CPI launches national healthcare photonics centre in County Durham

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has officially opened a new national healthcare photonics centre in Sedgefield’s NETPark.

The facility will specialise in the development of light-based healthcare treatments, supporting the scale-up and commercialisation of medtech products for a range of businesses and academic institutions.

Dr Tom Harvey, CPI healthcare photonics lead, explained: “Bringing together photonics experts, equipment and facilities in this new centre will enable companies to develop the latest cutting-edge MedTech products.”

Supported by a £7.9m grant from the government’s Local Growth Deal through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the CPI centre provides workspace over two floors including a suite of specialist laboratories and will create a number of jobs.

Speaking at the official opening, GE Healthcare science director and Photonics advisory board member Paul Goodwin commented: “I am very excited to participate in the opening of the National Centre for Healthcare Photonics.

“As we look back upon this day in a few years, I believe that we will be pleased with the technologies and the businesses that we will have helped to give birth to and especially with the jobs that we created and the lives that will have benefited from the work that will take place here.”