MRC confirms new chief

Leszek Borysiewicz, deputy rector of Imperial College London, was officially named today (September 28) as the next chief executive of Britain's troubled Medical Research Council, replacing Colin Blakemore who steps down this month.Borysiewicz is best known for his work on oncogenic viruses, including human papillomavirus. He was knighted in 2001 for his research into vaccine development, and has been deputy rector of Imperial College since 2004."There's no doubt he's an absolutely outstanding appointment and someone with an impeccable academic record," said Phil Willis, the chair of the all-party House of Commons Science and Technology Committee. But his appointment comes at a difficult juncture in the history of the MRC, the UK's main government funding agency for biomedical research. "The challenges that face him are really quite enormous," Willis told The Scientist.Perhaps the biggest challenge will be to "restore a level of confidence and cohesion to the MRC itself," Willis said. The MRC's internal confidence has been badly bruised by a bitter internal dispute over the relocation of the National Institute for Medical Research.In July, Willis and his colleagues at the science and technology committee also raised concerns about the suitability of the MRC's recently appointed director, John Chisholm, to guide the council through these difficult times, describing him as "vague" and "evasive." More broadly, the MRC is under increasing pressure to focus more on translational research. In March last year, the government asked venture capital fund manager David Cooksey to suggest ways to combine the country's medical research funding under a single organization, incorporating research done through the National Health Service and the MRC. His report in December suggested, among other things, that while funding for basic research should be maintained, "future increases in funding should be weighted towards translational and applied research." Critics of this agenda fear this means funding will be stripped from basic research in order to pursue economic gain. "It's what I call the hidden agenda," Willis said. "The new chief executive will really have to fight hard...and not get distracted by the politics. You need to be a mixture of Einstein and Solomon to do the job."Robin Lovell-Badge, head of the division of stem cell biology and developmental genetics at the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research, said the institute's scientists were looking forward to working with Borysiewicz. "He's been saying the right things so I hope he means them," he said. "He's a clinical scientist, but I hope he has a good appreciation for basic science."Hilary Leevers, acting director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, a pressure group aiming to improve the scientific health of the UK, agreed with Willis' analysis of the challenges Borysiewicz will face."It seems to be an excellent appointment," she told The Scientist. "We just hope that he is able to bring the MRC back on course to being the excellent research council it should be. We're all very aware that there is more pressure on research to justify itself economically."Unconfirmed reports of Borysiewicz's appointment emerged earlier this month, although the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills has stayed tight-lipped throughout the appointment process. As Deputy Rector of Imperial College London, Borysiewicz has been responsible for the overall academic and scientific direction of the College. He is also a Governor of the Wellcome Trust, and Joint Chairman of the MRC/UK Stem Cell Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. He was unavailable for comment by deadline.Stephen Pincock mail@the-scientist.comLinks within this article:Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/S. Pincock, "MRC head to step down," The Scientist, March 8, 2006. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/52932/P. Hagan, "NIMR to move to UCL," The Scientist, February 14, 2005. http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/22600/S. Pincock, "Doubts over UK research head," The Scientist, July 31, 2007. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/53454/"Chancellor appoints Sir David Cooksey to lead health research review," HM Treasury, March 31, 2006. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ S. Pincock, "Sparring over UK funding plan," The Scientist, August 2, 2006. http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/24225/ "Cooksey proposes reform of medical research," HM Treasury, December 6, 2006. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/Robin Lovell-Badge http://www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/devgen/A. Katsnelson, "New chief for UK medical research?" The Scientist, September 13, 2007. http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53587/

MRC confirms new chief

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