Care Research website.
- Notes to Editors
About Aston University
For over 130 years, Aston University has been making our world a better place through education, research and innovation. Our history is intertwined with the remarkable city of Birmingham, once the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and now the thriving base for an innovation ecosystem of global significance, which Aston is co-creating.
Our vision is to be a leading university for science, technology and enterprise, measured by the positive transformational impact we achieve for our people, students, businesses and the communities we serve.
Aston focuses on high-quality, exploitable research that has an impact on society through medical breakthroughs, advancements in engineering, policy and practice in government, and the strategies and performance of business.
The university offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes, as well as continuing professional development solutions.
Thanks to its focus on delivering excellent outcomes for students, Aston University's reputation continues to grow. It was recognised as the Daily Mail University of the Year for Student Success 2025, is 2nd in England for social mobility (2023 HEPI Social Mobility Index), and is top 20 for graduate salaries (2024 Longitudinal Education Outcomes).
Aston University is now defining its place in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7446 910063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
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