THE Duke of York dropped in at Warrington’s STFC Daresbury Laboratory to gain an insight into the breadth and impact of the laboratory’s world leading science and technology.
He also visited a number of the high-tech companies based at the adjoining Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus.
As the UK’s special representative for International Trade and Investment (UKTI) since 2001, Prince Andrew works closely with government, and in particular UKTI, to promote the UK as an attractive inward investment destination for foreign investors, creating more positive business conditions for British businesses investing overseas and helping UK companies export their products to emerging and established markets.
At the laboratory, he gained a clear understanding of the breadth of the cutting edge science and technology and its positive impact on society and the economy nationwide.
Accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant for Cheshire, David Briggs, he met Professor Keith Mason, chief executive at STFC, deputy chief executive, Professor Colin Whitehouse and Mr Clive Drinkwater, director North West, UK Trade and Investment, and discovered how Daresbury’s science and expertise have provided the foundations of, and are now being very successfully used to drive, the much wider national science and innovation campus developments.
Professor Whitehouse said afterwards: “I was particularly pleased that the Duke clearly recognised Daresbury Laboratory’s long heritage for world-class science and was also able to see for himself how this very important new UK campus model is enabling the research community and businesses on the campus to co-locate and to work very collaboratively together to dramatically increase the impact of science and technology for the people of the UK.
“This is a very exciting year for us with the new Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry now in place, the new Virtual Engineering Centre launching very soon, and several other major centres being very actively progressed. All of these major new activities will play a very significant role in bringing yet further new organisations and significant investment to the national campus”.
The Duke also visited the Daresbury Innovation Centre where he was given an overview of the centre and met a number of senior representatives of high-tech resident companies, before going on to present a certificate to Heptron Ltd, marking the arrival of the 100th company into the centre.
