Rowett's donation allowed the purchase of 41 acres of land for the institute to be built on. Rowett also contributed £10,000 towards the cost of the buildings. The money was donated with one very important stipulation from Rowett—"if any work done at the institute on animal nutrition were found to have a bearing on human nutrition, the institute would be allowed to follow up this work." The institute was formally opened in 1922 by Queen Mary.
