The building, which is expected to cost in excess of £40 million, will be named after Clarice Pears, who was born and raised in Glasgow.
The Clarice Pears Building will help researchers tackle health inequalities by enhancing research collaborations across the institute and its partners, and supporting engagement at a local, national and global level.
Pears Foundation is a British family foundation that invests in excess of £20 million per annum across the UK and internationally. It was founded by and is run by Clarice’s three sons, Mark, Trevor and David.
Sir Trevor Pears said: “It is a privilege to name this fantastic building after our mother, who was immensely proud of her Scottish roots.
“There is a lot of resonance between the work of the University of Glasgow’s Institute of Health and Wellbeing and our philanthropic goals; the research done there is very much applied and practical and we hope it goes from strength to strength.”
Clarice Pears was born in 1933 and lived in a tenement flat in Lochside Street, Shawlands. Her parents were Abraham and Hannah Castle, and her father worked in an electrical retail shop.
The Clarice Pears building is part of the university £1 billion campus development programme and will be located on the site of the former Western Infirmary.
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, University of Glasgow principal and vice-chancellor, said: “We are extremely grateful for the generous donation from Pears Foundation which will revolutionise the study of health and wellbeing at the University of Glasgow, helping to build collaborations and inspire world changing research.
“The institute’s work has already having a major impact on public health policy in Glasgow, Scotland, and internationally, and this new facility will mean we can do more.”
Professor Jill Pell, Institute of Health and Wellbeing director, said: “The generous support of Pears Foundation will help us achieve our vision to improve health and reduce health inequalities on a local, national and global scale.
“The Clarice Pears Building will be transformative in how we support and promote collaboration both internally and with external partners. It will mean we can bring our staff together under one roof and make the University a more effective and attractive place to undertake world-leading research and teaching.”
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