Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales Visits Daresbury Laboratory

Professor John Harries, Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, visited the Science and Technology Facilities Council's (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire, 25 January 2012.

Representing part of the ongoing dialogue well-established between the two organisations, this key visit provided an excellent opportunity to discuss the science strategy for Wales currently under development

CEO John Wormersley and Chief Scientific Advisor for Wales, Professor John Harries

and to explore the scope for potential collaboration. It also enabled the visitors to assess the progress being achieved by flagship research and development projects on the campus and to learn more about how leading-edge science can be harnessed to catalyse industrial innovation and underpin the emergence of fast-growing, high-tech companies.

The visit was hosted by STFC's Chief Executive, Professor John Womersley, and Professor Colin Whitehouse, Head of Campus Strategy for STFC, who outlined the vision and the ambitious growth plans now being implemented across the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus.

Accompanied by Richard Rossington, Head of Science Policy at the Welsh Government, and Marcia Jones from the Department of Innovation, Professor Harries saw at first hand how state-of-the-art science is being converted into wealth-creating products and services with potential markets at home and abroad.

During the visit the delegation toured STFC's ALICE and EMMA particle accelerators, followed by the Innovations Technology Access Centre. Here they gained an insight into how start-up companies, SMEs and teams from established companies engaged in bioscience innovation are benefiting from the leading-edge research & development facilities provided by the Centre.

Discussions took place on the recent investment by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in high-performance computing within STFC's Computational Science and Engineering Department.

Professor John Harries said: "Today's visit has demonstrated significant scope for potential collaboration and has provided an excellent opportunity to see first hand how cutting edge science, skills and facilities are key to industrial innovation and to the creation and growth of pioneering, high-tech companies."

Professor John Womersley said: "We're delighted to have welcomed Professor Harries and his colleagues to STFC's Daresbury Laboratory for a two-way exchange that was both highly productive and mutually beneficial. We're extremely keen to provide the Welsh Government with any insight, advice and support it requires to translate scientific know-how into industrial innovation, economic growth and the creation of high-tech jobs that will help underpin Wales's economy in the years and decades ahead."