The Science and Technology Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Government Office for Science and associated public bodies.
Exerts from the report:
10 Conclusions
164. We consider that the UK requires a Centre for Medical Research and Innovation. We agree with and commend the scientific vision for the UKCMRI.
165. Our predecessor Committee's estimation of the UKCMRI was correct: it is an exciting project which could bring significant benefits to life sciences in the UK and, indeed, to the world but it does carry a number of risks.
We have examined two areas which our predecessors considered needed careful monitoring: the management structure and the funding of UKCMRI.
166. However, we remain unconvinced that the location at Brill Place is the only suitable location and that the physical links described, i.e. face to face collaboration are as important or as likely as they have been described to us.
167. While we accept that the plans are now highly unlikely to change, we consider it is fair to say that the cost of construction is higher at St Pancras than any viable alternative site.
The combination of high land value and the construction challenges means that the cost of building the centre, before equipping and staffing it, will be the best part of £650 million. This high cost is being justified on the basis that by placing the Centre in central London it will create better physical links with other London based institutions. Whilst we see some logic in this, we remain unconvinced that, in these financially stringent times, the high cost of building the UKCMRI in central London outweighs the benefits of these links.
