ACROSS
An NIHR-funded global research programme
Affordable cardiac rehabilitation, designed with communities
ACROSS is working with communities, researchers and healthcare professionals across the UK, Bangladesh and Pakistan to develop an affordable, culturally appropriate and sustainable home-based rehabilitation programme.
Our research brings together support for people living with heart disease and related mental health difficulties, including anxiety and depression.
ACROSS at a Glance
A collaborative research programme connecting cardiovascular health, mental health, implementation research and capacity strengthening across the UK and South Asia.
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3 Partner countriesUnited Kingdom, Bangladesh and Pakistan |
4 Integrated work packagesFrom cultural adaptation and feasibility testing to evaluation and capacity strengthening |
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2 Connected health prioritiesCardiovascular health and mental wellbeing, including anxiety and depression |
1 Shared goalAffordable, culturally appropriate and sustainable home-based rehabilitation |
APPLICATIONS OPEN
Current ACROSS PhD Opportunity
Co-Adapting Cardiac Rehabilitation for Children and Young People with Congenital Heart Disease
ACROSS is recruiting an outstanding student for a fully funded, full-time, three-year PhD based in Pakistan. The project will develop and evaluate culturally appropriate cardiac rehabilitation for children and young people with congenital heart disease.
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APPLICATION DEADLINE Thursday, 24 September 2026 |
RESEARCH BASE Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning |
UNIVERSITY University of Manchester |
Programme Highlights
Important milestones showing how ACROSS is strengthening international collaboration, influencing health systems and involving patients and communities in research.
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Global collaboration
ACROSS programme launched in Doha
9–12 February 2026
Partners from the UK, Pakistan and Bangladesh came together to align programme objectives and agree a shared roadmap for research, clinical trials, capacity strengthening and communications.
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Policy and health systems
Advancing cardiac rehabilitation policy in Pakistan
April 2026
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Care Commission made the provision of rehabilitation services mandatory for cardiac-care hospitals across the province—an important step towards improving access to cardiac rehabilitation.
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Patient-centred research
Patients and caregivers shape research in Bangladesh
April–May 2026
Coordination with three partner hospitals and focus groups with cardiac patients and caregivers generated practical insights to support trial readiness and the development of accessible, culturally appropriate rehabilitation.
Explore ACROSS
Stay informed about programme developments and explore ACROSS learning opportunities, seminar recordings and emerging evidence.
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Stay informed Latest NewsFollow the latest ACROSS announcements, research developments, country activities, partnership milestones and opportunities from across the programme. Our news area brings together updates from Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UK, helping researchers, healthcare professionals, communities and partners stay connected with ACROSS. View Latest News → |
Training and Capacity BuildingExplore training, workshops, capacity-strengthening activities and learning opportunities. Explore training →ACROSS Seminar SeriesWatch expert-led seminars on cardiac rehabilitation, mental health and implementation research. Watch seminar recordings →Our EvidenceAccess research outputs, programme evidence and learning that inform the development of ACROSS. Explore the evidence → |
Featured ACROSS Seminar
Watch the latest recording from the ACROSS seminar series, bringing together research, practice and community perspectives on cardiac rehabilitation.
Developing people and partnerships
Training and Capacity Building
Building skills, strengthening research and supporting future leaders
ACROSS is developing a growing programme of training, mentorship and knowledge exchange to strengthen research and rehabilitation capacity across partner institutions in Bangladesh, Pakistan and the UK.
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Research Methods and Study Delivery
Training supports protocol implementation, study preparation, data collection, interviewing and the consistent delivery of high-quality research across ACROSS sites.
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Skills and Knowledge Exchange
Workshops, short courses and cross-country learning activities strengthen practical skills in qualitative research, implementation, rehabilitation and patient-centred research.
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Early-Career Researcher Development
PhD students and early-career researchers benefit from mentorship, joint supervision, international collaboration and opportunities to engage with experienced researchers and clinicians.
The ACROSS training offer will continue to expand as the programme progresses, responding to the needs of researchers, clinicians, students and partner organisations.
From Evidence to Impact
ACROSS combines co-design, clinical research, implementation science and capacity strengthening to develop rehabilitation that is evidence-based, culturally appropriate and sustainable.
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Work Package 1 Co-design and Cultural AdaptationWorking with patients, caregivers, healthcare professionals and communities to adapt rehabilitation to local needs, priorities and healthcare settings. |
Work Package 2 Feasibility and AcceptabilityTesting whether the adapted intervention and study procedures are practical, acceptable and ready for evaluation on a larger scale. |
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Work Package 3 Effectiveness and ImplementationEvaluating clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and the factors that influence successful delivery and future scale-up. |
Work Package 4 Capacity StrengtheningStrengthening research and rehabilitation expertise through training, mentorship, knowledge exchange and international collaboration. |
Featured programme publication
Affordable Cardiac Rehabilitation: An Outreach Inter-Disciplinary Strategic Study – Research Programme Protocol
The published protocol describes the ACROSS programme’s research rationale, design and planned approach to developing and evaluating affordable home-based cardiac rehabilitation.
Read the programme protocol →Stay informed
ACROSS Newsletter
Discover programme milestones, research activities, capacity-strengthening work and partner updates from across ACROSS.
Working together across countries
Our Global Partnership
ACROSS brings together universities, research organisations, healthcare institutions, clinicians, researchers, patients and communities across the UK, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
UK
United Kingdom
University of Glasgow
University of Manchester
University of Leicester
PK
Pakistan
Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning
BD
Bangladesh
Bangladesh University of Health Sciences
Working Together Across Countries
Led by the University of Glasgow, ACROSS works through equitable international collaboration to develop affordable, culturally appropriate and sustainable cardiac rehabilitation for people living with cardiovascular disease and multiple long-term health conditions.
Stay connected
Contact ACROSS
For questions, feedback, collaboration enquiries or further information, contact the Global ACROSS Research Programme.
Email: global-across@glasgow.ac.uk
Award ID NIHR205540
Funding Acknowledgement
This research is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research through the Research on Interventions for Global Health Transformation programme. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
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