£30m science facility boosts opportunities with university link-up

A £30m advanced materials research facility in Stoke-on-Trent is forging links with three UK universities – including one in the Midlands – as it looks to attract a new generation of materials scientists and engineers.

The Applied Materials Research, Innovation and Commercialisation Company (AMRICC) is forging links with Imperial College London, the University of Manchester and Staffordshire University to develop a pipeline of talent.

AMRICC is being established with the support of the international materials technology company Lucideon as well as Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Stoke–on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

It will be initially based alongside Lucideon’s headquarters in Penkhull. In the future it is set to establish within the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone – being developed on along the A500 corridor in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle under Lyme.

AMRICC is intended to provide a key focal point to attract inward investment and help to address low levels of innovation – and builds on the heritage of ceramics, steel and polymers in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.

The centre has been developed to provide a unique international facility which will fast-track advanced materials and materials processes into commercial products.

Dr Cathryn Hickey, AMRICC chief executive, said: “We will build a pipeline of talented people to lead scientific breakthroughs and put the UK at the heart of materials science globally.”

Representatives from the three universities took to the stage at the launch of AMRICC in Stoke-on-Trent to welcome the facility and share their vision for its impact on the local, national and international economy.

The launch of AMRICC also presents significant opportunities for Staffordshire University, which has a long-standing reputation for excellence in ceramics and recently transformed its Stoke-on-Trent campus with a £40m investment in new facilities.
 
Professor Liz Barnes, who was appointed Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of the university earlier this year, said: “We are delighted to be working with AMRICC.
 
“We will be focusing on delivering our expertise in applied learning, primarily through our Higher Apprenticeship routes, to support the initiative.
 
“We have mutual strengths to bring, which means our work will complement that of Imperial College London and the University of Manchester.”