Proposals unveiled for the £30million Sir Bobby Robson Institute
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has revealed its plans for a £30million cancer research and treatment facility.
Proposals to build the Sir Bobby Robson Institute have taken a step forward as images and detailed plans have been unveiled for the first time.
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, which is part of the Newcastle Hospitals Charity, is set to fund the £30million cancer research and treatment facility, which will be based back to the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle.
Operating as part of Newcastle Hospitals, the proposed institute would pioneer more ground-breaking innovation in cancer treatment and would significantly increase the number of clinical trials available for patients across the North East, north Cumbria and North Yorkshire.
The plans have been submitted to Newcastle City Council this week and if approved, construction is expected to begin in spring 2026 - with an opening planned for 2028.
Supports of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation have already helped raise £20million towards the plans, with a fundraising campaign due to be launched to secure the final £10million.
Mark Robson, Sir Bobby’s son, is one of the 122 Sir Bobby Robson Foundation fundraisers who are preparing to take on this Sunday’s (September 7) Great North Run.
He commented: “I’m looking forward to joining all the Foundation runners on Sunday and I’m sure, for every one of us, news about these plans being submitted will motivate us all the way to South Shields.
“The Sir Bobby Robson Institute is only a possibility because of all the fundraising that’s come before and everyone involved with Dad’s Foundation is thrilled we can now share the exciting plans for the institute.
“If we’re successful, it would be a gamechanger in terms of cancer research and treatment in this region.”
The new institute would bring together the existing Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and the hospital’s cancer and blood disorders (oncology and haematology) research team.
While its catchment area would cover around 3.5million people living locally, the work the institute carries out could benefit cancer patients across the world.
Mark added: “When Dad launched The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation in 2008, it was to raise the money to equip a cancer trials centre, so we’ve come full circle in a way.
“Only this time, because of the support we’ve received over the years, the plans are more ambitious. I know he’d be so thankful and proud of every single fundraiser.
“It meant the world to him to see people fundraising, people wanting to help, and to know that the money donated was going to do something positive for those who came after him and who would also be facing cancer.
“The support for his Foundation has never let up and I’m incredibly touched to know Dad’s name is still associated with life-saving cancer treatment.”
The plans detail that the Sir Bobby Robson Institute would be a three-storey building, with dedicated space for the latest equipment and technology to allow for an increase in the number of clinical research studies taking place at Newcastle Hospitals.
For more information, visit: https://sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk/.