A former chief executive and chairman of Google is part of a consortium investing £16m, which will be matched by the UK Government, at Stockport-based UK Biobank.
Eric Schmidt has been named alongside Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst, as members of the new consortium which is funding Biobank, a database of in-depth genetic, health and lifestyle information from half a million UK volunteers, giving approved researchers worldwide access to data that is enabling medical breakthroughs. Biobank’s data is used for efforts from treating cardiac disease to Alzheimer’s. During the pandemic, UK Biobank data helped researchers deepen their understanding of how lifestyle and inherited factors impacted how patients were affected by Covid-19.
Beyond the £16m being donated by Schmidt and Griffin, the UK Government has committed to providing up to £25m in funding in total for Biobank, provided that an equal amount of private and philanthropic donations are secured. The ultimate goal is to achieve at least £50m in contributions for UK Biobank.
Schmidt, who was Google’s CEO from 2001 to 2011 and its executive chairman until 2015, said: “Scientific advancements have the potential to bring profound transformations to humanity for generations to come. It is vital that we cultivate an environment that fosters and supports revolutionary applications of science and technology, such as UK Biobank, while creating opportunities for further innovation for public benefit.”
The consortium will deliver “a transformative investment into UK Biobank’s future research capacity.” This builds on the £154 million investment in UK Biobank’s physical infrastructure, announced as part of the Chancellor’s £650 million ‘Life Sci for Growth’ warchest, which is supporting their move to a purpose-built new home at Manchester Science park.
Secretary of state for science, innovation and technology Michelle Donelan said: “UK Biobank is one of the jewels in the crown of UK science, making an unparalleled contribution to improving everyone’s health through the sheer scale of information it puts at researchers’ fingertips. We are determined to ensure that it can continue to support life-changing breakthroughs, combining with new technologies like AI to help those suffering from arthritis, dementia and more.
“But this is about more than just putting up public funding: I want to unlock a new wave of private and philanthropic donations, right across our science and tech sectors. To have two titans of business such as Eric Schmidt and Ken Griffin join us at the start of this exciting journey is testament to our scientific capabilities.”
