CABI receives £1.25m capital grant from the Wolfson Foundation for the relocation of its UK research facilities

July 24, 2024, United Kingdom: CABI has received a £1.25 million capital grant from the Wolfson Foundation to relocate and modernise its UK science centre to Silwood Park, the country campus of Imperial College London.

The Wolfson Foundation today (24 July 2024) announced its latest round of grants, with around 80 organisations across the UK, including CABI, receiving a share of over £14 million for capital projects, primarily for research and education institutions.

This is the first award CABI has received from the Wolfson Foundation, which is supporting its move to new premises with improved laboratory facilities at Silwood Park, near the village of Sunninghill in Ascot, UK.

The award follows the announcement in October 2023 that CABI and Imperial College London agreed to further collaborate on teaching and research into fragile ecosystems, sustainable agriculture and the environment, including how we can manage the world’s biodiversity wisely, which is under threat from climate change.

The agreement marks a pivotal moment for both institutions. CABI, with its extensive network of member states worldwide and its unwavering commitment to bridging the gap between science and practical application, particularly in the Global South, strengthens Imperial’s world-class research capacity.

The Wolfson Foundation award means that the collaboration between CABI and Imperial College London will be strengthened with the proposed relocation of CABI’s UK research facilities and staff from Egham to Silwood Park, where they will also share many other spaces.

CABI scientists will contribute by delivering lectures to postgraduate students, as well as seminars and practical classes in subjects in which they have relevant expertise.

Both parties will identify joint research projects and promote published science in journals and books. For example, CABI is an academic publisher in the life sciences with journals such as CABI Agriculture and Bioscience.

CABI is responsible for leading applied research on topics including invasive species, pests and diseases and cash crops. It houses the UK National Fungus Collection and the UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank.

The Wolfson Foundation’s latest round of capital grants will benefit projects – ranging from new research facilities and science laboratories in schools, to performing arts equipment, archives and history centres and hospices – across the UK, from St Austell to the Outer Hebrides, and from Gwynedd to Antrim.