High Profile Patrons
13 January 2011
@stephenfry Sad I can't be in Cardiff today for launch of new Research Institutes. Griff Rhys-J Sir Terry Matthews & I are patrons: http://cardiff.ac.uk
In the early hours of Monday 10th January, actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry tweeted those words.
In announcing that three of Britain’s most high-profile individuals were to be the new patrons of the University’s Research Institutes, Stephen Fry told more than two million of his Twitter followers about our news. He’d also, unknowingly, broken the media embargo on that information set by the University’s public relations office to coincide with the official launch of the Research Institutes later that day.
With exactly 2,106,327 people now ‘in the know’ it was a busy start to a Monday morning for the public relations team...
The University’s Research Institutes were created to pursue new approaches to issues of world importance - cancer, mental health and sustainability. Each Institute combines academic talents from a number of disciplines, building on Cardiff’s existing strengths and creating a critical mass of expertise.
As part of the official launch event for the Research Institutes, the three new patrons were unveiled: Stephen Fry as patron of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute; Griff Rhys Jones, as patron of the Sustainable Places Research Institute; and Sir Terry Matthews, as patron of the Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute.
Guests saw video addresses from each of the patrons in which they endorsed the work of their institute. Main Building was also lit in green, blue and purple – the colours of each of the Institutes – to mark the occasion.
Stephen Fry will act as advocate for the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute and its work devising new treatments for a variety of brain diseases and breaking down the social prejudices surrounding them. He said: “I think mental health research is one of the things that Cardiff University should be most proud of – it’s truly on the world map as far as leaders in this field are concerned. I think that the University will have a large part to play in breaking down the barriers of stigma around mental illness. I’m very proud to be playing a small part in it.”
Griff Rhys Jones made his name as a comedian in series like Not the Nine O’Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones and has broadcast and written on conservation and environmental issues. As patron he will support and encourage the Sustainable Places Research Institute's work on sustainable solutions for individual cities and their surrounding regions, tailored to particular circumstances around the world.
“It’s a very great honour for me to be asked to be patron of this Research Institute and to help publicise the work it is going to undertake, said Griff Rhys Jones. “That work is very, very necessary. I firmly believe that human ingenuity is the answer to the problems we face with sustainability. This Research Institute will bring together different disciplines to measure and assess how different places around the globe need to respond to the challenges ahead.”
Sir Terry Matthews is well-known as an entrepreneur in high technology, and has founded more than 80 companies in the UK and Canada in this field. Born in Newport, he is also known for his commitment to Wales, including the development of the Celtic Manor Resort which brought the Ryder Cup to Wales for the first time last year. He has now agreed to become patron of the Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute, promoting and assisting its hunt for a new approach to cancer treatment.
Sir Terry said: “Cancer survival rates still remain tragically low. We have only a very poor understanding of why this is the case. Cardiff’s Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute will explore a new concept – that we can beat cancer by focussing on just a small part of the tumour – the cancer stem cell. This idea is creating excitement around the world and the UK should be a leader in investigating it. I am delighted to be patron of the Research Institute at Cardiff and to play my part promoting its search for treatments across the whole range of cancers.”
As part of the launch event, Professor Terry Marsden, Director of the Sustainable Places Research Institute, Professor Mike Owen, Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute and Professor Alan Clarke, lead applicant behind the Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute gave speeches about the work their respective Institutes will tackle and were presented with commemorative plaques by University President, Professor Sir Martin Evans.
Take a look at some of the pictures from the launch of the Research Institutes at: twitpic.com/photos/cardiffuni
