The UK charity Autism Speaks, founded five years ago by the UK’s first Ambassador for Philanthropy Dame Stephanie Shirley, has changed its name to Autistica.

The rebranding has come about so that the charity can differentiate itself from the US charity of the same name, and give itself an independent identity that better reflects its focus on medical research.

Its new mission statement is ‘Science in the service of autism’.

Autistica is part of a global campaign to determine the causes of autism by 2014 and to halve the total cost of the disorder by 2020. Autism Speaks US supported Dame Stephanie Shirley to start up a UK affiliate in 2005, and both charities now raise millions of pounds each years to provide grants to researchers.

The charities have been fully separate and independent entities since March 2007, but as the US organisation is also an advocacy body, the moniker Autism Speaks was felt to be less appropriate for the work of its UK counterpart, which focuses solely on biomedical research.

The two charities will continue to collaborate on international research projects.

Hilary Gilfoy, chief executive of Autistica, said: “We are grateful to our American colleagues in Autism Speaks for the support they have given us in our first five years.  This arrangement allowed us to benefit from their robust research template and funding experience.  The change of name acknowledges that, with their help, we are now a mature organisation able to stand on our own two feet and establish our own identity.”

The Shirley Foundation, Dame Stephanie’s eponymous charitable trust established in 1997, will continue to fund Austistica’s core costs until 2012.  Dame Stephanie (pictured) said: “I am delighted that we have been able to increase funding for autism research in the UK by following the example of the pioneering families in the United States who first inspired me and then suported me in creating the UK charity.”