Pirbright Research Campus

The Pirbright Campus in Surrey is home to The Pirbright Institute and provides a unique centre of national strategic importance with highly specialised facilities and capabilities that contribute to ensuring the preparedness of the UK in relation to viral animal disease. Research at the campus also contributes to human health and wellbeing by understanding certain zoonotic viruses in their farm animal hosts.

Research carried out at the campus provides the capability to control, contain and eliminate viral diseases of livestock, which contributes to safeguarding UK national security.

The campus is the hub of many international research networks and partnerships. It provides diagnostic services, expert analysis and advice nationally and internationally.

Innovation and training

The campus brings together innovative researchers, together with companies working on the same challenges, to enable commercial partnerships that contribute to the development of new vaccines and diagnostics.

It also provides essential training programmes in a unique training environment that contribute to providing highly skilled people for UK bioscience businesses and overseas trainees who then work more effectively to combat viral diseases in their native countries.

Investments

Major developments are underway at the Pirbright Campus. Development phase 1 will deliver new cutting-edge containment facilities that are due to open in 2014 following a £100M+ investment.

In 2011, the Government awarded BBSRC £80M to invest in Pirbright for development phase 2. With an additional £20M from BBSRC's own budget this will allow a £100M+ second phase of development to further enhance this national capability.

With one phase of development underway and another being planned, BBSRC and The Pirbright Institute can take forward an ambitious plan to develop this unique research and innovation campus.

The campus will be an unrivalled and strategically important national and international capability for research and partnerships on major viral diseases of livestock.