The Rosalind Franklin Institute is a new national institute, announced in 2017 by the UK government, dedicated to bringing about transformative changes in life science through interdisciplinary research and technology development.

The namesake of the institute, the pioneering X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin, was one of the key figures in the discovery of the structure of DNA, and used a technique with roots in physics and technology to transform life science. The Institute will follow in this spirit, developing unique new techniques and tools and applying them for the first time to biological problems. It will operate on a ‘hub and spoke’ basis: the central hub, at Harwell, will house a unique portfolio of scientific tools and researchers from both industry and academia. Equipment and researchers will also be located in spokes distributed across the partner network of HEIs (which includes Oxford).

This event offers the chance to hear about this new national research institute, directly from the Interim Academic Lead and scientific theme leads, to discuss how Oxford can best engage with the opportunities the RFI offers, and to network with colleagues working in relevant areas.