Super Labs

The incredible super-laboratories popping up around the UK with encouraging regularity are propelling the nation to the very peak of life science research and discovery. Billions of pounds are being pumped into making the UK the epicentre of global life science research, with thousands of scientists working in futuristic, cutting-edge research hubs and laboratories.

The latest of these super-laboratories set to open will be the Francis Crick Institute in London Euston. The £700m research lab will be capable of competing with the very largest institutions in the world – offering space and facilities for 1,200 scientists when it opens in November.

It is not only the scale of the project which is capturing the attention of scientists all around the world – the new institute has also applied for a license which will allow it to be the first in the world with the rights to edit genomes of embryos for research purposes.

The Francis Crick Institute is far from being the exception to the rule. Located just down the road within the British Library is the Alan Turing Institute. The nation’s first research facility for data science, the Alan Turing Institute is set to analyse big potential societal risks such as drought, food-shortages, climate change, pandemic diseases and unstructured urbanisation.

The UK’s science community are hoping that these two super-laboratories, paired with a number of other leading institutes which have cost the Government more than £1bn to build over recent years, will propel the UK to the very forefront of worldwide life sciences. It is anticipated that this substantial investment will attract global for-profit bioinformatics, pharmaceutical and biotech companies to the UK.

Sir John Chisholm, former chairman of the Medical Research Council, enthused: “We already have a number of companies from elsewhere in the world looking for lab space around us at the moment. They are all seeking to position themselves here because they see it as a world-leading example of genomic medicine in action.”

The cutting-edge laboratories are already attracting the interest of the world, bringing the top scientists from around the globe to the UK. A number of the UK’s leading universities and established research institutes are serving as hubs and satellites for the projects of the new super-laboratories. The University of Cambridge, amongst others, will help collect DNA from thousands of people over the next two years to support the research projects of the new super-labs.

This is perhaps the most exciting time to be a part of a UK-based research team with significant funding and attention dedicated to the discipline. InterFocus can help you become an integral part of the UK super-laboratory revolution. Our dedicated team can help you design and manufacture a bespoke, cutting-edge research lab at the forefront of the life sciences.

For more information about how InterFocus can help you and your team, visit our homepage or call our dedicated team on 01223 894833.