Medical Research Council (MRC)

1950-1976

26 files

Chain had many links with the Council. He was a member of some of its committees, a referee for grant applications, and on friendly terms with many administrative and scientific officers. The Council contributed to the funding of several of his research projects at Imperial College, sometimes in collaboration with other bodies such as the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Beecham Group, the Fleming Research Fund (qqv.)

From the early 1970s Chain became increasingly critical of the direction of officially-funded medical research, which he considered too favourable to molecular biology at the expense of other disciplines. He waged vigorous polemical campaigns with MRC and others; see especially E.93-E.95 for material on this subject.