University of Brighton has joined forces with local entrepreneurs and community groups to turn Brighton and Hove into a "focal point for health interventions".

Through the university’s Healthy Futures platform, the project partners will search for and research new disease preventions, diagnoses, pioneering treatments and breakthrough innovations.

By creating a preventative-focused social and commercial network – in which physical activity will play a role – the partners involved will look to improve health while accelerating innovation and enhancing competitiveness in the sector.

“We want to work together to tackle key societal challenges and transform them into opportunities to make a real difference to our community and industry," said professor Matteo Santin, academic Lead for Healthy Futures.

“By harnessing interdisciplinary thinking and entrepreneurial spirit in our researchers and students we can improve service delivery, transform treatments and deliver better outcomes.

“Together with our local entrepreneurs we can develop new models for mental health care, smart design of diagnostics and technologies for preventative healthcare and interventions to assist with early diagnosis, disease prevention and care.

“Our communities are at the heart of what we do; we aim to widen our listening to their opinions and to integrate them in our investigations locally and to pilot projects of global relevance.

"Our work with our worldwide network of collaborators enables us to introduce knowledge and skill in our vibrant city and to give back to society new solutions for health challenges."