Multi-million pound BioCentre research facility opens – University of Reading
13 September 2005
The BioCentre, an £8 million state-of-the-art biotechnology research facility at the University of Reading, is to be opened by Professor Dame Louise Johnson on Tuesday 20 September. With more than £2.5 million spent on new equipment, the BioCentre is one of the best equipped research laboratories of its type in Europe, and will confirm Reading's reputation as a centre of excellence at the forefront of life sciences research. Professor Rainer Cramer, Director of the BioCentre, said: "This is an extremely exciting development for life sciences at Reading. The BioCentre will provide a platform comprising facilities and expertise in genomics, post-genomics, and structural and computational biology. "It will be a scientific hub encouraging and supporting integrated approaches to the challenging scientific questions addressed by biologists, computer scientists, chemists, physicists, biotechnologists and health-related researchers. "The BioCentre aims to encourage access to its facilities and expertise across the University – and foster links and collaborations with external enterprises and institutes." The BioCentre, which has been funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF), has facilities which include modern laboratories for large scale fermentation, molecular biology, cell culture, biochemistry, X-ray structural biology, bioinformatics, discovery proteomics, transcriptomics and modern mass spectroscopy. Professor Dame Louise Johnson, who will give the keynote speech at the gala launch of the BioCentre, is Professor in Molecular Biophysics within Oxford University's Biochemistry Department. She is also Life Science Director of the new Oxfordshire-based synchrotron facility, Diamond Light Source. End Notes for editors 1. The schedule for the gala launch on Tuesday 20 September is as follows: 3:00 Drinks reception in marquee, Harris Garden 3:30 Professor Gordon Marshall, University Vice Chancellor 3:40 Professor Rainer Cramer, BioCentre Director 3:45 Professor Dame Louise Johnson, Professor in Molecular Biophysics, Oxford University and Life Science Director of Diamond Light Source 4:15 Tours of the BioCentre (staggered) 5:30 Buffet reception 7:00 End Members of the media are welcome to attend the gala launch, but must confirm with Kellie Nicholson, the BioCentre's administrator. T: 0118 378 4552 E: k.nicholson@rdg.ac.uk 2. For more information about the BioCentre, see http://www.biocentre.rdg.ac.uk 3. For a map of Whiteknights campus, see: http://www.info.rdg.ac.uk/maps/maps-display.asp The BioCentre is housed in the School of Plant Sciences (building 31); the Harris Garden is nearby. 4. For media enquiries other than confirming attendance, please contact Craig Hillsley on (tel) 0118 378 7388 or (email) c.hillsley@rdg.ac.uk or Sue Rayner on (tel) 0118 378 8005, (email) s.j.rayner@rdg.ac.uk