College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine

Funding backs next stage of Roslin research

£29.3 million investment will support three key programmes.

Woman examining something through a microscope in a lab.

Research to improve the health, welfare and sustainability of livestock farming has received a multi-million funding award from the UK Government.

The investment in the University’s Roslin Institute was announced by Business Secretary Greg Clark during a visit to the Easter Bush campus this month.

 

Strategic research

Research at The Roslin Institute aims to enable data-driven innovations to improve the productivity of farmed animals without compromising their health and welfare.

An investment of £29.3m from the UK’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will support three key programmes of research over the next five years.

Scientists will examine how genes determine the healthy development and function of systems in the body – such as the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

Infectious diseases in farmed animals will also be a focus of research. Experts will aim to develop strategies to control outbreaks, in particular of diseases that can spread to people.

Funding will support research to understand the role of genetic, environmental and dietary factors that affect livestock growth.

 

World-leading

The funding is part of a £318 million UK-wide investment by the BBSRC to support strategic research programmes in the UK’s National Institutes of Biosciences, of which The Roslin Institute is one.

In addition to research, the investment will support core facilities at Roslin’s world-leading laboratories.

 

This investment will help to ensure Roslin’s continuing success over the next five years. The Institute plays a pivotal role in the University’s mission to tackle the many pressing issues in animal health and welfare, including those which have implications for human health and sustainability of animals in the food chain.

Professor Sir Timothy O’SheaPrincipal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Edinburgh

 

Related links

The Roslin Institute

Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies