Royal approval for new research facility at Sci-Tech Daresbury

HRH Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was in the North West this week to officially open the new Hartree Centre building at Sci-Tech Daresbury.

Launched by the Government in collaboration with tech giant IBM, the new centre is a high-performance computing and data analytics research facility that brings together existing Hartree Centre employees with staff from IBM, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) scientific computing division and the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre.

Forming part of the STFC, the Hartree Centre’s aim is to use high performance computing, big data and cognitive technology to transform the competitiveness of UK industry.

The Duke of York is the patron of the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus.

John Downes, group MD of property firm Langtree and chairman of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture, said of the new facility: “The Hartree Centre is at the heart of our ambition, helping to facilitate collaboration to maximise the impact of our research base to enable business innovation and ultimately societal transformation.

“Over recent years the Hartree Centre has achieved many successes and enabled many projects and as it moves into phase three it will increase the momentum to ensure science, innovation and industrial strength are intrinsically linked.”

He continued: “The new building, and this new phase in the collaborative relationship with IBM is a big step forward.

“Co-locating researchers and technical teams from both organisations and others means the Hartree Centre’s capabilities to innovate and help UK businesses take advantage of home-grown technical advances are further secured.”

The visit from the Duke of York, Mr Downes said, is reflective of “his commitment to the sector and to the collaborative efforts at the Hartree Centre”.

He added: “We are delighted that he has taken so much time to understand how regional SMEs are working successfully with universities and big corporations to advance their ideas and enhance the innovation culture.”

Bill Kelleher, IBM’s chief exec for the UK and Ireland, commented: “IBM greatly values the close partnership and collaboration with the teams at Sci-Tech Daresbury and the Government’s Science and Technology Facilities Council.

“The opening of this centre, where IBM research staff will work alongside researchers from other organisations to develop tools for companies to use as part of a push towards technological leadership, is evidence of the quality of work that has already come out of this partnership.”

Speaking further, he said: “Working with our colleagues at Sci-Tech Daresbury, we will find ways for UK businesses to take advantage of cognitive data centric computing techniques, new OpenPOWER based systems, advanced modelling and simulation, open innovation approaches and data analysis tools to enable growth and leadership on a global scale.”