Scientific researchers at Oxford University have been given the chance to bid for up to 43m from the Government.

Universities in Britain have been given different amounts of cash they can apply for to fund science projects by May 3

Oxford has one of the largest allocations of any institution in the country, second only to Imperial College, London, which can apply for 46m.

Any scientific department at the University can apply for a slice of the cash, which comes from the Department for Education and the Department for Trade and Industry.

The Science Research Investment Fund will be distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council after it has assessed the bids.

This funding follows a similar scheme called the Joint Infrastructure Fund in which the university was awarded 92m.

So far, 30m of this money has been earmarked for the new Chemistry Building in South Parks Road. The rest has been divided between several projects, including a new Centre for Gene Function, the Henry Wellcome Building for Human Genetics in Roosevelt Drive, Oxford, to equip laboratories to study developmental biology and a new Centre for Tropical Medicine and Vaccinology.

An Oxford University spokesman said: "We are pleased to have been allotted such a significant sum, and look forward to making many successful bids, which will reflect the full range of scientific excellence at Oxford."

Meanwhile, Oxford Brookes University will be able to bid for 1.3m.

Prof Linda Challis, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs, said: We intend to consolidate and develop our growing research facilities in science areas and seek to strengthen and further our collaborative partnerships. "