Brown promises cash for science

GORDON Brown pledged to boost science spending to reverse the 'brain drain' and put Britain at the forefront of world-class research, ahead of his Budget today.

He made the commitment as UK drugs companies GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca unveiled £100m of research facilities in London, Cheshire and Leicestershire.

GSK is joining forces with Imperial College - headed by its former boss Sir Richard Sykes - to establish a centre next to Hammersmith Hospital, west London, which will open in 2006 for research into cancer, strokes, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

It will take images of the brain and identify the most promising compounds for medicines.

GSK, whose earnings growth may be wiped out this year by cheap copycat drugs, hopes this will bring medicines to market faster.

Separately, chief executive Jean-Pierre Garnier claimed that GSK could overtake US giant Pfizer and become global number one without another mega-merger.

The Chancellor says the £3bn science budget will rise by at least 2.75% annually - provided industry matches the increases.

AstraZeneca boss Sir Tom McKillop linked new research facilities at Charnwood, Leicestershire and Alderley Park, Cheshire to the Brown initiative.

He said: 'We can invest anywhere. We wouldn't be making these announcements if the environment was not right.'