£81M RESEARCH CENTRE IN LIVERPOOL OPENS FOR BUSINESS

by Kaleidoscope
15th October 2018

Liverpool’s new £81 million research facility, which will examine and develop advanced materials has opened in Liverpool.

The Material Innovation Factory at Liverpool University was officially opened by the president of the Royal Society and Nobel Laureate Sir Venki Ramakrishnan.

The research centre is a collaboration between the University of Liverpool and Unilever.
And the aim is to bring together materials chemistry expertise with the latest computer and robotic equipment to accelerate research and reduce the time it takes to develop new products.

The 11,600 sq m state of the art facility will provide laboratory and office space for University researchers and Unilever scientists from the global research and development centre for home care and personal care products in Port Sunlight.

Team celebrate the opening of the Materials Innovation Factory

Team celebrate the opening of the Materials Innovation Factory

The facility, which boasts one of the highest-concentrations of materials science automation robotics in the world, can also accommodate other academic or industrial users on a flexible, open-access basis to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaborations, innovation and knowledge exchange

Sir Venki said: “The strength of material science in the North West is, to a great extent, built on the collaboration between academia and industry which is so well embodied in the Materials Innovation Factory.

“Whether it is human health, sustainability or a range of other areas, advanced materials offer tools by which we can tackle some of the big challenges we face on the global stage.
“The range of expertise here in Liverpool can make a big contribution to meeting those challenges and to driving economic growth.”

Professor Dame Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said: “The opening of the Materials Innovation Factory is an important milestone for the University of Liverpool.

“The institution is known for its world-class research in advanced materials and these impressive new facilities will serve to further accelerate progress.

“The applications for our research in this area are truly exciting, with the potential to answer some of the greatest challenges facing the world today in fields such as sustainable energy, healthcare and manufacturing.”

Located in the heart of the city’s Knowledge Quarter, the Materials Innovation Factory was awarded £11m through the government’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund.
It also houses the Liverpool contribution to the Henry Royce Institute, a national institute for materials science research and innovation.

For more information on University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory visit: www.liverpool.ac.uk/materials-innovation-factory

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15th October 2018