The Role Of Scientific Health Research
The Francis Crick Institute has a unique approach to medical research, unlike any other facility in the world. It's founders believed that a scientific research facility should be an integral part of the community it serves. Education is accessible to a wide audience of people, especially young students. They can have the opportunity to explore science in a professional atmosphere and take part in the research that is being conducted at the Institute.
Like a garden, the Institute promotes cross-pollination of scientific ideas. There is a strong core philosophy that will guide all research. That core goal is to discover the underlying processes of human health and use that knowledge to help prevent diseases and develop new treatments. Around this goal there are several questions that challenge and engage researchers. After all, the scientific method begins by asking questions. How does the immune system know where and when to function? How do organisms maintain balance? How does cancer spread and affect the body? These are just a few. From these questions stem the 12 major disciplines that the Francis Crick Institute will primarily focus on.
One of the most novel benefits of the Institute is its commitment to spread its underlying philosophy. Junior researchers work together in collaborative environments. Scientists from the Institute will branch out into other areas and join their scientific partners at other research facilities around the world. Group leaders will work at the Institute for a period of no more than 12 years and then go one to become scientific leaders elsewhere. Thereby, the Francis Crick Institute will create a new paradigm in medical research that spans the globe.
Science is a benefit to the community and the Institute will open its doors to the public. Through exhibitions, debate forums and special projects, the Francis Crick Institute will remove the veil of scientific research and allow people to become more engaged in the process. This program is especially targeted at young people. Local schools are encouraged to come to the campus and have their students learn that science can be fun and exciting. There is a 450 seat auditorium that can host lectures across many different disciplines, lectures that might have only been available to high level graduate students in the past.
Scientists and medical researchers rarely get to work with the confidence that their projects will have continuous funding. That lack of support often leads to shortened study terms and rushed results. The Francis Crick Institute is different. There are 12 year terms and researchers have the benefit of several different laboratory locations so that there is ample space and time to make truly groundbreaking discoveries. The Institute was established with an investment of 650 million pounds and will have an annual budget of approximately 130 million pounds. The Institute creates jobs, as well. Of it's 1500 staff members, at least 1200 will be scientists.
A scientific endeavor this bold could only be made possible through the collaborative efforts of several organizations. The Francis Crick Institute is a registered charity that is supported by The Medical Research Council (MRC), the Wellcome Trust, and Cancer Research UK. Yet, even these three esteemed organizations couldn't begin such an ambitious project without the special skills and resources of educational institutions. University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, and King's College London provide the scientific backbone of the Institute.
It's rare to see such an ambitious goal actually take fruition. The Francis Crick Institute sounds like a dream, yet it actually came true. The bio-medical research conducted at the Institute will undoubtedly expand our knowledge of medicine, human physiology and science in general. Members of society will have a means to ask questions and engage the scientific community. Furthermore, the world will have a wellspring of knowledge to draw from in our shared efforts to eradicate viruses, cancers, and terminal illnesses. Thanks to the contributions of the Institute's charitable donors and founding partners, scientific research has a fertile foundation from which to grow.