The University of Manchester partners in £8.2 million initiative to accelerate diagnostic innovation

Professor Alan Dickson from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) will Co-Lead the Centre for Advanced Diagnostics Development and Application (CADDA), a new collaborative project.

The project, led by the University of Kent, and including The University of Manchester, and University College London (UCL), will address the development gap in the diagnostics innovation ecosystem.

Accelerating Innovation in Diagnostics

Diagnostics play a vital role in healthcare, informing approximately 70% of clinical decisions. From detecting diseases to enabling precision medicine, diagnostics have the potential to save lives, reduce healthcare costs, and improve global health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of rapid diagnostic innovation, showcasing how timely diagnostics can mitigate public health crises and support economic resilience.

However, over 80% of UK companies developing diagnostics are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which often face significant barriers in accessing the technical expertise, resources, and infrastructure needed to bring new products to market. CADDA seeks to address these challenges by fostering a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment that bridges academia, industry, the NHS, and regulatory bodies.

Professor Alan Dickson, Professor of Biotechnology at Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, said: "We are delighted to be a key partner in this major national initiative. The MIB and the University will contribute pioneering biotechnology expertise and draw on our well-established relationships with industry to ensure that CADDA delivers real-world impact. By supporting SMEs and collaborating with key stakeholders, we aim to accelerate the availability of high-quality diagnostics that save lives, improve healthcare, and drive economic growth."


The CADDA initiative will harness the strengths of leading institutions in the North and South of England to ensure benefits are distributed across the UK. By providing SMEs with access to essential knowledge, infrastructure, and resources, CADDA will help overcome the fragmentation in the diagnostics sector that often delays innovation and increases costs.

Key stakeholders, including national and local NHS trusts, will be integrated into every aspect of the project to ensure that new diagnostic tools are clinically relevant, ethically sound, and compliant with regulatory standards. This coordinated approach will deliver diagnostics that meet the highest quality standards while addressing urgent healthcare needs.

Broader Benefits for Society and the Economy

In addition to advancing healthcare, CADDA will enhance animal health, strengthen biosecurity, and drive economic benefits for the UK. By enabling SMEs to overcome barriers to innovation, CADDA will support regional growth and position the UK as a global leader in diagnostic development.

Professor Mark Smales, from the University of Kent and co-Director of CADDA, highlighted the initiative’s transformative potential: “Through coalescing and harnessing the breadth of world class expertise in the UK across universities and research institutes, industry, SMEs, clinicians/end users, regulators and investors, we will be able to bring high quality innovative diagnostics faster to market; our medical community will be able to diagnose medical issues and save lives; and animal health and security will be enhanced. This will collectively provide wider societal and economic benefits to the UK.”

Professor Kathy Kotiadis, also from the University of Kent and co-Director of CADDA, added: “We are excited to support the business development needs of the diagnostics sector. SMEs often face significant barriers to expansion due to limited access to expertise and information, hindering their ability to introduce new diagnostics to the market, a gap CADDA will fill.”