Francis Crick Institute

The Francis Crick Institute is a big place for studying health and diseases in London. It started in 2010 and opened its doors in 2016. Many important groups work together there, like Cancer Research UK, Imperial College London, King's College London, the Medical Research Council, University College London, and the Wellcome Trust.

The institute has 1,500 people working there, and more than half of them are scientists. They have a budget of over £100 million each year, making it the largest lab of its kind in Europe.

It is named after Francis Crick, a scientist who helped discover the shape of DNA. He won a big award called the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for this work. Some people call the Crick "Sir Paul's Cathedral" after another scientist, Sir Paul Nurse, and the famous building St Paul's Cathedral in London.

History

In 2003, the Medical Research Council decided that its National Institute for Medical Research would need to move from its location at Mill Hill. A group was formed to look at possible new sites, but some options were not chosen.

In December 2006, a review looked at the priorities for health research in the UK. Then, in 2007, the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI) was announced. Over the next few years, more details were worked out, and the site for the new centre was chosen.

In May 2011, the UKCMRI was renamed the Francis Crick Institute to honour the famous scientist Francis Crick. Construction began that year, and the building was finished in August 2016. The institute was officially opened in November 2016 by the Queen, who also started the sequencing of the genome of the institute's director, Sir Paul Nurse.

Governance and organisation

The Francis Crick Institute is guided by several important groups, including a board of trustees, an executive committee, a scientific management committee, and a scientific advisory board. As of 2024, the board is chaired by John Browne and has many experienced leaders on it.

In July 2024, it was shared that Edith Heard will become the new director and chief executive in summer 2025, taking over from Paul Nurse. The executive committee includes key people like Heard and Richard Treisman, who leads the research team.

The institute’s building and setup were supported by several important partners, though the full list of these partners is shown in a table.

Research

The Francis Crick Institute is a place where scientists study how to understand and fight diseases like cancer, heart problems, strokes, infections, and diseases that affect the brain. They work to find new ways to treat, find early signs of, and stop these illnesses.

The institute focuses on big questions about life and health, such as how living things grow and stay healthy, how to use science to understand and treat diseases, how cancer starts and spreads, how the body’s defense system works, and how tiny germs act and affect their hosts. In 2015, a scientist from the institute won a big science prize called the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and in 2016, another scientist from the institute won The Brain Prize for their work.

Building and facilities

The Francis Crick Institute is in a modern building that opened in 2016. It is located next to St Pancras railway station in the Camden area of Central London. The building has four main sections that are up to eight storeys high, with four levels below ground. Inside, there is a lot of space for scientists to work—about 29,000 square metres for laboratories and even more space for writing and studying.

The building includes special areas for showing science to the public, learning, and meetings. It also has a large space for community activities. Outside the entrance stands a tall sculpture called "Paradigm," made by artist Conrad Shawcross.

Construction timeline

Planning for the institute began in 2008, and construction started in 2011. The building was finished in 2016, right on time and within the planned budget. It cost about £465 million to build, and with everything included, the total cost was around £700 million.