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Plans for an electronic zoo and a centre celebrating the 20th century's discovery of genetic codes yesterday won pounds 68m of funding from the Millennium Commission. Bristol 2000 was awarded pounds 41m, half the cost of an electronic archive of endangered species on a 10-acre site at the city's Harbourside. Jonathan Welfare, the project's chief executive, said: "So many species disappear each year that we need to capture them in any form we can."

Newcastle will build a pounds 54m International Centre For Life near the city's Central railway station, with pounds 27m of funding from the commission. The site will include a visitor centre with information about DNA and genetics, a bioscience village and the Newcastle upon Tyne University's genetics department.

The Millennium Commission is funded from the National Lottery and chaired by Virginia Bottomley, the National Heritage Secretary. Yesterday's grants are its first substantial award to science projects.