The Queen Opens Business and Innovation Centre at Strathclyde

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh formally opened the University of Strathclyde’s flagship £89 million Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) on July the 3^rd, after first leading the nation in a minute of silence in remembrance of UK victims of the Tunisian beach attack.

During the tour The Queen was shown around the laboratories of the Institute for Energy and Environment – one of the largest university-based electrical power engineering and energy technology research groups in Europe, with a £35 million portfolio of activities in power grids and low carbon energy systems; The Weir Advanced Research Centre, where senior Weir engineers work side-by-side with leading engineering academics to develop product solutions and core technologies; The Centre for Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation, a leading UK national facility delivering international impact in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and The Institute of Future Cities' City Observatory – an innovative information system which collects, manages and interprets diverse data related to the urban environment, in order to aid the sustainability of cities nationally and internationally.

At the opening, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal of the University, said: "Through the Centre’s deep collaborations, Strathclyde is driving business innovation and growth, creating jobs, and attracting millions of pounds of inward investment to Scotland and the UK.

"In the spirit of our founding mission as the place of useful learning, work-streams in the Centre are delivering high-impact innovation and shaping technologies to improve human health, transform the energy landscape, set new standards in manufacturing and contribute to the development of future cities.

“Our partners, students and the global community we serve have responded with overwhelming positivity to the incredible opportunities that the Technology and Innovation Centre will open up – both today and for future generations.”

In a separate tour The Duke of Edinburgh visited The Department of Physics’ laboratories for research into plasma physics, as well as quantum technologies – a field in which Strathclyde is playing a central role, with potential for establishing the UK’s international leadership; the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering laboratories, including the internationally-renowned Centre for Intelligent Dynamic Communications and The Centre for Molecular Nanometrology - the first centre of excellence in this area within the Scottish research community – which is creating new methods of diagnosing disease using a combination of nanoscience and optical measurements.