World-leading expertise from the University of Southampton and Lloyd's Register is being brought together in the largest research collaboration of its kind in the UK.
The alliance will redefine the relationship between academia and business.
Drawing together the engineering excellence of both organisations in a new research hub in Southampton, the collaboration will focus on innovations in transport, energy and the environment. Academics and industry experts will combine forces through the entire process of identifying and researching challenges faced by businesses and communities worldwide to deliver solutions more effectively.
Hundreds of staff and students from the University and engineering and technical staff from Lloyd's Register will work together on a new technology and education campus.
Work will commence in the new year on the state-of-the-art University of Southampton Centre of Excellence, which has an initial investment of £116 million. The campus will include the Lloyd's Register Group Technology Centre, the cornerstone of the organisation's global research and development network. Funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the South of England Economic Development Agency is enabling the new Centre of Excellence to take shape.
At the heart of the Centre will be a Maritime Institute, drawing on the University's renowned expertise in maritime engineering, ocean science, law and business, and strengthening links with the existing, highly varied range of marine businesses on the south coast.
The Institute will aim to stimulate innovation, create new businesses and establish the city of Southampton and the wider south Hampshire region as a magnet for inward investment in the marine sector in the UK.
The first phase of the development at the University's former Boldrewood Campus is scheduled for completion in 2014.
The University cannot accept responsibility for external websites.
This is great news for the University and for Lloyd’s Register. It’s also excellent news for the city, the region and for UK plc. Research and innovation are key drivers for building a strong knowledge economy, and we know that governments around the world are looking to collaborations such as ours to help secure a strong economic future.
The agreement combines the best of academia and business to simultaneously support industry and society by promoting vital research into subjects such as cleaner fuels, safer work environments and more dependable infrastructure.