In 2023, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) invested £14 million to create the Rare Diseases UK Platform. This Platform now supports 11 research centres, known as “nodes”, that aim to transform Rare Disease research and improve the lives of people who are directly or indirectly affected by Rare Diseases. The University of Manchester leads or co-leads or is closely involved in several nodes: