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UK MS Large Infrastructure Bid Proposal Over the past 10 years the British Mass Spectrometry Society has helped to develop the case for a UK wide infrastructure in Mass Spectrometry. There has been substantial and sustained investment in mass spectrometry from UKRI and other funders over the past 20 years, and yet there is no central coordination of our capability. In 2015 John Langley (BMSS chair at that time) hosted a discussion to consider what the national need was and how we could coordinate activity. From those early discussions and many more with the wide user base a vision for mass spectrometry in the UK was developed. Starting in 2018, BMSS supported a DEPHI study, which led to a Statement of Need submitted to EPSRC in 2021. In January 2022 a Town Hall Meeting was convened with input from over 240 participants, representing academia, industry, and manufacturers. Documents from these activities can be found at the bottom of the page. Following further consultation with UKRI, learned societies, industry, HEIs and other stakeholders, a modified proposal termed Critical Mass UK (C-MASS) emerged. Although no longer a BMSS project from this point, the BMSS continued to act as a key conduit to the UK MS community, with briefings and feedback sessions at BMSS annual meetings. In the course of this work, it became clear that developments in high throughput and high precision mass spectrometry would lead to vast data resources and that coordinated action was required to best benefit from this. A working model was established whereby a hub would coordinate nodes of research activity. These discussions led to a bid by the Research Councils to the Infrastructure Advisory Committee panel overseeing prioritisation for the UK Infrastructure Fund in September 2023. https://www.discover.ukri.org/ukri-infrastructure/index.html This proposal has been developed over the past 10 years with the backing of more than 40 higher education institutes, 35 industrial partners and numerous research institutes.
Many individuals from these organisations have contributed to this bid, which is driven by the need to maximise our capability and capacity in mass spectrometry, and develop a catalyst for further investment in UK MS, including areas such as instrument development. By sharing and collaborating we will have the Critical Mass to solve 21st century challenges in health, materials and the environment. The C-MASS Coordination Team Professor Alison Ashcroft, University of Leeds - BMSS Past President |
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