Rosalind Franklin Institute receives £103m government funding to boost pharma and biotech

The new Rosalind Franklin Institute at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire has been announced, which will use new technologies for drug discovery, biotechnology and medical diagnostics breakthroughs. A £40m four-storey facility will be built by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), in partnership with EPSRC and is due to open in 2020. It will accommodate 150 researchers and have cutting-edge capabilities in imaging and drug discovery. The facility will work closely with the Diamond Light Source and STFC’s Central Laser Facility amongst others including universities across the country.
Prof Philip Nelson, EPSRC’s executive chair said: “As EPSRC is the main delivery partner for the Rosalind Franklin Institute, I am extremely pleased to see the Institute officially launched today. Research here at the Harwell hub, and at the universities that form the spokes of the Institute, will help the UK maintain a leading position in the application of engineering and physical sciences to problems in the life sciences.”
The first projects are an advanced camera system that will combat cancer using light and sound, a new approach to molecular discovery for drug development, and a new testing facility that will harness AI to explore new drugs for clinical trials.
Prof Ian Walmsey, pro-vice-chancellor of Research & Innovation at Oxford University and chair of the RFI’s Interim Board said: “The RFI will pioneer disruptive technologies and new ways of working to revolutionise our understanding of biology, leading to new diagnostics, new drugs, and new treatments for millions of patients worldwide. It will bring university researchers together with industry experts in one facility and embrace high-risk, adventurous research that will transform the way we develop new medicines.”