Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 5 May (HL2987), whether the recent partnership with the Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine entails that collaboration with scientists based in California is favoured by the Medical Research Council over collaboration with those based in Massachusetts, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Answer
The MRC's partnership with the Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) currently constitutes a targeted initiative to encourage collaborative proposals between researchers in California and the UK which aim to progress preclinical stem cell research towards clinical testing. The partnership addresses a particular strategic opportunity, but does not limit the MRC's capacity to support high quality research proposals submitted directly to the MRC which might include collaborations with researchers based in other states in the USA or in another country. The MRC continues to discuss scientific opportunities with a number of overseas partners, and remains central to international collaboration in stem cell research through its chairmanship of the International Stem Cell Forum.