Combining the above strands of impact, the total economic impact on the UK economy associated with the CRUK Scotland Institute’s and School of Cancer Sciences’ activities in 2021-22 was estimated to be approximately £503 million (see Table 5). Of this total:
- The impact generated by the operating and capital spending of the CRUK Scotland Institute and the School of Cancer Sciences stood at £77 million (15%);
- The impact of the institutions’ research activities stood at £407 million (81%); and
- The value of the CRUK Scotland Institute’s and the School of Cancer Sciences’ teaching and learning activities stood at £19 million (4%).
Table 5: Total economic impact of the CRUK Scotland Institute’s and the School of Cancer Sciences’ activities in the UK in 2021-22 (£m and % of total)
| Type of impact | £ | % |
|---|---|---|
| Impact of expenditure | £77m | 15% |
| Direct impact | £50m | 10% |
| Indirect and induced impacts | £27m | 5% |
| Impact of research | £407m | 81% |
| Net direct research impact | £35m | 7% |
| Net QALY impact | £273m | 54% |
| Crowding-in impact | £99m | 20% |
| Impact of teaching and learning | £19m | 4% |
| Students | £9m | 2% |
| Exchequer | £10m | 2% |
| Total economic impact | £503m | 100% |
Note: All estimates are presented in 2021-22 prices and rounded to the nearest £1m. Totals may not add up precisely due to rounding.
Source: London Economics’ analysis
Compared to the CRUK Scotland Institute’s and School of Cancer Sciences’ total operational costs of approximately £51 million in 2021-2226, the total impact of the institutions’ activities on the UK economy was estimated at £503 million, which corresponds to a benefit to cost ratio of 9.8:1.
References
- Compared to the £50 million of direct impact of the CRUK Scotland Institute’s and School of Cancer Sciences’ expenditures included in Section 3, the £51 million of operating expenditure here excludes capital expenditure (£0.5 million) but includes depreciation costs (£0.4 million) and movements in pension provisions (£1.6 million).
case study 5: The CRUK Beatson Institute’s world-leading in vivo models
Rapid diagnosis of cancer at an early stage is vital for improving response and survival rates. To date, this has been limited both by our collective understanding of how the disease develops in its earliest stages and a lack of reliable and non-invasive techniques for diagnosis. Closing this knowledge gap has been a key focus of the work of the Institute since 2017 (Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, n.d.), which has developed a suite of in vivo cancer models to better understand the development of cancer in its early stages. In the process, the CRUK Scotland Institute has established a reputation as the pre-eminent institute for in vivo cancer modelling in the UK.
The Institute’s in vivo models focus primarily on key tumour types that relate to cancers of unmet need (such as liver, pancreas, and lung cancer); that are significant contributors to cancer-related deaths (such as colorectal cancer); or that have a particularly high incidence in the West of Scotland (such as malignant mesothelioma). The models accurately recapitulate critical events in the progression of cancer, such as tumour initiation, growth, and metastasis (when cancer cells spread from one part of the body to another). Understanding these processes is key to preventing cancer initiation, detecting cancers early, assessing their potential lethality, and developing treatments for metastatic disease.
To ensure that the models are as accurate as possible, the Institute undertakes extensive and rigorous benchmarking against the appropriate human cancers, their pathology, and co-morbidities – a discipline that is termed ‘disease positioning’. Aligning the models to patient populations enables researchers in SCS and the CRUK Scotland Institute to translate their discoveries from the lab into a clinical setting, ultimately delivering improved outcomes for patients.
The CRUK Scotland Institute’s integration within the West of Scotland’s cancer sciences landscape has played an important role in the development of its world-leading in vivo models. The region has an excellent pathology infrastructure, much of which is centred around the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. Additionally, the University of Glasgow’s School of Cancer Sciences’ clinical research strengths and close relationships with NHS clinicians have helped improve access to clinical expertise, critical clinical cohorts, and patient samples. These developments, facilitated by the increasingly strong and integrated relationship between the CRUK Scotland Institute and the University, have played a significant role in improving the accuracy of these unique models of cancers of unmet need.