The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have paid tribute to the dedication of researchers which has “hugely enriched” our lives.
In an open letter marking the construction of The Francis Crick Institute in London, David Cameron and Nick Clegg describe how lives today have been improved by the work of scientists. They pay tribute to researchers who contribute to the advancement of science without recognition: “Science and discovery does not take place on the shoulders of British Prime Ministers,” they write. “These achievements take time and effort, and their pioneers rarely share the limelight enjoyed by those who finally make the breakthrough.
The Institute, being built at St Pancras and Somers Town in London, aims to understand the basic biology underlying human health and disease. Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg describe how science was revolutionised by the Institute’s namesake. They predict: “the pace of scientific discovery will continue and… future prime ministers will look back on even more startling discoveries. Many of them, we trust, will be British and associated with the Francis Crick Institute”.
The Director and Chief Executive of the Institute, Sir Paul Nurse, said: “I’m delighted both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister have applauded the work of researchers who dedicate their careers to tackling the most significant questions about how our bodies work, why we stay healthy or fall ill. The Francis Crick Institute will build on the extraordinary developments achieved by scientists. It will bring together researchers from different disciplines to find new ways to accelerate our understanding, develop better treatments and prevent disease.”
You can read the letter to The Francis Crick Institute from Downing Street here.
The Institute is supported by an extraordinary partnership of Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King’s College London. It is adjacent to the British Library and St Pancras International. Construction will be complete in 2015.
