Crick Partnership to Support Early Stage Health Projects

The Francis Crick Institute and AstraZeneca have signed a new five-year collaborative partnership aimed at stimulating and accelerating basic research into the understanding of human health across a range of cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Under the open science agreement, a research fund will be established to support Crick researchers in projects at an early, 'pre-competitive' stage of development - both those focused on core discoveries and those that are moving further towards development. The fund will include contributions from AstraZeneca, Cancer Research UK and money from an existing Medical Research Council translational research award to the Crick.

The new partnership will also offer Crick researchers access to AstraZeneca compounds and a range of technology platforms. Crick projects that receive funding through the partnership could see scientists from AstraZeneca join the team at the Crick and vice versa..

Accelerating translation for health and wealth is one of the Crick's strategic priorities and this new agreement with AstraZeneca reflects that goal.

Veronique Birault, Head of Translation at the Francis Crick Institute, said: "Our new collaboration with AstraZeneca will add to the emerging culture of innovation and knowledge exchange between academia and industry fostered in our labs. It is a significant step in the Crick's approach to close distance translation and another of the ways we can make the most of the research and ideas Crick scientists explore every day."

The partnership will be overseen by a joint steering committee and research results will be shared in joint publications.

Mike Snowden, Vice President Discovery Sciences, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit at AstraZeneca, said: "Open collaboration and scientific exchange are at the heart of AstraZeneca's innovation-led strategy. With the move to our new headquarters in Cambridge, our scientists are now just a short train ride away from the Francis Crick Institute at St Pancras in London. This close proximity provides an exciting opportunity for us to rapidly share knowledge and resources and for scientists from AstraZeneca and the Crick to easily exchange ideas and expertise for the benefit of patients."