YORK Central MP Rachael Maskell has secured the visit of a government MP in her campaign for funding towards the BioYorkshire Project.

The MP asked George Freeman, the parliamentary under-secretary of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the initiative can apply for funding under the government's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funding regime.

Led by the University of York, Askham Bryan College and Fera Science Ltd, BioYorkshire promises to involve scientists and industry experts across the county to help drive a new era of bio-manufacturing and farming and create thousands of jobs across Yorkshire and the country.

Mr Freeman told the MP: "I have had meetings with the hon. Member since she raised this issue previously. We are in the process of allocating—I repeat—the biggest ever increase in science and innovation funding for a generation. Once that process has been completed, we will begin to allocate the money throughout the country.

"The hon. Member (Ms Maskell) has made a powerful intervention on behalf of that cluster, which I am going to come up to see. There is an exciting cluster of companies in the York, Harrogate and east of Yorkshire area."