Transforming mental health research in the UK
The Mental Health Goals Programme (MHG) is a £50 million Government-backed, national programme — making the UK the global partner of choice for developing novel therapeutics for mental illness, from experimental medicine to Phase III.
- £50MGovernment investmentover five years
- 20,000Additional genomic samplesacross depression and psychosis cohorts
- 4National workstreamsfrom discovery to delivery
A cornerstone of the UK’s Life Sciences Sector Plan
The programme harnesses the UK’s digital and data landscape to build the tools that guide priorities and planning across mental health research, trials, methodology and platforms — alongside the creation of clinically characterised, recontactable cohorts.
It brings together experts, data assets, patients and the public into one joined-up, trusted system: a simple, national structure for industry, better-designed trials, a new kind of partnership between patients and industry, and support for better policy and regulation.
The programme overview is published on GOV.UK.
Our mission
To make the UK the global partner of choice for developing and delivering novel therapeutics for mental illness — while improving patient outcomes and driving economic growth.
Four national workstreams
Each workstream has a distinct role in the programme, spanning discovery to delivery across the UK’s leading institutions.
DIGIT — Data and Digital Industry Alliance Team
One funded project, delivered through three linked strands.
Alliance Management Team
Create a simple, national structure to support entry in the UK for industry-led research and trials.
Delivered byKing’s College LondonInnovative Clinical Trials Hub
Designs and delivers precision psychiatry trials with industry.
Delivered byKing’s College LondonLived Experience Industry Partnership
Establishes patient experience as central to industry priorities.
Delivered byUniversity of Oxford
Digital Innovation
Helps digital health technology launch, adopt and scale in the NHS.
Delivered byUniversity of ManchesterDATAMIND TRE and Observatory
Secure access to mental health research data, alongside specialist analytics for study feasibility, protocol design and evidence generation.
Delivered byUniversity of Manchester · Swansea UniversityMulti-omics
A world-first multi-omics resource across 20,000 deeply clinically characterised participants.
Delivered byKing’s College London · Cardiff University · Queen’s University Belfast · University of Edinburgh · University of Cambridge
For industry
A simple, national structure to support entry in the UK for mental health research and trials — with a wrap-around alliance service built for CROs, pharma, biotech and digital health.
For patients & the public
Lived experience is embedded at the core of the programme — shaping priorities, governance and how data are used, with transparency at every step.
For researchers & clinicians
Four national workstreams, methodology support and the world’s largest integrated mental health dataset — open to collaboration across the UK.
The Industry Engagement Forum has launched
The Forum launched on 8 October 2026 at King’s Venues at London Bridge. Presentations from the launch meeting are now on the Forum page.
