Pump prime funding strengthens collaboration across Harwell

This scheme was designed to support early-stage research that would make use of facilities and expertise in all three organisations simultaneously. The goal of the scheme is to foster stronger interdisciplinary science on the Harwell campus. The collaborative projects will demonstrate how easy it is to make transformative advances for complex biological questions by integrating cutting edge capabilities available across the Harwell facilities.

The pump prime funding will provide researchers with the support needed to generate proofs of principle. These will generate the preliminary data and establish the partnerships needed to build towards larger, longer-term programmes of research. All the recipients have expressed their intention to sustain their projects successfully in the longer term.

Professor Paul Matthews, Director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, said, “We have many interactions with our Harwell science facility neighbours, but this funding initiative has identified some exciting new ways to extend these to better integrate expertise across more one partner at a time. Collaborative projects like these are central to how we approach difficult scientific challenges at the Franklin. We believe that we must bring together capabilities across organisations to address the complex problems needed to be solved to advance our understanding of health and disease.”

The newly funded projects reflect the breadth of research across the organisations. They include:

• mapping the chemical environment around protein aggregation in a mouse model of Multiple System Atrophy
• expanding genome editing processes available for mouse models
• investigating the role of the maternal microbiome in embryonic development
• cross-institutional mapping of data environments to identify shared challenges and opportunities for collaboration

Together, these projects address key questions in biology, from understanding how diseases develop to improving the tools used to study them. They also highlight the importance of combining experimental research with data-driven approaches to enable new insights.

Professor Gianluigi Botton, Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Light Source, said: “These projects highlight the value of bringing together expertise and capabilities from across the Harwell campus to address important scientific questions. The pump prime scheme provides an opportunity for researchers to explore new collaborations and generate the evidence needed to develop larger programmes of work. We are pleased to be part of this initiative and look forward to seeing how these projects strengthen connections between our organisations and contribute to future research.”

Harwell Campus provides a unique environment for this type of work. With major national facilities, research institutes and industry partners located in close proximity. Through this pump prime initiative, the partner organisations aim to make it easier for researchers to work across institutional boundaries. By supporting smaller, focused projects, the scheme creates opportunities to build relationships, share expertise and test new ideas that might not yet be ready for larger funding calls.

Dr Sara Wells, Director of the Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell said: “This initiative allows scientists with different expertise to collaborate and learn about each other’s fields whilst using novel combinations of technologies to solve some difficult biological problems.”

A key goal of the pump prime scheme is to act as a springboard for future research. By supporting early-stage projects, it allows teams to generate evidence, refine their ideas and develop the partnerships needed to apply for larger collaborative funding.

These early investments as essential to driving innovation. By supporting researchers at the point where ideas are just beginning to take shape, we help create the conditions for transformative discoveries.

As these projects progress, they will contribute to a growing network of collaboration across Harwell. In doing so, they reinforce a shared commitment to advancing science and improving human health through partnership, innovation and technology.