The University of Liverpool’s research, graduates and industry partnerships have been recognised as key components of Merseyside’s high-value chemistry ecosystem in a major new report from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Contribution of Chemistry report examines how chemistry supports economic growth, skilled employment and innovation across the UK.
The report estimates that chemistry contributed £60.5 billion in Gross Value Added to the UK economy in 2023, which represents an increase of 18% since 2019. Around 327,500 people are employed in chemistry-related roles, while economic output per worker is 34% higher than the UK average across all sectors.
Its regional analysis identifies Merseyside as one of a group of areas where strong academic research is closely integrated with significant industrial activity.
The report estimates that the region supports approximately 7,300 chemical-sciences jobs, accounting for 1.07% of local employment. It describes Merseyside as having a long-established and concentrated chemical-sciences sector, with most of the indicators assessed performing at or around the report’s upper-quartile benchmark.
The University of Liverpool is identified as a critical part of this ecosystem, providing research and highly skilled graduates in chemistry, materials and the life sciences, alongside extensive collaboration with industry.
In particular, the report highlights the University’s long-standing partnership with Unilever as an example of how academic expertise and industrial capability can be combined to translate research into economic and societal value.
Dating back more than a century, the partnership led to the creation of the £81 million Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter. The facility brings University and Unilever scientists together with advanced computational technology, laboratory automation and robotics to accelerate the discovery and development of new materials and products.
The Royal Society of Chemistry report presents the MIF as a flagship example of investment that anchors research, innovation and strategic resilience. It highlights the facility’s role in advancing materials science, digital chemistry and sustainable product development, while strengthening pathways between research, skills and commercial application.
A separate review of the University–Unilever partnership recently found that, between 2015 and 2024, it resulted in 350 Unilever patent applications, 85 jointly authored academic publications, £136M of research investment for the University and seven University-led spinout companies. The partnership has also supported postgraduate training and helped build a critical mass of specialist talent in the Liverpool City Region.
Professor Karl Coleman, Head of the Chemistry Department and co-lead of the Materials Discovery frontier at the University of Liverpool, said:
This report highlights the important contribution chemistry makes to Merseyside’s economy and the University’s central role in the region’s innovation ecosystem.
Through world-leading research, highly skilled graduates and partnerships such as our longstanding collaboration with Unilever, we are translating scientific discovery into new technologies, products and economic opportunities.
The report concludes that Merseyside is well positioned to expand its strengths in sustainable chemicals, life sciences and innovation-led manufacturing. It also calls for sustained investment in university chemistry, research infrastructure and specialist facilities, alongside stronger routes from discovery through to scale-up and commercialisation.
Materials Discovery
The University’s Materials Discovery frontier accelerates solutions to tackle net zero challenges through pioneering digital materials design and automation. Our research has applications in clean energy, healthcare, sustainable living and consumer products, and we work with major global partners to translate original ideas into real world impact.