Ludzie pragną czasami się rozstawać, żeby móc tęsknić, czekać i cieszyć się z powrotem.
The Council has three major
and the effects of natural hazards.
institutes: the National Institute for Medical
Research, the Laboratory of Molecular Biology
and the Clinical Sciences Centre. It has 29 smaller
Robot under ice
MRC Units, an MRC Health Services Research
Autosub, a revolutionary £5 million submarine
Collaboration (a collaborative arrangement based
robot, was designed and built at Southampton
in the Department of Social Medicine in Bristol
Oceanography Centre (a NERC partnership with the
University and involving groups in seven other
University of Southampton). Results of Autosub’s
universities) and five grant-funded Centres. Most
first mission under the Antarctic sea ice were
of these are attached to higher education
published in March 2002. Before its advent, it was
institutions or hospitals throughout the UK. The
impossible to investigate under sea ice for more
MRC also has laboratories overseas, in The
than a few metres. The 7 m long, torpedo-shaped
Gambia and Uganda.
Autosub travelled 27 km inside the edge of the ice
and made the first ever continuous measurement of
About half the MRC’s research expenditure is
ice thickness.
allocated to its own institutes and units, with the
380
Economic affairs
25 Science, engineering and technology
NERC trains the next generation of environmental
research to take place. Facilities are provided
scientists. It also provides a range of facilities for
on a national and international basis, the latter
use by the wider environmental science
including bodies such as the European
community, including a marine research fleet.
Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and
NERC’s wholly owned research centres are the
the European Space Agency.
British Geological Survey, the British Antarctic
Survey, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology,
and the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.
European Southern Observatory
NERC also supports 13 collaborative centres in
In July 2002 the UK formally joined the European
UK universities.
Southern Observatory (ESO) project, which has nine
other member states. UK astronomers now have
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
access to some of the world’s most advanced
Research Council (BBSRC)
telescopes and a major stake in future
The BBSRC ( www.bbsrc.ac.uk) supports basic and developments, including the Atacama Large
strategic research and research training in the
Millimetre Array (ALMA) and the vast 100 m
non-medical life sciences. The scientific themes of
Overwhelmingly Large Telescope project. UK
its research committees are biomolecular sciences;
astronomers will be able to use the four 8.2 m and
genes and developmental biology; biochemistry
several 1.8 m telescopes that comprise the Very
and cell biology; plant and microbial sciences;
Large Telescope (VLT) facility, which is the world’s
animal sciences; agri-food; and engineering and
largest and most advanced optical telescope,
biological systems. As well as funding research in
located at the Paranal Observatory in the Atacama
universities and other research centres, the BBSRC
desert in Chile. The PPARC negotiated the terms of
sponsors eight research institutes.
the agreement under which the UK joined ESO and
is also making an additional contribution, including
support for a new 4 m Visible and Infrared Survey
Centre for Novel Agricultural Products
Telescope (VISTA). VISTA, which will be installed at
The Centre for Novel Agricultural Products was
the Paranal Observatory, is being financed using a
opened in summer 2002 at the University of York,
grant awarded to 18 UK universities and is
where it is an integral part of work on bioscience
designed to be capable of rapidly mapping large
development. The Centre seeks to identify valuable
areas of the sky to a great depth.
genes, determine their function and define realistic
commercial opportunities for their use – taking
basic research through to application. Research
Economic and Social Research Council
projects already in progress include:
(ESRC)
The ESRC ( www.esrc.ac.uk) supports research and
■
new methods of oil production from plants;
training in the social sciences. Research funded by
the ESRC is conducted in higher education
■
molecular understanding of spider silk
institutions or independent research
production; and
establishments. The Council has seven priority
themes: economic performance and development;
■
biodegradation of explosives.
environment and human behaviour; governance
and citizenship; knowledge, communication and
learning; lifecourse, lifestyles and health; social
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research
stability and exclusion; and work and
Council (PPARC)
organisations.
The main task of the PPARC ( www.pparc.ac.uk) is
to encourage and support a balanced and cost-
Council for the Central Laboratory of