The MBI Al Jaber Foundation has announced a significant donation towards the construction of a new research facility at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) that will have a focus on epidemiology and infectious diseases.
Situated adjacent to LSHTM’s Tavistock Place building in the heart of London, ‘TP2’ will become home to one of the largest groupings of epidemiologists and related disciplines in the world.
Due for completion in 2022, the building will house LSHTM’s Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, bringing together 300 staff and 150 research students who expand the limits of epidemiology and address some of the world’s most critical public health problems.
“It gives me great pleasure to support the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine at this critical time,” said Sheikh Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber, patron and sole benefactor of the MBI Al Jaber Foundation. “The cutting-edge research currently being conducted has a global impact. I am delighted we can contribute to LSHTM’s mission to respond to emerging public health needs, both in the UK and internationally, and play an important role in defining computational laboratory science for decades to come.”
Expressing his thanks to the MBI Al Jaber Foundation, Professor Liam Smeeth, Dean of the Faculty of Epidemiology and Public Health, commented: “TP2 will provide much needed space for us to train the next generation of global health experts and recruit both rising stars and established leaders working in the field of outbreak response and prevention. The Foundation’s support will further LSHTM’s ability to act as a convening body, bringing together visiting lecturers, fellows, policymakers and influencers from around the world.”
The Faculty includes teams such as the Clinical Trials Unit, infectious disease epidemiology and mathematical modelling, and members of the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team, a partnership between LSHTM and Public Health England funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, which supports countries around the world to tackle outbreaks as well as to conduct research and build capacity to confront infectious diseases such as Ebola and Zika. Research groups across the Faculty are currently playing a leading role in responding to COVID-19. They are at the forefront of efforts to map the progression of the pandemic, advise governments and global health bodies, and advance the public and scientific community’s understanding of the virus.
The TP2 project will radically improve LSHTM’s ability to react to global health challenges such as COVID-19. Led by BMJ architects, over 2,500m2 of working space has been designed with collaborative working at its heart. Additional capacity and flexible spaces will give researchers the ability to respond effectively to outbreaks anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. TP2 will encourage multidisciplinary working with partners across the world and advance infectious disease research.
For more information on the development of TP2 and LSHTM's other facilities, please contact development@lshtm.ac.uk.
