Glasgow home to new Centre for Virus Research
29 Nov 2012
Construction of a new virus research centre has got underway at the University of Glasgow’s Garscube Campus.
The £20 million Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Virus Research at the University of Glasgow (CVR) will bring scientists researching viruses and viral diseases in humans and animals together under one roof.
The Centre, established in 2010 and headed by Director Professor Massimo Palmarini, will provide modern facilities and laboratories for research themes covering emerging viruses, innate and intrinsic immunity to virus infection, hepatitis C virus, viruses and cancer, structural virology, viral genomics and bioinformatics.
It will receive £28m over the next five years from the MRC with an additional £10m from the University. The Wellcome-Wolfson Capital Awards Initiative also invested £4.8m in the Centre.
Prof Palmarini said: “The building will provide us with the kind of facilities we need to produce top-quality research in the field of human and animal diseases and tackle questions about viruses at all levels - from the structure of viruses themselves to their spread through animal and human populations.”
The building, designed by Sheppard Robson Architects, supported by Arup engineering and cost managers Sweett Group, will be built by Laing O’Rourke and is scheduled for completion by June 2014.
The University of Glasgow was awarded funding from the MRC following a UK-wide call for bids the host the centre which attracted 12 applications.
A panel of virology experts from around the world judged that Glasgow had the strongest case and recommended it for support. A funding decision was made by the Council of the MRC in May 2009.
