§ Sir Trevor SkeetTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps the Government are taking to secure the establishment of the European Bioinformatics Institute in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. WaldegraveI am delighted to announce that the United Kingdom has today submitted a bid to host the European Bioinformatics Institute at Cambridge. This presents an exciting and important opportunity for the United Kingdom to secure an international research facility at the forefront of modern science and in an area of great and increasing importance for health care and for industry.
The EBI will be an out-station of the European molecular biology laboratory in Heidelberg. Its task will be to provide a database of biological information to researchers throughout Europe. The bid is being underwritten by the Medical Research Council, with support from the Wellcome Trust. Copies of the full text have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.