Roslin Institute granted £10m for animal research
Scientists at the animal health centre that created Dolly the sheep are to benefit from £10m in funding to develop animal health.
The Roslin Institute in Easter Bush, Midlothian, has been handed the government aid from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to support the development of an international livestock improvement centre.
The institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, will use the money to help improve animal health and welfare and boost productivity in livestock.
The centre hit the headlines in 1996 after it developed Dolly the sheep – the first animal to be cloned from an adult cell.
David Hume, director of the Roslin Institute, said: “This investment complements the current development of the National Avian Research Facility at Easter Bush and will help to keep Scotland at the forefront of livestock research internationally.”
Scottish rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said the Roslin Institute was one of the leading animal science research centres in the world that benefited farmers both in the UK and abroad.
“Attracting capital funding for new infrastructure and creating employment opportunities in Midlothian is a key objective of the Easter Bush Research Consortium, of which the Roslin Institute is a part,” he added.
“This investment should benefit all members of the consortium and will help to create a fantastic resource for Scotland and the world.”
In May, the Roslin Institute was awarded £23m after the BBSRC announced plans to invest £250m into research programmes into bioscience.