University gets £19.6m for metamaterials research

The University of Exeter is getting £19.6m of funding to improve our lives with "brand new science".

Experts at the university have been selected to host a facility called The MetaHub - which will develop metamaterials.

Metamaterials are 3D engineered structures, developed on a small scale, with properties not found in nature.

Scientists at the university said metamaterials could be used in everything from medical sensors to healthier food colourings.

Prof Alastair Hibbins, the director of the new hub, said metamaterials could solve global challenges in health, communication, computing and environmental sensing.

He said over the next five years, the MetaHub team would be committed to "pioneer brand new science".

The MetaHub is being supported by £19.6m in public and private funding - announced by science minister Lord Patrick Vallance during a visit to the university's Streatham Campus.

Lord Vallance said the work happening at the university was "a prime example" of how "cutting-edge research" could attract private investment and drive economic growth.

He said: "All the things that we now take for granted, things like our cell phones and the fact that we can use flat screens and so on, that all started with some research 30 years ago on something that seemed incredibly small... and now of course it's everywhere.

"This is the sort of thing we're looking at here, this work is the type of thing that's going to be everywhere and we're going to be using it and keeping that going is exactly what keeps the UK at the forefront of future economic growth and societal benefit."

During his visit, Lord Vallance met with key researchers, who are leading pioneering collaborations in nanotechnology, human genomics, critical minerals and climate change.

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