MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
UKCMRI is formally established
11 November 2010
The consortium behind the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) has formally agreed to build the new institute at St Pancras and Somers Town in the London Borough of Camden.
The Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, Wellcome Trust and UCL (University College London) have signed an agreement to set up UKCMRI as a charitable foundation subject to the agreement of the Charity Commission.
Signing the agreement
When he set out the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan in October, the Prime Minister, David Cameron, identified UKCMRI as a key part of the country’s future economic development. The plan followed confirmation of the Government’s share of funding in the Spending Review. Describing scientific research as “vital to our future economic success”, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced Government funding subject to approval of the MRC’s full business case.
The £600 million Centre will prevent and cure disease, create jobs and harness a sector of the economy in which the UK is a world leader. It will investigate fundamental biological processes underlying human health, and will study diseases that affect people across the UK, including cancers, heart disease and stroke, infections, diseases of the immune and nervous systems and the degenerative conditions linked to ageing.
UKCMRI will bring together staff currently working at NIMR and at Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute with researchers from UCL. The institute will house scientists from a range of disciplines including biologists, chemists, physicists, engineers and computer experts to promote novel ways of working. The building, planned by a team led by the architects HOK working with PLP Architecture, is designed to foster innovation by allowing collaboration between different academic disciplines.
David Willetts
I am delighted to be present at the signing of the Joint Venture Agreement for UKCMRI. This will be crucial for British biomedical research in the future. The four partners will create a world class centre with a mix of expertise and critical mass to capture cutting-edge science for the benefit of patients.
David Willetts MP, Minister for Universities and Science
In the very difficult current economic climate, UKCMRI represents an important investment in medical research in the UK. Its location within a cluster of some of the world’s leading hospitals and biomedical research institutions will help to accelerate the translation of research discoveries into treatments for the benefit of the UK.
Sir Paul Nurse, Director and Chief Executive designate of UKCMRI
UKCMRI is a key priority for the Medical Research Council. I am delighted that cross-departmental support has enabled us to take this important step towards the creation of a new research institute that will tackle the major health challenges facing us today, and provide an environment to enable researchers to respond quickly to new health problems as they arise. UKCMRI will create a home for innovative medical research that will ultimately benefit us all.
Sir John Savill, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council
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