Consider the legacy of innovation. Here stands the Henry Royce Institute. It is a testament to British engineering prowess.
The Henry Royce Institute, often called Royce, is the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation. It drives sustainable growth. It supports development through materials science.
Royce aims to be the single front door to the UK’s materials research community. Its mission is to support world-recognized excellence. It accelerates commercial exploitation of innovations. It delivers positive economic and societal impact for the UK.
The Henry Royce Institute operates from its Hub at the University of Manchester. It partners with eleven leading UK institutions. These include Imperial College London and the Universities of Cambridge, Leeds, and Sheffield.
The institute enables national materials research. It provides access to the latest equipment. It catalyzes industrial collaboration. It fosters skills development.
Back in 2014, Chancellor George Osborne launched the Henry Royce Institute. He pledged a quarter of a billion to support the Northern Powerhouse. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funds Royce. It supports construction, equipment, and staff. Royce coordinates over 900 academics. It manages over £300 million in facilities.
The Henry Royce Institute is named after Sir Frederick Henry Royce. He was a British engineer. He designed car and airplane engines. Henry Royce manufactured his first car in Manchester in 1904. In 1906, he co-founded Rolls-Royce.
Royce focuses on five research areas. These include low carbon power. They also include infrastructure, mobility, digital communications, the circular economy, and health.
In 2020, Royce published technology roadmaps. These roadmaps show how materials science can deliver net-zero targets. The roadmaps cover photovoltaics, hydrogen, thermoelectrics, calorics, and low-loss electronics.
The Henry Royce Institute operates as a hub-and-spoke model. The hub is at the University of Manchester. Spokes are at partner universities. The hub and spokes collaborate on research.
The Henry Royce Institute’s hub aligns with the Northern Powerhouse policy. It supports centers of excellence outside London, Cambridge, and Oxford.
The Royce Hub Building in Manchester cost £105 million. It brings together research facilities and meeting spaces. It drives collaboration. Research here includes biomedical, metals processing, and sustainable materials themes.
The nine-story Hub building is 46 metres high. It has 16,000 square metres of space. It is located next to the Alan Turing Building.
Royce also invested in facilities at Imperial, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. These investments expand the reach and impact of materials research.
The Henry Royce Institute funds outreach programs. These programs encourage young people to consider careers in Materials Science and Engineering.
The Henry Royce Institute stands as a beacon of innovation. It drives advanced materials research. It boosts the UK’s economy. It solves global challenges. It embodies the spirit of Henry Royce. It keeps pushing the boundaries of what is possible.