MRC response to spending review 2004 allocations
7 March 2005
The Medical Research Council (MRC) welcomes the additional funding of approximately £90 million over two years, announced today as part of the Spending Review (SR2004) allocation.
£25million of the allocation will allow the MRC to: increase its support for clinical trials to evaluate new health interventions; promote the translation of research results into clinical practice and encourage experimental medicine; and contribute to the clinical priorities of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration of which it is a full and active partner.
Part of the additional funding will enable the MRC and other Councils to meet 80% of the full economic cost of research grants for all applications submitted after September 1 2005. This will enhance the work of researchers in universities throughout the UK.
£8 million of the allocated funds will be used to implement recommendations in the Roberts’ Review, SET for success, thereby increasing recruitment and retention of scientists embarking on a research career.
MRC Chief Executive Professor Colin Blakemore said:
“The resources we have been given will help us to take the clinical research agenda forward, focusing on translating understanding of the biological basis of disease into improved healthcare, products and services.
“We shall be able to make a start on some major initiatives encompassing the full spectrum of clinical research, from work in laboratories and clinics to large scale clinical trials, while continuing our commitment to Britain’s world-class basic biomedical research.”
For further information contact the MRC press office on 020 7637 6011
Notes to Editors
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC’s expenditure of £450 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools.
