SCIENTISTS have begun arriving at a £10m new research centre on the banks of the River Tees.

The Wolfson Research Institute on the University of Durham's Stockton campus will provide top-class accommodation for more than 100 people.

The complex includes 23 laboratories and 60 offices.

Researchers will concentrate their efforts on health and environmental issues, with a particular focus on regional issues and priorities.

Work began after Durham University secured a £3.5m grant from the European Regional Development Fund, the biggest single piece of European funding ever awarded to the university. Another £4m was provided for the Wolfson Foundation, one of the UK's leading charities.

The £10m total was made up with contributions from regional partners, including £500,000 from Stockton Borough Council and OneNorthEast.

Professor Charles Heywood, executive director of the institute, said: "The institute provides a unique opportunity for internationally recognised researchers from a number of disciplines to work alongside each other."

The institute is also the new home of the Public Health Observatory, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre and Health Development Agency. Experts will work in a wide range of fields, including infectious disease, cognitive neuroscience, oncology and trauma.

Most researchers have close links with nearby South Tees NHS Trust.

"The facilities here are absolutely first-rate," added Prof Heywood.

One of the striking features of the two-storey building is a central entrance, called The Street, which provides a formal and informal meeting space with riverside views.