Taking a stand on premature birth in the UK

Action Medical Research is a charity with a heritage of supporting medical breakthroughs. Over the past 50 years the charity has been involved in funding many ground-breaking studies which have impacted on thousands of lives across the UK. A recent focus for the charity has been supporting research into premature birth, the biggest killer of the under ones in the UK and also a significant contributor to morbidity and disability. This article examines the problem of premature birth and offers an analysis of the UK government's funding and policy response, before outlining the charity's STAND UP for Tiny Lives Campaign which is calling for the establishment of a Premature Birth Inquiry to lead to the UK's first 10 year National Research Strategy for improving our understanding of the causes of premature birth.