As the last visitors depart and the city clears up after two weeks of the London 2012 Olympic Games and prepares for the Paralympics, the UK has much to reflect on in terms of the legacy of this momentous celebration of sporting achievement.
Playing host to the world’s best athletes has not only brought the UK closer together as a nation, proud of its multicultural sporting talent, but it has also attracted a generation of newcomers to sport: children and students who have not previously seen or experienced the sense of achievement and recognition that hard work, team effort and real focus can bring.
But the legacy is manifest in more than just sporting recognition. Many organisations were called upon to provide building, transport, communication and other specialist expertise during the games – not least of which was GSK, in its role as Official Laboratory Services Provider for the Games. The anti-doping lab provided by GSK, in partnership with the London Organising Committee and King’s College London, was operational 24/7 during the Games and more doping tests were carried out at the Harlow site than at any other Games.
These facilities are to be developed into a world-class healthcare resource – the MRC-NIHR Phenome Centre – funded over five years by an investment of £5m each from the Medical Research Council and the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research. It will use the cutting edge facilities developed for London 2012 to investigate the phenome patterns of patients and volunteers by analysing samples, such as blood or urine, very rapidly and on an unprecedented scale. This will help to discover new biomarkers and to develop better and more targeted treatment for patients.
One only hopes that there is enough UK scientific talent out there to contribute to making this UK-based research centre a success. With rising university fees and a reduction in university applications – particularly in sciences – the industry’s need for good scientific talent has never been greater.
Perhaps the government should look to organise a world event showcasing scientific talent that would bestow similar praise on scientific achievement and thereby inspire the next generation of would-be researchers and scientists.