The Lister Institute was founded in 1891 and has made distinguished contributions to biomedical science for over a century.

The charitable objectives of the Institute are to further understanding and progress in preventive medicine by promoting biomedical excellence in the UK through its support of the biological and biomedical sciences and to ensure long-term public benefit through publication of the knowledge gained and, where appropriate, by encouraging its exploitation.

For twenty years from 1982 the Institute operated a successful and prestigious Senior Research Fellowship scheme in biomedicine and related biological sciences. Then in 2003, in response to a changing academic and financial climate, the Lister Institute launched a new scheme "Lister Institute Research Prizes". The first three Lister Research Prizes were awarded in 2004 and three more in each of 2005, 2006 and 2007.  The value of the Prizes is now £200,000 each. These Prizes present young scientists with the opportunity to develop their research careers by offering five years of flexible support.