Manchester to lead BP’s £60m materials research base

THE University of Manchester is to be the hub of a £60m international materials research centre funded by energy giant BP.

The investment in the  International Centre for Advanced Materials (ICAM) by the oil and gas supplier will be made over the next 10 years, and will be shared with Cambridge University, Imperial College, London and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The new facility will be developed within Manchester’s Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Announcing the investment Bob Dudley, BP’s group chief executive, said: “Advanced materials and coatings will be vital in finding, producing and processing energy safely and efficiently in the years ahead.

“Energy producers will work at unprecedented depths, pressures and temperatures; as refineries, plants and pipeline operators seek ever better ways to combat corrosion. Manchester has world-leading capabilities and facilities in materials and it was chosen after a global search to act as the ‘hub’ of the centre, with ‘spokes’ in other university departments worldwide.

“We look forward to building a very productive partnership between our professionals and the academic team at Manchester.”

Described as a “strategic long-term investment’ the BP-ICAM will create 25 new academic posts, at least 100 PhDs and 80 post-Docs, and help maintain the world-leading status of the UK in the research of advanced materials.

The investment was welcomed by the Chancellor, George Osborne, who said: “The Government is committed to creating an environment in which innovation can thrive and businesses can grow: that’s why top businesses such as BP are investing in the UK and supporting our world-leading universities in delivering cutting edge research.”

Business Secretary Vince Cable added: “Collaboration between business and higher education institutions is boosting the status of the UK as a driver of innovation, and giving our firms a competitive edge. I’m pleased that BP has chosen to partner with a number of our world class universities to find new and more efficient ways of using and generating power.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, vice chancellor of Manchester University, heralded the investment as an “excellent announcement for UKscience.”

She added: “We are very pleased that BP has chosen The University of Manchester to be the Hub for the ICAM, utilising our world-leading breadth of research expertise in advanced materials and their applications to address the current and future challenges facing industry.”

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