Chancellor announces £7m for 'cutting-edge' biomedical engineering research

A newly-announced £7m fund will boost cutting-edge biomedical engineering at a number of government bodies.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced the new research collaboration at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the largest biomedical research laboratory in Europe. Known as the UK Centre for Engineering Biology, Metrology and Standards, the collaboration will involve the National Physical Laboratory, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls and other companies and teams based elsewhere.

The collaboration aims to support UK companies to use engineering and biological technologies for the development of new products in a number of different sectors. 

The investment was part of £17m in new funding announced as part of the government’s industrial strategy. Engineers will use £5m for the creation of a cryo-electron microscope, which will help build 3D models of biological components to quicken the discovery of cheaper medicines.

The Crick Institute uses “cutting edge research to generate real health improvements,” said Hammond. The institute, created with £350m of previous government investment, opened in 2016 and houses 1,250 scientists and 250 other staff.

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