UK Biobank, the world’s most significant source of data and biological samples for health researchers, has been successful in its £127.6m to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Infrastructure fund to move to a new purpose-built facility at Bruntwood SciTech’s Manchester Science Park.
The funding will cover a state-of-the-art robotic freezer that stores and retrieves 20 million biological samples that have been donated by UK Biobank’s 500,000 participants. The facility is being developed with the support of The University of Manchester.
UK Biobank, which provides researchers with unparalleled access to health data from its volunteers, will continue to operate at multiple sites (including Bristol, Newcastle, Oxford, Reading, and Stockport) but its biological samples, laboratories, headquarters and around half of its 250 staff will move from their current home in Stockport, where they have been based for nearly two decades.
“We are thrilled to be moving to a world-leading centre for genomics and data, where we can build on existing relationships with The University of Manchester, the NHS, and global pharmaceutical and data science companies,” said Prof Sir Rory Collins, Principal Investigator and CEO of UK Biobank. “We are incredibly grateful to UKRI for their funding and support which will help increase UK Biobank’s unrivalled work. With this funding it will be quicker and easier for researchers from around the world to conduct vital research into common and life-threatening diseases and enable new scientific discoveries that improve human health.”
Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser, CEO of UKRI, said:
“UKRI invests in areas of science where we are world-leaders and can have the biggest real-world impact. UK Biobank is already used by more than 30,000 researchers from over 90 countries and each year, as further samples are collected and the dataset gets richer, scientific demand for access to the samples grows. This resource can make a real difference in people’s lives and we’re already seeing how the insights are driving changes in the NHS. Investment like ours cements the UK’s status as one of the world’s true leaders in research and innovation.”
Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester and member of UK Biobank’s Board, said: “I’m very pleased that UK Biobank has chosen to move here as it is yet more evidence of how Manchester has become one of the world’s leading hubs for science and innovation. UK Biobank will be joining the community of stellar research organisations that are already working with The University of Manchester to make a difference across the UK and around the world.”
