On Thursday 28th February, the Royce Hub at the University of Manchester hosted Sir Mark Walport, CEO of UKRI, during a visit in which he toured some of the Institute’s world-leading facilities.
Sir Mark, who has led UK Research and Innovation since its launch in April 2018, toured the materials characterisation and imaging equipment based within the Alan Turing building at the University of Manchester.
Accompanied by Royce Chief Scientist, Regius Professor Philip Withers, and Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester, Sir Mark was given an overview of the Nanoscale Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (NanoSIMS) and its use in analysing a wide range of samples and their isotopic distribution of elements. The NanoSIMS has already supported industry research, including within the pharmaceutical sector to support the development of new products and technologies. He was also shown a range of different electron microscopy and microstructure capture capability.
Sir Mark also spent time discussing the strategy and vision of the Royce, as the UK national institute for advanced materials, and its role in tackling grand challenges in innovation. The Royce team looks forward to welcoming Sir Mark back to Manchester when the new Hub building is open in 2020.
