The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust was set up by Roderick Macdonald in November 1978 with funds inherited from his father. Its objectives reflect his concerns for those who suffered from impairment or as a result of cruelty. They also reflect his love of animals. Following his death in 1995, the Trust fell heir to Roderick’s substantial holding in Glenmorangie plc.

In both 2009 and 2011, generous donations by the R S Macdonald Charitable Trust to the University of St Andrews supported the establishment of the UK’s first Centre for Photoporation. One important aspect of this Centre’s work is in its development of novel methods to deliver drugs and genes into cells, using light.

The R S Macdonald Charitable Trust has focussed its support on the equipment that the Centre requires to not only develop and move forward, but most importantly, to make the discoveries that help our understanding of illness – particularly neurodegenerative diseases – and the development of their treatment.

In 2012 the R S Macdonald Charitable Trust has pledged to part-fund a photon-counting fluorimeter - an essential piece of equipment used in this important research. The generous support of the R S Macdonald Charitable Trust demonstrates its commitment to our neurodegenerative disease research programme and is a fantastic endorsement as we celebrate 600 years of academic research at Scotland’s oldest University.