King’s is delighted to be a founding academic partner alongside UCL and Imperial College in the Francis Crick Institute, joining the multidisciplinary research expertise from all the Partners together to deliver world-leading biomedical research.
To achieve this objective, we must develop strong collaborations between the two institutions, through both the PhD Programme and the Attachment Programme, as well as ensuring that we facilitate broader opportunities as they arise. We must take our science to the Crick and support those Crick researchers that choose to come to King’s, in order to gain maximum benefit from this partnership.
With the official opening of the Crick by Queen Elizabeth II on the 9th November 2016, we now have a chance to make this a reality, bringing basic and applied science together with clinical knowledge to benefit patients not only nationally, but globally.
Professor Edward Byrne ACPast President and Principal of King’s College London
The Francis Crick Institute
- The Crick is located in a purpose-built research centre adjacent to King’s Cross St Pancras station in London
- The institute has the capacity to accommodate up to 1500 staff. Of this1500, 1250 will be scientists, 240 of whom will transfer from the partner universities
- Its scientific vision is 'to discover the biology underlying human health, improving the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of human disease and generating economic opportunities for the UK'. The principles that will guide the development of the Crick are set out in the strategy - "Discovery without boundaries: Strategy 2013"
- This strategy aims to deliver new discoveries for many of the global medical challenges, including Infectious Diseases (e.g. HIV, Malaria, Influenza and Tuberculosis), Cancer, Heart Disease and Neurodegenerative Diseases
- The Crick also hosts world-class facilities such as various Science Technology Platforms and National Centres for Influenza and Biomedical NMR
- It is a facility that will strive to provide a National Benefit to the UK and produce future leaders in biomedical research supported by the founding partners
- Its multidisciplinary approach, emphasis on scienctific excellence with practical application of research, and links with academia, industry and the public sector will speed up the translation of discoveries made in the laboratory into treatments for disease.
King’s Crick Partnership
- As a Founding Partner, King’s Researchers have the opportunity to relocate their groups to the Crick through the Attachment programme
- The Attachment Programme also allows Crick Group Leaders to establish groups at King’s, creating robust pathways for translation of discoveries to treatments
- As of spring 2020, approximately 200 PhD students are following the four-year Crick PhD Programme
- The Crick PhD Programme recruits students once annually; an open call is launched every October
- As of spring 2020, King’s has over 50 PhD students based at the Crick, with each student benefitting from the support and courses offered by the university
- King’s expertise aligns well with the basic research undertaken at the Crick and will support the translation of research through collaborations with experts across the King’s College Network: Biomedical Research Centre’s, King’s Health Partners, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Natural & Mathematical Sciences and the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine
Our Partners
UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose
Medical Research Council
Imperial College London
Group lead
Contact us
For general enquiries please email:
For the PhD programme please contact: