University of Nottingham invests £200m in multi-disciplinary research groups

The investment was announced during a ceremony last Thursday (22 June) at the Royal Society in London.

The groups – known as Beacons of Excellence – include a focus on the development of green chemicals and the creation of a lab aimed at eradicating modern-day slavery.

The university will also explore precision engineering, new ways to feed people, propulsion technologies, and smart industrial systems.

David Greenaway, vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham, said: “It is right the university makes this investment in these six profoundly important areas, building on existing expertise and enabling us to entice world-leading academics and experts to push the boundaries of possibility.”

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Coumcil (EPSRC), which is leading a similar investment announced last week, welcomed the news.

Philip Nelson, chief executive of the EPSRC, said: “The core purpose of the EPRSC is to make the UK the best place in the world to research, discover and innovate. To achieve this we work with universities across the UK to support research and develop skills. This investment by the University of Nottingham is incredibly exciting — not only due to its scale and vision — but because it is predominantly an investment in people.”

The investment is expected to attract 100 research fellows, while creating and strengthening teams of researchers from across the university.