The Medical Research Council (MRC), an organisation headed by former Deputy Rector Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, has had its funds plundered by the government, to balance the books of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills. This could place a proposed £500m medical centre - to which Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged support - under threat, also putting years of potential research at risk.
In the past, any profits made from patents developed by the MRC were kept by the organization, to be ploughed into future research. The government has now taken £92m of the £200m that the MRC has generated over the past ten years, and will take 30% of the profits it generates in future years. The MRC had set the money aside to put towards a new medical research centre, which could have provided the next wonder drug. The MRC is now bidding to receive more government funding to allow the construction of the research centre. However, this would threaten the financial independence of the research centre.
The raid was condemned by the Royal Society, stating that the fund was there to ?support future discoveries that would improve and save lives?.
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