UK nonprofit National Cancer Research Institute to close
James Spargo | June 27, 2023 | News story | Medical Communications | Cancer, NCRI, National Cancer Research Institute, Oncology, oncology
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) has announced that it is closing after 22 years of advancing cancer research.
Established in 2001, the NCRI was created following the publication of the first NHS cancer plan, which wanted to formalise connections between government health departments, research councils, industry and charities, all of which fund cancer research. To begin with, the NCRI’s purpose was to “identify where cancer research was most needed and where it would be most likely to contribute to progress; this included the establishment of the cancer research database”, according to the NCRI’s site.
Since, the institute has modified its role to include “addressing some of the challenges identified in cancer research and delivering activities to advance the progress of cancer research.”
However, the NCRI’s chair Fiona Driscoll released a letter detailing the institute’s plans for closure, citing “risk of operational failure”. She says “uncertainty in the wider economic and research environment has had an impact” on the institute’s ability to continue, but that the institute is “proud that many of the original purposes of the NCRI have been achieved or taken over as business as usual by partners.”
As part of the wind-down, Fiona states that, “The Board is now working on the required steps to wind down the charity, identifying and securing our assets; financial, data and IP. The Trustees have an obligation to apply these assets in a manner which is consistent with NCRI’s research charitable purposes…”
Looking to the future, Fiona also comments that the institute “will be consulting with Partners and other stakeholders, who might take forward some of NCRI’s activities.”
James Spargo
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