A charity described as the “glue” of the UK’s cancer research community has shocked people with the sudden announcement that it is to close after 22 years.
Medical professionals and cancer campaigners described the decision by the National Cancer Research Institute as a “massive blow” to advances in research and treatment.
The decision was announced in a letter written by the charity’s chair, Fiona Driscoll, on behalf of the NCRI board of trustees.
In it, she said economic and research uncertainty had raised “significant questions about the sustainability of NCRI’s operating and funding model”.
She added that the board had been unable to resolve the issues in a way that would “deliver long-term viability for the organisation”.
Driscoll wrote: “Reluctantly therefore, the board decided that the risk of operational failure was too great to continue.
“This decision has not been taken lightly and has a huge impact on the NCRI staff. We are grateful for their continued support, hard work and professionalism at such a challenging time.
“The board is now working on the required steps to wind down the charity, identifying and securing our assets; financial, data and IP.”
The Charity Commission’s website lists NCRI as having 26 employees. Its most recent annual accounts, for the year ending 31 March 2022, showed income of £1.58m and expenditure of £1.77m.
Countless people tweeted their reaction to the imminent closure.
Consultant clinical oncologist and campaigner Clive Peedell (@cpeedell), said: “Massive blow to UK cancer research. The @NCRI_partners has been instrumental in delivering numerous important cancer clinical trials. Another victim of austerity and cuts to public services.”
Hashim U Ahmed (@LondonProstate1), chair of urology, Imperial College London: “NCRI was ‘glue’ that held the research community together. We achieved so much in prostate cancer from horizon-scanning, brainstorming, involving, nurturing, supporting. Vital this ethos lives on – much work to do.”
Richard Simcock (BreastDocUK), Macmillan Cancer Support chief medical officer: “Without @NCRI_partners we would have less: public-patient participation in trials; trial development workshops and groups; stimulus to research outside of major centres; studies in living with and beyond cancer.”
NCRI was formed in 2001 as a response to the NHS cancer plan, to firm up connections between organisations funding research into cancer, in order to identify where cancer research was most needed.
Driscoll’s letter said the board hoped some partners and stakeholders might take forward some of NCRI’s activities.
She said the wider cancer research environment had “matured significantly” since the NCRI’s heyday and that many of the institute’s original goals had been achieved or taken up by business partners.