Most health research in the UK is paid for by government research councils, the NHS, large medical charities or commercial companies. Each has its own priorities, and each has more applications than money.
Commercial funding follows a commercial return. If a condition affects very few people, or if the question is about making an existing medicine safer rather than selling a new one, the business case is weak even when the human case is strong.
Public funders tend to favour larger studies with established teams. Small, practical projects — a pilot test, a better patient leaflet, a training programme — often score badly even when they would help people quickly.
That gap is where Duet works. We look for projects that are useful, deliverable and unlikely to be funded elsewhere, and we back them with money and with hands-on experience.
If something here worries you
This is general information. For advice about your own health or medicines, speak to your GP or pharmacist.
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