This website, together with the print version, celebrates the 21st anniversary of the formal establishment of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) in 1987. It brings together examples of the exciting and successful work that our member charities have funded over that time.

No website or publication of this sort can possibly do justice to the vast range of activity that is or has been funded by our members, nor to the many partnerships they have forged with scientists, universities, industry and other agencies. But it can and does illustrate the crucial role charities play in sustaining vital work in the UK, helping to ease the paths of patients, today and tomorrow.

Members of AMRC have collectively contributed over £5 billion to medical research in the UK in the last six years alone. Their efforts are often but not exclusively fuelled by the generosity of the British public, with medical research now top of the list of causes to which we donate money.

But the uniqueness of the medical research charity sector as embodied by AMRC is even better defined by a number of other factors. Notable among these are: a commitment to funding research of the highest quality according to a common set of principles; a unity of purpose on key issues such as the need for animal research and the importance of government support for a strong science base; and a dedication to working alongside many other partners in the UK research enterprise.

As you will read on this website, the needs, common values and purpose of our members predate the formal establishment of AMRC in 1987. But they are as important now as in the past, and, united by them, our members continue to work for the advancement and promotion of medical and health research for patient and public benefit.