UKCMRI submits plans for world-leading medical research institute
2 September, 2010
Plans for a new world-leading medical research institute at St Pancras and Somers Town in London have been presented to Camden Council. The UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI), for which the Medical Research Council (MRC) is a major funder, will carry out ground-breaking research on the basic biology underlying human health. It will drive forward better treatment and prevention of the most significant diseases affecting people today such as cancer and heart disease.
UKCMRI will enhance the ability of the country’s leading biomedical research institutions to work together to tackle some of the biggest medical challenges facing the UK and the world.
A planning application for the institute was submitted to the Camden Council on 1 September. It is expected to be heard by members of the Development Control Committee before the end of the year, following a formal consultation by the Council. If approved, construction will begin next year with completion in 2015. The application follows over two years of consultation with scientists, business leaders, politicians and planners. Furthermore, the UKCMRI team has met more than 500 local people and carried out more than 70 consultation activities.
Sir David Cooksey, the chair of UKCMRI, said:
“The proposed UKCMRI institute has been carefully designed to meet future scientific demands and to respond to the architectural heritage of the local area. In addition we have modified the exterior, public areas and open spaces in response to consultation. UKCMRI is perfectly positioned to bring together a wealth of expertise to tackle some of the biggest challenges including beating cancers, heart disease, stroke, flu and neuro-degenerative diseases.”
UKCMRI has been founded by the MRC, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and University College London. It will be based on the world-class research currently being carried out at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research, Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute, and in UCL’s laboratories.
As an independent registered charity in its own right, UKCMRI will be a substantial institute providing space for more than 1,500 staff, including 1,250 scientists from a range of disciplines. UKCMRI’s location amid the cluster of outstanding research and medical institutions in Camden, many within easy walking distance, will foster the collaborations and multi-disciplinary working which are now recognised as essential for success in biomedical science.
UKCMRI will play an important national role. It will recruit from a global pool of talent, providing an opportunity for researchers to develop their careers in the UK. Through collaboration it will build extensive links throughout the UK and internationally, assisted by the excellent national and international transport links on its doorstep. UKCMRI will reinforce London’s and the UK’s position as a global centre of research excellence.
Plans for the new institute are open to view at an exhibition on the site of the proposed institute at Brill Place to the west of the St Pancras International Station. The exhibition is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and one Saturday a month. For more details visit www.ukcmri.ac.uk.
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