British Industrial Biological Research Association

The British Industrial Biological Research Association was a government-run research association in the UK, and is now a private company, that investigates toxicology of commercial products.

History
The organisation was formed in 1961 by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR). The new buildings in Surrey were to cost £56,000, and would be fully open in 1962; at the time there were 52 British research associations.

The site has been known as the BIBRA Research Laboratories. The site mainly investigated the toxicology of food products (additives) and cosmetics. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visited the site on 8 June 1969.

Private company
The private company was later known as BIBRA by the late 1980s. It has worked with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and MRC.

Function
The association produced the international journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and Toxicology in Vitro.

The BIBRA Laboratories have worked with the subjects of -
 * Environmental toxicology
 * Immunohistochemistry

Structure
Today BIBRA is situated on the A237; it was previously further west, on the B278. The former British Industrial Biological Research Association was in northern Surrey.