3 top scientists

Three of our own scientists have been named in the UK's top 20. The University of Dundee is the only Scottish University to figure in the score of star scientists.

The three - all biomedical scientists are Sir Philip Cohen (6th), Sir David Lane (7th) and Professor Peter Downes (14th).

The Scotsman carried a leader following the publication of the top twenty commenting: "The challenge is translating academic expertise into products, businesses and jobs. It is here that the Dundee model has particular relevance for other university centres. Scottish Enterprise is right to be heartened by the Dundee story and encouraged in its new mission to draw together the best of Scotland's scientific work and to link this with commercial sponsors and companies keen to tap into the next wave - whether in information and media technology, or in bio-science. Here, Scotland has a promising base on which to build: an improving education system, one of the highest proportions of graduates in Europe, and a traditional of innovation. There is much to do, but Dundee is showing what can be achieved."

As the score of star scientists was being compiled, Sir Philip Cohen secured a impressive funding package of £7.5 million from the Medical Research council for the protein phosphorylation unit in the school of life sciences - rated 5* in the RAE. This doubles the unit's budget for the next five years and will allow teams of scientists to carry out vital research into Type II diabetes.

The rankings, compiled by data research company Evidence, is based on how often scientists' work is referred to by their peers. It identifies several centres where the science stars cluster - University College London, Cambridge, University of Dundee and Oxford.

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