UK invests to strengthen UK best practice in animal research

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-The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

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Under embargo for

00.01 BST
Tuesday 13 June 2006

Four UK research centres have been awarded more than GBP 11 million to regenerate training in animal research skills for undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists. The integrative mammalian biology Capacity Building Awards were announced today by a unique partnership of public and industry research funders.

The four awards have been made to two London Universities, Imperial College London and Kings College London, and two jointly led consortiums between the universities of Manchester and Liverpool and the universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde.

Integrative mammalian biology is the study of how genes influence body function and is central to development of new therapeutic approaches to human and animal diseases. A recent survey of UK Higher Education Institutes revealed the emergence of a skills gap in mammalian biology thought to be caused by a decline in animal physiology education. The Capacity Building Awards aim to address this by providing grants that academic centres can use to rebuild their capacity for research training.

The awards were made possible by a unique funding partnership between the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, the British Pharmacological Society's Integrative Pharmacology Fund (donors AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer) the Department of Trade and Industry, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC).

The awards' funders believe that UK biomedical research urgently needs scientists who are experts in mammalian biology to translate medical research into treatments for human and animal diseases. The capacity building awards will enable the four centres to offer training opportunities in research areas including heart disease, neuroscience, reproduction and metabolism.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science and Innovation said: "The UK is a world leader in the medical research and it is essential that we train the next generation of researchers in practical animal research skills so that we can maintain our position. I, therefore, welcome this excellent joint partnership of the private and public sectors.

"There are huge opportunities in fields such as heart disease and neuroscience for major medical advances, and we need to have a supply of expert researchers to develop treatments for human and animal diseases in the tightly controlled regime for animal experiments which exists in the UK."

For further information contact the MRC press office on 020 7637 6011 or 07818 428 297 (out of hours).

Notes to editors:

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) is the UK funding agency for research in the life sciences. Sponsored by Government, BBSRC annually invests around £336 million in a wide range of research that makes a significant contribution to the quality of life for UK citizens and supports a number of important industrial stakeholders including the agriculture, food, chemical, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. www.bbsrc.ac.uk

The British Pharmacological Society is the UK learned society for the study of drugs and how they affect the body. It has 2,500 members in the UK and overseas, who work in academia, industry, regulatory bodies, health services etc., in pharmacological and clinical pharmacological research and practice. AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have agree to donate a total of £4 million over four years to the BPS's Integrative Pharmacology Fund, to be used to support in vivo mammalian pharmacology, physiology and toxicology research and education in the UK. http://www.bps.ac.uk/

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) distributes public money for teaching and research to universities and colleges. In doing so, it aims to promote high quality education and research, within a financially healthy sector. The Council also plays a key role in ensuring accountability and promoting good practice. In 2004-05, HEFCE will allocate £6 billion in public funds. www.hefce.ac.uk

The Medical Research Council: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is funded by the UK tax- payer. It distributes funding for medical research aimed at improving human health. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and academia. The MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. www.mrc.ac.uk

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) is a non-departmental public body which supports the maintenance and further development of Scottish higher education institutions. SHEFC distributes more than £800 million each year of public money to 20 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland for teaching and research; and the Council encourages HEIs to pursue quality improvement, to build on their distinctive strengths in teaching and research, and to promote diversity and collaboration; helps the higher education sector to address the needs of students, employers and society; works towards equal opportunity of access; and works towards achieving value for public money and securing accountability.