THE Royal Institution, one of the world’s most hallowed centres of science, is staking its future on turning its headquarters into an upmarket bar, cafe and conference venue. The high-risk experiment by Baroness Susan Greenfield, its controversial director, will be completed next month.

The plans have raised eyebrows at the institution, where researchers have carried out work that led to 14 Nobel prizes and whose laboratories and lecture theatres are still in use.

She wants to see the 18th century building, whose Greek-style columns and Georgian decor make it one of central London’s architectural landmarks, become one of Mayfair’s most prestigious venues. She also plans to rent it out for celebrity weddings and birthday parties.

The RI is best known for its annual Christmas lectures, when schoolchildren are invited to attend talks given by a leading scientist. Greenfield believes it deserves a higher profile – and has sold off the RI’s entire £15m property portfolio, also in Mayfair, to help to raise the £22m cost of gutting and refurbishing the headquarters.

The RI’s ruling council and trustees raised a series of questions about the scale of the changes and the financial risks involved. In a vote, however, Greenfield’s plans won the day.

“The RI was a charming but fusty old institution and it needed to change and that meant taking big decisions about the way it works and its finances. We hope it will become the premier London venue for scientists, people who want to learn about science and for the general public,” Greenfield said.

Greenfield’s powers of persuasion have also seen senior members of the RI opening their wallets. One anonymous donor gave £5m and fundraising among its ruling council and fellows raised a similar amount. It means the RI will have £8m left over once the work is done.

The Queen has agreed to reopen the venue at the end of May. It will mark a radical transformation for an institution founded in 1799 to promote British science and engineering.

Then Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society, Britain’s leading scientific body, persuaded 58 “gentlemen” to contribute 50 guineas each to setting up the RI, including buying the building in Albemarle Street that still houses it today.

Sir Humphry Davy, one of the RI’s first employees, established its reputation for cutting-edge science when he invented the miners’ safety lamp and also isolated a variety of chemical elements, including sodium, potassium, calcium and chlorine.

The past 50 years have seen a gradual decline in the research and public profile of the RI. Winston Fletcher, chairman of its ruling council for the past 10 years, said: “We were solvent, but our aim was not to sit on a property portfolio being comfortable. We needed to change. That is where Susan Greenfield came in.”

The institution will not turn completely over to cafe culture. The refurbished RI will keep up its scientific studies with a new laboratory dedicated to nano-technology that will be staffed by 12 researchers.

Greenfield, who still retains her position as professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, came to prominence in the 1990s after presenting the Royal Institution’s Christmas lectures.

She became a regular fixture on programmes such as Question Time and breakfast televi-sion, but she upset some traditional scientists who questioned her profile and academic record. She was also publicly humiliated when members of the Royal Society suggested she had been rejected as a potential fellow.

Greenfield, now 57, remains outraged over such comments: “My record speaks for itself, but what’s notable about these critics is that they all remain anonymous. It’s a very cowardly way of doing things.” She remains in the public eye. Among the first events planned for the new RI is the launch of a book called ID, which will “explore the threats to our individuality from modern living”.

Its author is Greenfield.

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