Advanced materials testing centre completed in Rochdale

Summarised from BBC Manchester's report · Updated 13 Oct, 08:19 · Archive

A new facility in Rochdale will allow scientists to test materials for medicine, electronics and construction.

The Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) at Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale has been completed and will be fitted out with specialist equipment before opening fully in 2027. Scientists will work with colleagues at the University of Manchester to test materials for use in medicine, electronics and construction.

Professor John Holden from the University of Manchester said the facility will help researchers test the properties of new materials, including their strength, electrical conductivity and weather resistance. The centre aims to help turn laboratory discoveries into commercially viable products and is expected to contribute £107m to the regional economy once fully operational.

Rochdale Council chief executive Julie Murphy said the vision is to establish advanced manufacturing businesses on vacant land around the SMMC, creating an innovation district. She added that the council is trying to give talented local schoolchildren the aspiration to study at leading universities and then return to work in Rochdale.

Read the report

• Advanced materials testing centre completedScientists developing high-tech materials will be able to test them at the new facility in Rochdale.BBC Manchester · 13 Oct, 06:31

In this story: Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre · University of Manchester · Rochdale · Kingsway Business Park

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