Opening in January 2027, the facility will provide a specialist ultra-clean environment where devices and components less than a millionth of a meter wide can be designed, fabricated and tested.
These technologies are essential to many areas of modern life such as our mobile phones along with medical devices, sensors, clean energy, communications, electric vehicles, computer and quantum technologies.
The centre is the result of investment from Newcastle University, matched by a 拢3M government grant, alongside support from 20 North East high-tech companies.
Professor David Hughes, Associate Dean of Research and Innovation in 海角直播鈥檚 School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, said: 鈥淕reat Northeast Nanofab Centre represents a significant step forward for the region, in bringing together the complementary strengths of our universities to create a truly world-class capability.
鈥淲e are proud to contribute our expertise to this collaborative venture, which will not only accelerate cutting-edge research and development, but also support local businesses to innovate and grow. Importantly, it will also provide our students with access to advanced facilities and hands-on experience, helping to develop the highly skilled workforce needed for the technologies of the future.鈥�
Professor Patrick Degenaar, Professor of Neuroprosthetics and project lead at Newcastle University, said: 鈥淕reat Northeast Nanofab is the infrastructure which will allow local industry to prototype advanced products before scaling to manufacturing. In our fast-moving world, shortening development cycles support the region鈥檚 growth. The Centre will also support students and researchers achieve groundbreaking blue-sky research.鈥�