APPENDIX 84
Memorandum from the National Institute
of Health
Last July, the Medical Research Council asked
my agency to comment on the future scientific program of the National
Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and its optimal location
and organizational structure. I attach our response in hopes that
it may assist your enquiry.
In sum, we concur with the central recommendation
of the NIMR Task Force: that the preferred organizational model
for NIMR is a single site in partnership with a university and
affiliated hospital. We base our concurrence on criteria that
MRC established to guide strategic decisions on institutional
priorities. These include:
— capacity to conduct transnational
and clinical research;
— expanded contacts with industry;
— linkages to complementary areas of
science and other disciplines;
— an environmental culture that enables
the recruitment and retention of highly talented researchers;
— capacity to translate research into
the health services sector and broader clinical development; and
November 2004
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