Research into what?

The first note we saw about this new research centre simply said:

First Director Appointed to New Research Centre

Professor David Hume has been appointed as the first director of a new world-class research centre being established in Edinburgh.

The only journalist likely to follow up that sort of vague lead – centre for what? – is one looking for something to ridicule. Which is how we came to find First Director Appointed to New Research Centre on the University of Edinburgh's web site:

"The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the
University of Edinburgh are pleased to announce the appointment of Prof David
Hume as the first director of a new world-class research centre being
established in Edinburgh."

Still none the wiser, we had to dig deeper to find that the subject in question is, well we still aren't sure.

Near the end there is a quote from the Prof.

"This is a key opportunity to help maintain Scotland's world-leading status in
animal science through the establishment of an interdisciplinary and unique
intellectual environment that will foster new ideas and new ways of working
between researchers from different scientific disciplines."

So it is animal science then. But that could be anything. The place doesn't have a name, it seems.

Still they have time to find one. The place won't open its doors until 2008 and its new building isn't due until 2010.

Maybe they are being careful to avoid the attention of the Animal Lunatic Fringe. Sadly the extremists who hate people more than they like animals are bound to get the wrong end of the stick and will try to cause misery anyway.

tag: PR, lunatic fringe, animal experiments