Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Gets £67 Million Injection for Upgrades. (June 26, 2008)

Britain's Medical Research Council (MRC) established the Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) at Cambridge in 1947. Over the years 12 researchers associated with it were awarded Nobel prizes (Fred Sanger got two).

On Tuesday John Denham, the UK's universities secretary, announced it is to get £67m (A$138m) in additional government funding for rebuilding to help expansion and redevelopment. The rebuilding in total will cost £200m (A$411m).

Mr Denham said: "Investment in the redevelopment of the LMB to provide a cutting-edge research environment will help retain and attract some of the world's best scientists working on medical research. This laboratory is a key example of the UK leading the world in conducting basic research, translating it into health benefits and commercialising it into wealth benefits."

Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, the chief executive of the MRC, said: "The new building will allow the MRC to build on the LMB's position as a globally competitive research centre and continue to attract the best researchers."

The £67m contribution is provided through the government's large facilities capital fund - allocated by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills - which gives extra money to large-scale research projects.

According to the MRC, the funding will enable it to meet the cost of rebuilding the lab, which will allow it to extend into new areas such as neurobiology.