Nottingham and GSK launch Centre of Excellence

GlaxoSmithKline and the University of Nottingham have formalised a collaboration to establish a Centre of Excellence for sustainable chemistry, and to construct an innovative carbon neutral sustainable chemistry laboratory.

GSK are supporting the construction of the lab – to be based at Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus – with a £12m grant. The GSK Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable will focus on research of relevance to the pharmaceutical industry and complement existing expertise at the University.

“This development will be transformational in several dimensions; the built form will break new ground in sustainable construction; the Centre of Excellence will shape the future of drug discovery; and innovation in training and development will accelerate the translation of discovery to application,” said Professor David Greenaway, Vice Chancellor of the University.

The Centre will serve as a global hub to catalyse new collaborations with industry partners and other institutions, and will bring together leading UK academics, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers and GSK chemists to develop expertise in sustainable chemical synthesis.

“The carbon neutral laboratory will help affirm the UK as a global hub for the future of life sciences industry,” said Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK. “Our vision is that the science researched within the laboratory will be as iconic as the building itself. This is an opportunity to invest further in science in the UK, rethink how we approach the drug discovery process and play a role in contributing to environmental stewardship.”