GREEN LIGHT GIVEN FOR CONSTRUCTION OF £30M SIR BOBBY ROBSON INSTITUTE

The green light has been given for construction of a new £30 million cancer research institute at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Newcastle Hospitals and our Foundation, part of Newcastle Hospitals Charity, are building the world-leading facility– to be called The Sir Bobby Robson Institute – which will benefit patients from across the North East and beyond.

Formal planning permission has now been granted for building work to start next to the existing Northern Centre for Cancer Care at Freeman Hospital in Heaton.

Construction is being funded by our Foundation, with £20 million raised so far by supporters and a fundraising campaign now ramping up to raise the final £10million.

The three-storey facility will bring together the current Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre and the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders (oncology and haematology) research team.

The building will provide much-needed additional capacity to increase the number of cancer clinical trials taking place in Newcastle, allowing a 50% increase in activity, over five years.

This means Newcastle’s specialist cancer research teams will be able to pioneer more ground-breaking innovation in cancer treatment, through running a higher number of complex and larger trials.

While the institute’s catchment area will cover around 3.5million people living in the north east, north Cumbria and north Yorkshire, the work carried out there could benefit people around the globe.

Professor Ruth Plummer and Mark Robson

Commenting on the news that building work has the green light to begin, Professor Ruth Plummer, consultant medical oncologist at Newcastle Hospitals and director of the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, said: “Demand for more research into new and innovative cancer treatments is rising, globally and locally.

“At Newcastle Hospitals we have skilled and experienced teams who are already carrying out ground-breaking cancer clinical trials.

“Over the years, we have become increasingly busy and current limitations mean our space to conduct more trials is restricted so, frustratingly, the team cannot accept some research programmes or requests.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that we’ve been given permission to build this new facility, which will allow us to provide timely access to clinical trials for many more eligible cancer patients, including those who have exhausted current treatments.

“More research trials will inevitably lead to better health outcomes and improve the treatment we are able to provide for cancer patients both now and in the future.”

Teri Bayliss, director at Newcastle Hospitals Charity, said: “This project will be the proud culmination of a phenomenal fundraising effort and, alongside the many cancer patients who will benefit from the scientific advances made by the trials team, we are extremely grateful to all those who are supporting the project.

“We are particularly indebted to those organisations and individuals who have shown leadership support for our fundraising campaign, including the Sir James Knott Trust, NorthStandard and Esh Group.

“We hope that others will join our continued efforts early in the new year when we have a match funding challenge for the next £1m raised. This project and the leadership behind it is inspired by Sir Bobby’s dream for people in our region to have access to world-class cancer treatment.”

Construction on the institute will begin early 2026, with opening planned for 2028.

If you’re interested in fundraising or donating, please join Sir Bobby’s “greatest ever team.”