The NILRF was established in 1964 by Mr and Mrs McDowell, the parents of a teenage girl who died of leukaemia. Now eight committees throughout Northern Ireland, supported by numerous relatives and friends of patients affected by leukaemia and other serious haematological diseases, are raising money to support the research activities.

Over the last 44 years, over £7 million has been raised by the NILRF.

To ensure that their grants only support research of the highest quality and applications are reviewed by the NILRF Medical Advisory Committee, currently chaired by Professor Curly Morris, recently retired Haematology Consultant in the Belfast City Hospital.

The NILRF has awarded grants to Queen's University Belfast, the University of Ulster and the Haematology Department within Belfast City Hospital.

The NILRF was involved in the appointment of a Professor of Haematology in Queen's University Belfast and in 2007 the Haematology Research Group moved to the new Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology (CCRCB) building on the City Hospital site.

The Haematology Research Group in the CCRCB includes two Professors (Prof.Terry Lappin from Hillsborough and Prof. Ken Mills, recently moved from Wales) as well as over twenty scientists and research students from Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, India and China.

The research funded by the NILRF is central to maintaining this research group which is internationally recognised for its research into myeloid leukaemia. Research into other types of leukaemia is done in collaboration with clinicians and scientists in the Belfast City Hospital.