Welcoming the funding announcement, Professor Peter Holmes, Vice Principal for Research said:

"The recent allocation of SRIF funding of £16.8m to the University of Glasgow is a major contribution to our programme of extensive infrastructural developments in scientific research and reflects the University's standing as a major research-led university. It builds on our success in securing the largest amount of funding in Scotland under the JISC scheme (£22m), the forerunner to SHRIF.

"The SHRIF funds will allow the University to embark on a £40m building programme which will include a major new biomedical research complex consisting of the Glasgow Biomeidcal Reserach Centre and the BHF Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, adjacent to the new medical school currently under construction. Other new major buildings in the programme include the new Institute of Comparative Medicine at the Veterinary School, new facilities for functional genomics in bioscience and the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre.

"The University is also making significant contributions to developing its research in computing science."

Summaries of the seven projects which will benefit from the SRIF funding follow:

Glasgow Biomedical Research Centre

Biomedical science faces three main challenges over the coming decade: the use of sophisticated molecular and structural techniques to address whole organism biology; the application of such techniques to deliver benefit to commerce and the public; and the translation of the rapidly expanding genome databases into biologically significant information.

These challenges require the interaction of several disciplines, as proposed for the Biomedical Research Centre. More than 20 of the University of Glasgow's leading research groups will be assembled into three cognate areas - Structural Biology, Molecular Parasitology and Immunobiology. The groups are acknowledged international leaders in their respective fields, which range from physical to biomedical and clinical science.

The main aim of the new institute is to create and increase extensive multidisciplinary research in a culture of seeking scientific solutions to problems of diseases of major morbidity and mortality and to apply this knowledge rapidly to the clinics. The link from basic to clinical science is a unique feature of the planned institute, as around 20% of the scientists are medically qualified with active clinical practice.

Contacts:
Prof John Coggins
Ph:0141 3305267 email: J.Coggins@bio.gla.ac.uk
Prof Eddie Liew
Ph:0141 3302695 email:F.Y.Liew@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Prof David Barry
Ph:0141 3304875 email:j.d.barry@vet.gla.ac.uk

Institute of Comparative Medicine

The Institute of Comparative Medicine - will create a single modern and well resourced research centre for veterinary and basic research at the University of Glasgow's Garscube campus. This strategic investment will provide accommodation for a number of the leading research groups, and link with existing structures to enable all laboratory-based researchers on site to have ready access to new platform technologies. The Institute will offer a centralised set of core facilities and expertise in genomics; proteomics, imaging and bioinformatics, thus underpinning and linking the research of the different groups.

Four research groups will be accommodated in the new building - Veterinary Microbiology & Public Health; Molecular Parasitology & Immunology, Molecular Oncology and Applied Neurobiology. Physical links to the existing Parasitology and Pre/Para-Clinical buildings will enable a further restructuring to house all research groups in the Faculty under a "single" roof.

Contacts:
Prof Jim Neil
Ph: 0141 330 5570 email: J.C.Neil@vet.gla.ac.uk
Prof Andrea Nolan
Ph: 0141 330 5788 email: A.Nolan@vet.gla.ac.uk
Prof Andrew Tait
Ph: 0141 330 5750 email: a.tait@vet.gla.ac.uk

Computing Research Laboratory

A laboratory will be built capable providing high quality research space and housing 100 researchers, adjacent to the existing Computing Science building. It will provide space to house our expanding Computing Science research (rated 5* in the 1996 RAE), particularly our involvement in multidisciplinary research with its catalytic effects.

Many local companies will benefit, as will cultural and health care activities. The enhanced knowledge and expanded pool of active researchers will directly benefit the economy and quality of life. Our research is central to many of the Foresight programmes and is closely aligned with the OST's vision "Excellence and Opportunityﾗa science and innovation policy for the 21st century". It will provide essential input to the "Digital Scotland Initiative".

Contacts:
Mr Ray Welland
Ph:0141 3304968 email: ray@dcs.gla.ac.uk
Prof Malcolm Atkinson
Ph:0141 3304359 email: mpa@dcs.gla.ac.uk

Grid - E-science Infrastructure

The University of Glasgow, in synergy with University of Edinburgh, is investing in infrastructure to support scientists working in an e-Science mode in several disciplines, including bioinformaticists in postgenomic proteomics, cell biology, diagnostic technology, cardiovascular diseases, biomedicine, nanotechnology, computing science and physics research.

This investment will underpin the recently announced jointly operated National e-Science Centre, bringing Scotland onto the world stage in e-Science, and further developing our research potential. The intention is to stimulate the use of e-Science infrastructure such as the GRID and to accelerate multidisciplinary research through the more effective deployment of computational models, digital communication and shared databases.

Contacts:
Prof. Malcolm Atkinson
Ph: 0141 3304359 email: mpa@dcs.gla.ac.uk
Prof. Muffy Calder

James Watt Nanofabrication Centre

The centre in refurbished accommodation will replace out-dated and scattered units with a laboratory facility capable of developing integrated systems and modules that combine the work of the three reserarch groups Nanoelectronics, Optoelectronics and Bioelectronics. Together these groups' activities account for the vast majority of research income and effort associated with the Department of Electronics & Electrical Engineering, and have driven recent successful commercializations. Recently the scientific and commercial emphasis (in Glasgow and worldwide) has shifted to projects which combine these strands to form complex systems. This requires now urgently an integration of the fabrication facilities.

Contact:
Prof. Asen Asenov
Ph: 0141 330 5233 email: A.Asenov@elc.gla.ac.uk

Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre

The development of the Cardiovascular Research Centre will further increase the critical mass of interdisciplinary cardiovascular research in Glasgow by consolidating the existing research groups on a single site and by providing state-of-the-art laboratories and shared experimental facilities. These will be used by scientists and clinicians working from 'from bed side to lab bench' investigating the extent, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart disease .

Cardiovascular and metabolic disorders remain the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world, with Scotland having one of the highest rates in Europe and world-wide. An improved understanding of the disease mechanisms, and the genetic factors behind, is essential if future health strategies are to be better focussed and to achieve a significant reduction in the occurrence of coronary disease.

Contact:
Prof. Anna Dominiczak
Ph: 0141 3307760 email: Anna.Dominiczak@clinmed.gla.ac.uk
Prof. Stuart Cobbe
Ph: 0141 3307710 email: Stuart.Cobbe@clinmed.gla.ac.uk

Glasgow Functional Genomics

This award will provide essential facilities for research projects designed to increase our understanding of incurable neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, New Variant CJD, Parkinson's, Myotonic Dystrophy and Huntington's, and to develop treatments. This research critically depends upon the study of human diseases in mouse models which are the most relevant models in mammalian biology. The lack of adequate infrastructure for this work had threatened to impede the research which is building upon the information now becoming available from the genome projects.

Contact:
Prof. Ian Griffiths
0141 330 5806/5628, email: I.Griffiths@vet.gla.ac.uk

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First published: 27 August 2001