The Rosalind Franklin Institute building has now reached its highest point and celebrated the 'topping out' of the 5500m2 building.
The building is set to open in early 2021 on the Harwell Campus and it will be a national centre for life science technology development.
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A group of young scientists from the Downs School in Compton and members of the Rosalind Franklin's family marked the occasion of reaching the building's highest point by laying the final piece at the top of the four story construction.
Vivienne Cox, the chair of The Franklin Institute, said: "We marked ground-breaking in May 2019, so to see the structure coming up in just six months is really remarkable. The teams here are building something very special, which will be a real beacon for life sciences in the UK."
Once the building is complete researchers will be able to continue their studies in the Rosalind Franklin Institute.
The research in the new building will centre around the ability to see cells in greater detail than before and to understand their molecular composition, detailed chemistry and study the way changes occur in their structure and behaviour over time.
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Director, Jim Naismith explained further and said: "The Franklin is there to develop tools which can’t be found anywhere else, and which make a significant difference to the work of researchers. We talk about the factor of ten – every technology we develop should make a factor of ten difference to the speed, resolution, or productivity of a technique.
"This is important as developing new drugs has never been slower or more expensive than it is now. To make an impact on human health, we need new ways to see and understand disease."
The new £40m hub building will house 200 scientists from across the UK to develop new tools and technology.
Young scientists from the Downs School will visit for workshops with the Franklin team over the coming months on a project designed for the students to learn about collaboration and creativity as scientists.
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Michelle Smith, CEO of education and business partnership, said: "Careers in science and technology offer so many opportunities, but it’s often hard for students to imagine themselves in these roles without seeing them up close."
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