The Medical Research Council - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research has been awarded £4.8million from the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, it was announced today.

Research programmes at the CVR will tackle questions about viruses at all levels from the fine details of virus structure to the spread of viruses in human and animal populations.

The latest grant is part of a wider £30m investment package in large-scale university infrastructure projects throughout the UK, courtesy of the Wellcome-Wolfson Capital Awards initiative.

The scheme is intended to facilitate internationally competitive, leading-edge biomedical research in a way that would not otherwise be possible. The projects that have been funded include both new buildings and refurbishment.

The CVR award application was lead by its newly appointed Director, Professor Massimo Palmarini, and Jim Neil, Professor of Virology and Molecular Oncology.

Professor Palmarini said: "We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award. It is an incredibly exciting time for Virology research in Glasgow, and indeed in Scotland as a whole. This award will help us to shape our vision for the CVR and, ultimately, achieve our goals.

"I would like to thank the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation for the funding. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my colleague Professor Jim Neil and to several colleagues within the CVR who have been instrumental in our grant application."

Last July the Medical Research Council and the University announced that the MRC is to invest £28m over five years to develop the Centre for Virus Research.

The CVR will be located in a new building on the University's Garscube Campus which will enable researchers based there to share expertise, build upon existing collaborations and strengthen virus research capability in the UK overall.

"World-class science needs to be supported by world-class infrastructure, which requires significant investment," said Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust. "The Capital Awards partnership between the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation will provide an important injection of cash into our universities at a time when they face uncertainty about future capital funding."

Paul Ramsbottom, Executive Secretary of the Wolfson Foundation, added:  "The programme attracted a strikingly high standard of applications and we are delighted to be funding such exceptional projects. It is also a great pleasure to be working again with the Wellcome Trust, and the partnership is of particular importance when universities are facing challenging financial circumstances."

Notes for editors

The Wellcome Trust is a global charity dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests. www.wellcome.ac.uk

The Wolfson Foundation is a charitable foundation set up in 1955. Grants are given to support excellence and to act as a catalyst. There is a continued emphasis on  funding infrastructure for science and technology, health, education, and the arts. More information is available at www.wolfson.org.uk

For more media information please contact Eleanor Cowie, Media Relations Officer, on 0141 330 3683 or e.cowie@admin.gla.ac.uk

First published: 1 July 2010

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