Glasgow is set to become a world centre of excellence for research into cancer. Planning permission has just been granted to the University of Glasgow and Cancer Research UK and work on site will begin later this year for a projected completion of 2006.

Housing up to 240 researchers, brought together in a single venue, the new £14 million building, designed by award winning architects Reiach and Hall, will be located at the University's Garscube Estate.

The new project continues the philosophy of collective shared study and thought, a winning philosophy already used for the Wolfson Medical School on the University's main campus which was a recent winner of a Civic Trust Award

The new centre will provide world-class research facilities, accelerating the process of understanding the disease, identifying new therapies and bringing them to patients.

Sited within the Botany Garden at Garscube, adjacent and linked to the existing Beatson Institute, the new building is conceived as a glazed pavilion where natural light and communal space provide the best environment for an open forum of research. This location affords almost complete separation from the existing building to both reduce the impact of construction work on the current research programmes and offer a bold, strong and individual visual identity for the new centre.

Professor Karen Vousden, Director of the Beatson Institute, said:

'It's really exciting to be part of a development that will become a world leader in the battle against cancer. The new centre will provide Scottish researchers with state-of-the-art research facilities. It will be a melting pot of some of the most talented scientists and doctors in the country, giving us the best possible chance of making progress against the disease.'

Professor Jim Cassidy, Cancer Research UK Professor of Oncology at the Beatson Oncology Centre, added:

'Not only will this development put Scottish science on the map, but it will be hugely beneficial for cancer patients. By putting some of the country's best scientists under a single roof and forging strong links with cancer doctors, it is designed to turn high quality laboratory research into concrete clinical progress as quickly as possible'.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further information, please contact University of Glasgow Press Office on 0141 330 3535 / 3683/ 8593 or at Cancer Research UK (Edinburgh) , contact Angela Kilday on 0131 311 4808 or 0771 368 7200.

First published: 13 May 2004