MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
UKCMRI vision and building designs unveiled
22 June 2010
UKCMRI will initially build on the complementary skills and research interests of the MRC National Institute for Medical Research and the CRUK London Research Institute together with scientists from University College London focusing on physics, computing, engineering, imaging and chemistry.
Founded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and University College London, the institute will represent an unprecedented step in international science leadership. The institute will tackle the underlying causes of humanity's most challenging health problems. The scientific vision was drafted by a panel of leading international scientists wanting to develop an institute capable of tackling the underlying causes of our most challenging health problems. The chairman of the Scientific Planning Committee was the Nobel Laureate and President of Rockefeller University, New York and incoming President of the Royal Society – Sir Paul Nurse.
The new institute’s scientific vigour will be maintained by the continuous renewal of research interests and skills – a strategy at the core of the UKCMRI vision. The institute’s research funding, its interactive and interdisciplinary environment, and its cutting-edge scientific infrastructure will allow scientists to tackle ambitious and long-term research questions. These researchers will develop a prominent international scientific profile during a 10-12 year stay at UKCMRI, after which the majority will move on to leadership positions in this country and elsewhere, thereby fulfilling UKCMRI's key role to propagate and disperse scientists of the highest calibre throughout the UK. The institute's cadre of established international research leaders will provide continuity and a science-led operational culture.
UKCMRI building design
The building, planned by a team led by the architects HOK working closely with PLP Architecture, is designed to foster innovation by allowing collaboration between different academic disciplines.
UKCMRI aims to break down the traditional barriers between different research teams within institutes and between disciplines, encouraging biologists, clinician scientists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists to work together to answer shared questions. With 1,250 scientists working with an encompassing infrastructure, UKCMRI will provide the critical mass, support and unique environment to tackle difficult research questions.
Paul Nurse, Chairman of the Scientific Planning Committee
UKCMRI builds on NIMR’s interactive and interdisciplinary approach to science, and my colleagues are working hard together with LRI and UCL researchers, to design the best possible building for our research. We are really looking forward to the new opportunities for collaboration and interaction offered by UKCMRI.
Jim Smith, NIMR Director and member of UKCMRI’s Scientific Planning Committee
An inspirational building to house inspirational science; UKCMRI will combine the brightest minds in science with world class facilities. The result? A flourishing environment for internationally recognised research, which will provide for the next stage of medical breakthroughs.
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council
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