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The University of Southampton
Institute for Life Sciences

University of Southampton part of new £100 million Rosalind Franklin Institute

Published: 25 July 2017Origin: University of Southampton
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin. Image by Jewish Chronicle Archive/Heritage-Images

Leading Life Sciences researchers from the University of Southampton will play a major role in a new national institute that aims to create a UK centre of excellence in technology development and innovation.

The Rosalind Franklin Institute (RFI), which is being funded by a £100 million investment from the government, will bring together the UK’s strengths in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering. Theme areas are proposed to develop disruptive technologies in multilevel and correlative imaging, drug development and delivery, as well as spectroscopy and data integration. By working with clinicians and biomedical investigators the outputs will benefit people across the globe.

It is named after the pioneering British scientist whose research using X-rays to study biological structures played a crucial role in the discovery of DNA’s ‘double helix’ structure. She was born on the 25 July 1920.

Alongside the University of Southampton, other academic partners include Imperial College London and the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, King’s College London, Leeds, Oxford, Manchester, and University College London. It will be managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The Institute will be based at Harwell.

Professor Peter Smith, Director of the Institute of Life Sciences at the University, said: “The University of Southampton has a distinguished track record in nurturing interdisciplinary approaches to scientific challenges and developing them into meaningful solutions that change the world and improve people’s lives. We are very proud to be a partner in this new initiative that looks set to push the boundaries of scientific discoveries even further.

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