Rosalind Franklin Institute hires Matter PR

16 May 2018
A new national institute dedicated to bringing about transformative changes in life science through interdisciplinary research and technology has hired Matter PR to help raise awareness and understanding about their work.

Backed by over £100 million of investment, the Rosalind Franklin Institute (RFI) will be a national centre of excellence in technology development and innovation. Physical scientists, engineers and life scientists will work together to develop new techniques and instrumentation and apply them to key challenges in the health and life sciences – leading to improved understanding of disease, faster discovery of new treatments for chronic conditions that affect millions of people worldwide, new jobs, and long-term economic growth.

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.

Matter PR will work with the RFI to deliver creative media and PR campaigns to support the RFI’s communications and stakeholder engagement activities. David Reid, Managing Director, Matter PR said:

“Good communications are vital during the first year of a new national organisation and we’re delighted that the RFI has chosen Matter PR to help support their campaigns and raise awareness of their work and vision for the future.”

The Institute is an independent organisation funded by the UK government through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and operated by ten UK universities.

They will operate on a ‘hub and spokes’ model, with  a central hub at the Harwell Campus, delivered by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The hub 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 throughout the partner network of universities.