Crick model could attract researchers to regions, MPs told

Creating research facilities outside London modelled on the Francis Crick Institute could help many parts of the UK attract and retain talent, the biomedical laboratory’s director Paul Nurse has said.

The Crick has been one of the largest developments in UK research in recent years. It combines government, university and charity support to attract an international team to a huge biomedical research facility in central London and has been dubbed Sir Paul’s Cathedral by some, after its leader.

Recruiting talent from overseas will be crucial for the UK government to meet its target of increasing R&D spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, and such institutes could play a role in attracting promising researchers, Nurse told a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee hearing on 20 November.