Barry Taylor, Head of Communications at the University of Bristol said: "We've been allocated this money in recognition of our track record as a leading, research-intensive university that gets results.

"The most recent independent assessment of universities' research quality put Bristol very close to the top of the national league. This allocation will help it maintain that position and compete internationally.

"Some of the money will go towards our new £18 million research centre in neuroendocrinology. Called the Dorothy Hodgkin Building, it will open in Marlborough Street in the autumn. Its state-of-the-art labs will focus on radical approaches to the treatment of stress-related disorders, hormonal and psychiatric disease and Alzheimer's disease."