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MPs declare support for northern science

Members of Parliament from across the North of England are giving their support to an initiative that is bringing academia and industry together to raise the level of science and innovation in the region. The N8 initiative, a collaboration of the eight most research-intensive universities in the North, had its parliamentary launch in the House of Commons on Tuesday, hosted by Rt Hon John Battle, MP for Leeds West.

Fifteen North of England MPs have already signed a Declaration that supports “N8 and its objectives to bring academia and industry together in the North of England, to create a region that will be renowned for its world-class research centres.”

Professor David Secher, Chief Executive of N8, said: “I am delighted that we are already attracting so much parliamentary support. The N8 collaboration is going to be an important force for research and development and will harness the North of England’s strengths in a number of important scientific areas. This is crucial for making a difference to the North of England’s economy and also, in the long-term, for health and well being of people in the UK and beyond.”

The Universities of Durham, Lancaster, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and York make up N8, led Professor David Secher, who was given the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion earlier this year.

Neville Chamberlain, CBE, Northern Way Chair commented: “The Northern Way has recognised that innovation is an essential component in any successful economy and will be key to a prosperous North. That is why we have invested £6 million in setting up the N8 Research Centres as we believe their work offers a real opportunity for us to combine our research excellence across the North and develop increased commercial activity.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .