MRC unveils changes at the top

The Medical Research Council has announced major structural changes as it tries to adapt to Britain's decision to create a new umbrella structure to oversee both basic and clinical research, among other transformations to the UK research environment.Key changes include reducing the number of council members from 17 to 12 in a bid to make the organization more streamlined, and delegating more power to a new strategy team, dubbed the Interim Strategy and Planning Group. Its job will be to advise the new council on long-term planning. Details on who will be in the group have not been released but it will be set up in time for its first meeting in July this year.The MRC also plans to divert staff resources towards translational research.The changes, announced Thursday (May 10) at a press conference in London by chief executive Colin Blakemore and MRC chairman Sir John Chisholm, represent an attempt...