Our research infrastructure
Our long-term investment in state-of-the-art facilities has helped to create a thriving network of research across the UK.
At Cancer Research UK we recognise the crucial role that infrastructure plays in creating a dynamic and responsive research environment. Our infrastructure provides capabilities across the full breadth of cancer research and the translational pipeline, from basic biology research through to the delivery of late-phase clinical trials, and supports close partnerships with universities and the NHS.
Explore our capabilities below, or view our facilities by geographical location
Our Institutes
Our four core-funded research institutes provide an exceptional environment for discovery science, and have an outstanding track record including four Nobel Prize winners. More than a third of our research spend goes to our institutes, funding over 120 research groups across the breadth of cancer science, supported by state-of-the-art facilities.
Alongside our Scotland Institute (formerly the Beatson Institute) in Glasgow, Cambridge Institute and Manchester Institute, we're partners in the multidisciplinary Francis Crick Institute in London – Europe’s largest single-location biomedical research institute.
Our Centres
Our network of 7 translational research centres drives local collaborations between universities, NHS hospitals, and other research organisations. Together, they operate as a network which plays a key role in delivering our strategic objectives in translational research, with different centres contributing their expertise in different tumour sites and research themes.
We award centre status to locations performing the highest quality cancer research, and we provide over £100million of infrastructure investment funding across the network for technical staff, equipment, training and running costs, developing the breadth and depth of research at each of these centres.
Cancer Research Horizons
Our new innovation engine, Cancer Research Horizons, comprises over 200 scientists across 6 innovation hotspots, including our close academic partner, Newcastle University. We're united under a single leadership team with a singular focus: to fast-track scientific breakthroughs into patient benefit. The drug discovery sites brought together within Cancer Research Horizons offer researchers and partners access to the full spectrum of drug discovery, including state-of-the-art capabilities underpinned by deep biology, pharmacology and medicinal chemistry knowledge and expertise.
Our Centre for Drug Development
Our Centre for Drug Development (CDD) translates today's science into tomorrow's medicine. The CDD is unique as a charity-funded drug development group, with over 100 scientists and operational staff providing full capabilities across pre-clinical and early-phase development.
The CDD is a centre of excellence providing expertise and facilities to the academic research community and also partnering with industry to accelerate early phase drug development.
Our Open Lab Initiative
Our Open Lab Initiative encourages Cancer Research UK Centre Network research groups, Cancer Research UK-funded laboratories, and other groups undertaking cancer-related research, to hold joint group meetings online. Our aim is to connect research groups with similar interests and expertise from across the UK.
- The first step in meeting your future new collaborators is to simply express your interest in the Initiative by completing our Expression of Interest form.
- You will then receive a link giving you full access to the Initiative's SharePoint site.
- Once you have access to the site, you will be asked to provide details of your research group's interests and expertise, and some information on what you're looking for from a match. We will then use this information to match you with another research group to hold a joint, virtual group meeting. Alternatively, you can add your research group to our Open Register to allow others to match with you directly.
If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please email the Open Lab Initiative Team at openlab@cancer.org.uk
Our network around the UK
We support a thriving UK-wide ecosystem with capabilities across the research and translational pipelines, from basic biological research to the delivery of late-phase clinical trials:
Institutes
Cambridge, Glasgow, Manchester, London: Francis Crick Institute
Centres
Cambridge, City of London (Kings College London, University College London, Barts Cancer Institute, Francis Crick Institute), Convergence Science Centre (Institute of Cancer Research-Imperial College London), Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Scotland (Edinburgh-Glasgow)
Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence
University College London, Edinburgh University
Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence
Institute of Cancer Research (London), University of Cambridge
Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence
University of Cambridge, London (University College London)
Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs)
Adult and paediatric:
Birmingham, Cambridge, Glasgow, Liverpool, Cardiff, London: Institute of Cancer Research, University College London, Manchester, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Southampton
Adult:
Belfast, Edinburgh, Leicester, London: Barts, London: Imperial, London: King’s College, Oxford
Paediatric:
Bristol, Leeds
Clinical Trials Units
Birmingham, Leeds, London: Institute of Cancer Research, London: King’s College, London: University College London, Oxford, Southampton
Cancer Research Horizons Drug Discovery Facilities
Cambridge (three sites), Glasgow, London, Newcastle
RadNet
Cambridge, Glasgow, Leeds, City of London Centre (King's College London, University College London, Barts, the Francis Crick Institute), The Institute of Cancer Research, Manchester and Birmingham
National Biomarker Centre
Manchester
International Alliance for Cancer Early Detection
Cambridge, University College London, Manchester
Formulation unit
Glasgow
