Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool

Research Centres

Materials Innovation Factory

The Materials Innovation Factory is a new facility which will provide an unparalleled suite of open access, state-of-the-art equipment and internationally-leading academic expertise. The multi-million pound centre, established in collaboration with Unilever and due to open in 2017, will develop a new generation of functional materials for science and industry and accelerate the research and development process by a factor of 200.


Leverhulme Research Centre for Functional Material Design

The Leverhulme Research Centre for Functional Material Design will drive a design revolution for functional materials at the atomic scale by fusing chemical knowledge with state-of-the-art computer science in a world leading interdisciplinary team. The global importance of this vision exceeds computer-aided design for large-scale engineering structures, which has transformed modern society. The Centre will help to bridge the current design gap by fusing leading-edge synthesis concepts from the physical sciences with ideas from the forefront of computer science, alongside experts in robotics, engineering, management and social science.


Centre for Translational Molecular Synthesis

The Centre for Translational Molecular Synthesis facilitates interactions between researchers involved in the synthesis, study and application of complex small molecules. One of the key aims of the Centre is to accelerate the development of the next generation of small molecule drugs by enhancing collaborations between methods development chemists and medicinal chemists. The Centre also applies its Synthetic Methods expertise to other areas, such as agrochemistry and molecular electronics.


Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy

The Stephenson Institute for Renewable Energy undertakes inter-disciplinary research into renewable energy sources. As supplies of current fossil-based fuels diminish, the development of new energy sources is one of the defining challenges of the 21st Century. This Institute brings together energy-related research activities from across the University to focus on developing clean and sustainable energy technologies including energy dissipation and friction, wind and marine energy, fusion technology, photovoltaics, carbon capture and storage, sustainable feedstocks, batteries, fuel cells, hydrogen generation and storage, solar harvesting, energy transport.


Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces

The Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces brings together the expertise, ideas, and resources of multinational industry, regional SMEs, the NHS, and the N8 affiliation of research driven Russell Group Universities to develop and share knowledge and innovation in the science of antimicrobial surfaces. With £3.7 million funding from the European Regional Development Fund, EU, the Innovate UK and several industrial partners. The hub will create rapid innovation pipelines by developing connections and forging partnerships between academia and the supply chains that connect innovative SMEs with market leaders.


Surface Science Research Centre

The Surface Science Research Centre (SSRC) was first established as a UK Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) in 1989. The current research themes of the SSRC cut across the disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology and materials science, and combine the efforts of both experimentalists and theoreticians. The overarching ambition of this work is to achieve nanoscale control, design and assembly of function.


Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics

The Centre of Excellence in Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT) is a cross-faculty research initiative combining our world leading expertise in pharmacology and materials chemistry and working with international partners to disseminate research findings in long-acting medicine and change the global landscape of drug administration.

Long-acting therapeutics can have a huge impact for treatment and prevention of chronic diseases but also other applications for acute diseases where multiple pharmaceutical doses are required for successful therapy. We intend to implement impactful solutions to the critical challenges that affect those suffering from these diseases and work with partners to better understand how these technologies can be of most benefit.

CELT aims to provide a better understanding for a range of technologies, to develop new interventions and harmonise strategies to accelerate long-acting therapeutic development and implementation. We are collaborating globally with industrial, academic and charitable partners as well as patients and doctors, and are keen to establish new links to programmes that aim to deliver clear patient benefits.