University of Manchester and Unilever in R&D link-up

CONSUMER products group Unilever has agreed a long-term partnership with the University of Manchester.

The strategic relationship will make Manchester a key partner for Unilever’s research collaborations in a number of specific fields of science, the university said.

Unilever, which has strong links with the North West and is celebrating 125 years of manufacturing at Port Sunlight this year, owns popular brands such as PG Tips, Knorr, Dove, Flora, Comfort, Persil  and Sure.

Prof Luke Georghiou, vice-president for research and innovation at The University of Manchester, said:  “Unilever recognise that access to university research can give their organisation a new vantage point.  Strategic alliances of this nature are helping to put innovation and research at the heart of economic growth in the UK.

“Unilever will benefit by gaining intellectual insights from world-leading researchers. The University will benefit from the commercial insight that can inform and direct our research in the future and generate real-world impact.”

Unilever will support the University to carry out research across all four of its faculties in areas covering sustainable consumption, process engineering, biophysics and systems biology, as well as aspects of inflammation, toxicology and hair biology.

Prof Jim Crilly, senior vice president, Unilever Strategic Science Group, added: “At Unilever we believe that to continue to be successful we need to collaborate with the very best partners to access new ideas and technologies to create superior and sustainable products.

“The diversity of research fields that we will be exploring together is testimony to the range and depth of expertise to be found at the University and to our mutual interests in key areas of research.”

Unilever R&D investment was around €1bn and Port Sunlight is one of six strategic centres for global R&D.