A new £1.6 million scientific Centre of Excellence at the University of York will provide major benefits for the chemical, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, as well as supporting academic research in the region.

The Centre of Excellence in Mass Spectrometry, which will be officially opened on 23 June, has been established via capital investment through Science City York, supported by Yorkshire Forward, with funds from the Northern Way Initiative.

Housing an array of specialist instrumentation, the center will help scientists and researchers to overcome the most testing analytical challenges. This will include the identification and characterization of proteins is of interest to researchers trying to identify new drug targets and biopharmaceuticals.

The new facility, a joint initiative between the University’s Biology and Chemistry departments, places York at the forefront of this specialist field. This broad range of mass spectrometers is available to industry in only a handful of locations.

The Centre will be opened officially by Professor Douglas Kell, chief executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, at a ceremony attended by representatives from the chemical, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, as well as research organizations.

Companies and organizations using the resource will be able to choose from a number of options, including hiring the equipment, paying on a fee-for-service analysis basis or entering into collaborative research. The cost of using the equipment can also be offset through Business Link’s Innovation Vouchers scheme.

The scheme enables companies with up to 250 employees to enter a monthly draw, with the winner then eligible to claim up to £3,000 worth of vouchers to set against the cost of new product research.

"This is a fantastic facility exploiting the academic excellence of the University," says Fay Treloar, head of operations at Science City York. "The Centre will play a key role in both retaining existing companies and helping to attract new businesses and income to the region."

"The Centre represents a major step forward in our ability to solve challenging analytical problems," comments University of York Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Cantor. "It will give business the opportunity to harness the University's world class research expertise and innovation for the benefit of the economy, both regionally and nationally, and the public good."

Source: Media Newswire