Volume 8: Variant CJD
3. Establishment of the CJD Surveillance Unit
Establishment

3.2 On 5 December 1989, Dr Will, then a consultant neurologist and a senior lecturer at the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, submitted an application to DH for a research grant for a project on CJD surveillance over a period of four years. ¹ The application was for funding for a research registrar, a secretary, equipment and running expenses.

3.3 Prior to this formal application, the Tyrrell Committee had already considered and approved Dr Will's proposals. ² In addition, DH had previously agreed that they should fund the CJD surveillance project. Consequently, after the surveillance methodology had been submitted to the Department of Health's Research Division, Dr Will's programme 'was duly accepted'. ³

3.4 The CJD surveillance project began on 1 May 1990 at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. The project was funded jointly by DH and the Scottish Office Home and Health Department (which contributed 10 per cent of the total costs). Funding covered the costs of establishment of the Unit and running costs for Dr Will's project. However, additional projects, for example, molecular biology studies, were not within the remit of the DH/Scottish Office grant and it was thus necessary to obtain alternative funding for work of this sort.