Our strategy.

Since 1961, we have helped shape the treatment and care of people living with kidney disease. Now, as the leading kidney research charity in the UK, we are driving faster progress for everyone affected by the disease.

Kidney disease is growing in the UK at an alarming rate, devastating lives and threatening to overwhelm our NHS.

Our strategy sets out our ambitious plan to turn this tide and achieve our vision: The day when everyone lives free from kidney disease.

Our work.

In 2020, we launched our ten-year charity strategy, an ambitious plan to transform kidney health.

In the time since, we’ve lived through a global pandemic, invested in new research, developed multiple new partnerships and built stronger relationships in the commercial and pharmaceutical sectors.

Reaching the midway point of our strategic plan was the right time to take stock, refresh and strengthen our plans with renewed determination to achieve real change for people affected by kidney disease.

We will scale up our work and evolve our approach to significantly quicken the pace towards our three goals.

Our goals.

Our goals underpin everything we do and are the guiding principles behind our ambitions, our long-term plans and the work we deliver every day.

Our strategy sets out in detail how we will deliver them.

Prevent

We will prevent more people from developing kidney disease.

Protect

We will protect those living with kidney disease from kidney failure.

Treat

In the meantime, we will transform treatments for people with kidney failure.

Our actions.

Our actions outline our plan over the short and medium term
to reach our long-term goals.

Accelerate discoveries

We will increase and prioritise research investment to address key challenges. Build research capacity for a step change in progress. Foster collaboration to generate new ideas.

Make it count

We will Increase our funding and support for innovation and translation. Drive the adoption of research into real-world practice and policy. Campaign for evidence-based policy change.

Our enablers.

We will build on our strong foundations in each area to deliver our
strategy and, in turn, achieve our goals.

Community

Encompassing every supporter, everyone affected by kidney disease, and every partner who joins us. Together we will drive change, invest in research and raise awareness.

Influence

Kidney disease is often ignored in health policy and priority-setting and low in the public consciousness. We have the ability to use our influence and voice to raise awareness and enable real change.

Excellence

To deliver all that we’ve set out to do, we need to be at the top of our game. We will build on a culture of continuous improvement to achieve excellence.

Sandra Currie, chief executive of Kidney Research UK

“There is a bravery and ambition in this organisation that we’re incredibly proud of.
"We face many challenges – including rising numbers of people living with kidney risk factors and a struggling NHS – and we will not shy away from these.
"We’re driving forward with even greater focus on the things that really matter to people affected by kidney disease. This is who we are here to make change for, and their insights and experiences will inform everything we do.” Sandra Currie OBE, chief executive