Blizard Institute

What Blizard Institute does

The Blizard Institute is the largest institute of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at Queen Mary University of London, operating as a biomedical and clinical research institute based in Whitechapel, East London. It comprises six research centres covering bone and joint health, cell biology and cutaneous research, genomics and child health, immunobiology and infection, and neuroscience, surgery and trauma, supported by core facilities in cell biology, genomics, and clinical research. The institute's core customers are undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled in medicine, dentistry, and biomedical science programmes, academic and clinical researchers conducting collaborative projects, and NHS trusts receiving clinical services and research partnerships. Notable research programmes include the COMBI trial addressing low birth weight in Zimbabwe, HepFreePak for hepatitis C elimination in England, and trauma intervention research that has influenced NHS clinical practice.

The institute operates a hybrid revenue model funded primarily through UK research councils (NIHR, MRC), government health authorities, and charitable foundations for specific research programmes, supplemented by tuition fees managed through Queen Mary University of London's central admissions, and clinical services delivered through affiliated NHS trusts. Its go-to-market is event-driven, relying on Queen Mary University of London's central admissions processes, open days, and clearing, alongside faculty reputation and direct outreach for research collaborations. Public engagement is delivered through Centre of the Cell, the first science education centre in the world located within working biomedical research laboratories, including the award-winning Neuron Pod visitor centre. The institute maintains core strategic partnerships with the Francis Crick Institute, NHS Trusts, and NIHR.

Name

Blizard Institute

Legal name

Blizard Institute

Website

https://blizard.qmul.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Blizard Institute is the largest institute of Queen Mary University of London's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, conducting biomedical and clinical research across six specialized centres and serving students, NHS trusts, and academic researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research and Academic Medical Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC), Healthcare Clinical Professions (CME/CE for Nurses, Allied Health, Pharmacy) (EDAAALAC), Clinical Research & Trial Central Laboratories (HLAFAMAL)

Keywords

• Biomedical research
• Medical education
• Clinical research
• Genomics research
• Public health

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Funding: Funded through UK research councils (NIHR, MRC), government health authorities, and charitable foundations for specific research programmes and trials.
2. Tuition Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and postgraduate taught courses, research degrees, and continuing professional development programmes in medicine and dentistry.
3. Clinical Services: Clinical services delivered through affiliated NHS trusts providing healthcare alongside research and training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Blizard Institute conducts biomedical research across six specialized research centres, delivers undergraduate and postgraduate education in medicine, dentistry, and biomedical sciences, and runs Centre of the Cell — a public science education facility embedded within working laboratories. Revenue is generated through research grants, tuition fees, and clinical services delivered through affiliated NHS trusts.

Product overview

Blizard Institute is a biomedical research institute within Queen Mary University of London, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. It operates as a unified research institution comprising multiple specialized research centres (Bone and Joint Health, Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research, Genomics and Child Health, Immunobiology and Infection, Neuroscience Surgery and Trauma), offering undergraduate and postgraduate education programs, and public science engagement through Centre of the Cell. The institute does not offer commercial software products but provides research programs such as HepFreePak for hepatitis elimination and educational offerings including research methods training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centre of the Cell: The first science education centre in the world to be located within working biomedical research laboratories.
• Centre for Bone and Joint Health
• Centre for Cell Biology and Cutaneous Research
• Centre for Genomics and Child Health
• Centre for Immunobiology and Infection
• Centre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma
• Neuron Pod

Products and services

• Centre of the Cell The first science education centre in the world to be located within working biomedical research laboratories, dedicated to public science education and engagement for schools, families, and community members.
• Research Methods for NIHR (and beyond) Training program providing research methods education for NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) researchers and the broader health research community.
• HepFreePak A hepatitis research and elimination program focused on hepatitis C virus elimination efforts in England, led by Professor Graham Foster.
• Undergraduate Degree Programmes BSc degree programmes in biomedical sciences, medicine, and dentistry delivered through Queen Mary University of London.
• Postgraduate Taught Courses and Research Degrees MSc, MRes, and PhD programmes in biomedical sciences, medicine, and dentistry, including research degrees and continuing professional development programmes.
• Biomedical Research Services Collaborative biomedical research delivered through six specialised research centres covering bone and joint health, cell biology and cutaneous research, genomics and child health, immunobiology and infection, neuroscience/surgery/trauma, and virology, supported by core facilities in cell biology, genomics, clinical research, and trauma sciences.
• Clinical Services through NHS Trusts Clinical services delivered through affiliated NHS trusts alongside research and training, providing healthcare and translational research delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research has influenced UK government policy on Ultra Low Emission Zone implementation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Francis Crick InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership providing summer research programme opportunities for BSc Neuroscience students. Students from Queen Mary's Blizard Institute complete summer programmes at the Francis Crick Institute, a major biomedical research centre.
• NHS TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical research partnerships with NHS trusts for translating research into patient care. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry works with NHS partners for clinical services and research delivery.
• NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch Methods programme for NIHR researchers and beyond. NIHR provides funding and research infrastructure support for clinical and applied health research conducted at the institute.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Francis Crick Institute: London-based biomedical research institute and a formal collaboration partner of Blizard. Comparable in mission (discovery biomedical research), scale, and proximity — Crick is the dominant stand-alone UK biomedical research institute and a natural peer on talent, funding, and translational output.
• Babraham Institute: Biotechnology Research Council–funded institute focused on signalling, epigenetics, and immunology. Comparable as a publicly funded UK life-sciences research institute competing for similar BBSRC/MRC funding streams and recruiting comparable post-doc talent.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology: UK Research Council–funded molecular biology institute in Cambridge. Comparable as a publicly funded, high-impact biomedical research institute focused on cell biology, immunology, and neurobiology — overlapping directly with several Blizard centres.
• UCL Institute of Biomedical Sciences: Biomedical research and teaching institute within University College London. A direct London-based peer with overlapping scope (cell biology, neuroscience, genetics), competing for the same student pool, NIHR funding, and NHS partnership opportunities.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: Genome-scale biomedical research institute near Cambridge. Comparable as a UK research-intensive institute with significant genomics capacity — directly overlapping Blizard's Centre for Genomics and Child Health — and competing for similar UKRI/charity funding streams.
• MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine: University of Edinburgh–based MRC-funded centre for stem-cell and regenerative medicine research. Comparable as a university-embedded, MRC/UKRI-funded biomedical research centre with similar translational research model and academic clinical partnerships.
• King's College London — School of Biomedical Sciences: Biomedical research and teaching department within King's College London. Comparable as a London medical/dental faculty peer with similar research themes (immunology, neuroscience, genetics) and shared NHS teaching trust arrangements.

Broad incumbents

• University of Oxford — Nuffield Department of Medicine: Major university-based biomedical research department at Oxford. Comparable in mission and disease-area breadth (immunology, genomics, tropical medicine), with stronger commercial spin-out track record but similar dependence on UK research council funding.
• Imperial College London — Faculty of Medicine: Larger London medical faculty with broader clinical and biomedical research scope. Comparable on funding sources (NIHR, MRC, Wellcome) and translational research outputs, but broader in scale and disease-area coverage than Blizard.

Emerging players

• The Jenner Institute: University of Oxford–based vaccine and immunology research institute. Comparable in infectious disease and immunobiology research — overlapping with Blizard's Centre for Immunobiology and Infection and the newly added virology team — though more specialised in vaccines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qmul
• Facebookfacebook.com/qmul
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queen-mary-university-of-london

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blizard Institute