New independent research institutes focused on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and synthetic biology could make a significant contribution to British research, a long-awaited review into UK research structures has suggested.
In a report published on 6 March, Sir Paul Nurse, director of the Francis Crick Institute, notes there are currently more than 50 research institutes operating in the UK – including the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, the John Innes Centre in Norwich and the Faraday Institute for battery technology at Harwell, near Oxford – with researcher numbers ranging from about 100 to 1,500, and funding derived from various sources including research councils, industry, charities and government.
However, Sir Paul, a former Royal Society president and Nobel laureate, insists that “given the potential and high quality of the best run and funded institutes and units, funding organisations such as UK Research and Innovation should regularly consider whether new institutes or units are required”.
