Aiming to optimize different health research efforts made by medical health officers, the UK government has decided to launch four e-health research Centres of Excellence in the UK. These centers will help them to connect data from electronic patient records and the new Clinical Practice Research Datalink to bring out the best results. It is solely in the benefit of patients, the general public and of course for the UK's medical research foundation.

In this regard, a group of 10 government agencies and research funding charities have decided to come forward and donate around £19 million, which will act as a huge investment in the setting up of these centers. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the initial support behind the development of this idea.

These five e-health research Centres are expected to open late this year in London, Manchester, Dundee and Swansea. The funding members of this E-Health Research Initiative are Arthritis Research UK; Cancer Research UK; the British Heart Foundation; the Chief Scientist Office (Scottish Government Health Directorates); the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; the Economic and Social Research Council; the Medical Research Council; the National Institute for Social Care and Health Research (Welsh Government); the National Institute for Health Research; and the Wellcome Trust.