Loughborough University wins funding for regenerative medicine research
The UK Government has announced a
The UK Government has announced a £70m funding boost for manufacturing research as part of plans for economic growth.
The new funding will help university based research centres at Loughborough, Southampton and Brunel.
Investment for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) centre at Loughborough University will total £5.3m over a five-year period, starting in September, and 28 industrial and government partners will contribute a further £3m. Partner universities are Nottingham and Keele.
Loughborough will focus its research efforts in the field of regenerative medicine (therapies to enable damaged, diseased or defective tissues to work normally again).
Professor David Delpy, chief executive of EPSRC, the UK's largest government funding agency for engineering and physical sciences research and postgraduate skills, said: "EPSRC's new manufacturing centres will focus on areas of pioneering research that has the potential to create new industries and new jobs for the UK."
He said lives would be saved through advances in regenerative medicine and Loughborough University will carry out research, test and implement ideas in clinical and industrial settings, and create next-generation systems for manufacturing regenerative medicines.
The BioIndustry Association has welcomed the investment in this field. Chairman Clive Dix said it "further exhibits the Government's commitment to ensuring that the cutting edge science coming from the UK's innovative life sciences sector is turned into the world-leading treatments of the future".
Southampton University will focus on research into photonics (the science and application of light using optical fibres to revolutionise the internet and telecommunications). Investment from EPSRC will total £4.7m over a five-year period starting in March, and 13 industrial partners will contribute a further £4.6m.
Brunel will research liquid metals and develop technologies for the reuse and recycling of metal. Investment from EPSRC will total £4.5m over a five-year period starting in February, and 15 industrial partners will contribute a further £4.6m. Partner universities are Oxford and Birmingham.
UK Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said a highly skilled, innovative manufacturing sector is vital to Britain's future economic growth.