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Rosalind Franklin Institute reaches key construction milestone with their new £40m Hub Building

13:36 28 January in Life Sciences & Healthcare, News, Oxfordshire, Talent and Innovation, Uncategorized by Sarah Irving

The new £40m Hub building will house the Rosalind Franklin Institute (RFI), a national institute dedicated to creating technologies which will change the way researchers see life through interdisciplinary research and technology development, has reached practical completion.

The Hub, funded through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is based on the Harwell Campus in the heart of the Thames Valley, one of the UK’s leading innovation centres with over £2bn world-leading research infrastructure in-place and driving R&D collaboration.

The new Hub is another addition to the world leading assets and centres of excellence that make the Thames Valley a global leader in the Life Sciences and Healthcare sector. The RFI’s location, at Harwell, provides the environment required for growth, innovation, and discovery. Specialist labs for imaging, mass spectrometry, structural biology and chemistry have been designed to promote collaboration. Research already underway at RFI, and in spokes around the UK, has led to the development of nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2, breakthroughs in imaging biological samples using electrons, and the development of chemistry techniques which can enable proteins to be modified within cells.

Professor James Naismith, Director of The Franklin said:

“This is a building created by scientists for cutting edge research, and we are looking forward to continuing to deliver impact for the UK. The Hub shows that it is possible to deliver a highly functional science building.  Our scientists coming together in the building for the first time will deliver scientific firsts impacting across the UK nations. By doing so we will honour the legacy of our namesake Rosalind Franklin and try to be worthy of bearing her name.”

 

Paul Britton, CEO of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce said:

“Welcoming another world leading, innovative research institute into Harwell and the Thames Valley is tremendous news for all, strengthening our place at the heart of the UK’s life sciences and healthcare ‘golden triangle’ and ability to sustain growth and delivery new facilities. The Harwell Campus is at the heart of a truly global, truly unique cluster of assets that will secure the UK’s place as one of the world’s innovation economies and leaders in ground-breaking research.”

 

Read more here.