Latest News
Lancaster set to receive funding boost to stimulate UK's economy
Lancaster is amongst leading universities who are set to benefit from a £50 million investment in cutting-edge research and innovation projects to drive growth. Lancaster's project will use the strong international reputation and links in China, in particular with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, to address the Government's priorities to focus on high-growth SMEs and to increase exports. Using expertise from across the University, it focuses on improved leadership and new technology...
Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars
A UK-Canadian team of scientists has discovered ancient pockets of water, which have been isolated deep underground for billions of years and contain abundant chemicals known to support life.
First, carbon footprints... now you can calculate your 'nitrogen footprint'
Scientists at Lancaster, Virginia and Oxford universities have produced a web-based tool that allows anyone living in the UK to see their own 'nitrogen footprint'.
LEC PhD student, Beth Brockett, organises knowledge-exchange event for farmers
Beth Brockett who is researching 'An interdisciplinary approach to modelling ecosystem service delivery at the farm unit scale' for her PhD has organised an knowledge-exchange event.
LEC Volcanology Field Course sees erupting Mount Etna
Students on the annual LEC Volcanic Processes field course to Mt. Etna, Sicily were treated to a visual feast as they witnessed the volcano in action. Although Mt. Etna is recognised as a highly active volcano, the recent activity has been highly sporadic, and seeing activity is never guaranteed.
Opening of £9.8m Centre for Global Eco-Innovation
Story supplied by LU Press Office
L-R: Dr Mark Bacon, Dion Williams, Prof. Mark E. Smith, Lord Drayson of Kensington, John Flamson DL, Prof. Mary Smyth
Entrepreneur and former Science Minister Lord Drayson of Kensington says a new £9.8m Centre for Global Eco-Innovation is at the forefront of a green technological revolution.
He was speaking as he opened the new centre at the Bridgwater Hall in Manchester. The centre, part financed by the European Regional Development Fund, is a joint initiative between Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool and Inventya Ltd to develop eco-innovative products and services.
Lord Drayson said: "I'm delighted to see Lancaster and Liverpool, two of our top research universities, working with Inventya Ltd in the vanguard of this green technological revolution. We have the brains, the science and the technology to lead this green tech revolution and I'm convinced that the scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs in this room will achieve great things through working together over the next few years."
He said the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation would address the defining challenges of the 21st century.
"We're consuming 25 per cent more resources than our planet can support and CO2 levels are rising. We have to offer people an attractive accessible low carbon future and it's vital that business leaders invest in the work by academics and the scientific community to find a solution to these challenges.
"The UK is ranked 6th in the world in this sector and we need to see low carbon not as a threat to recovery but as a driver of recovery."
Video overview of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation
The launch event was attended by the Vice Chancellor of Lancaster University Professor Mark E. Smith, the Director of Partnerships and Innovation at the University of Liverpool John Flamson, the Co-Directors of the centre Dr Mark Bacon and Dion Williams and over 250 leading experts in eco-innovation, graduates, businesses, and national public and private organisations.
Four North West businesses have already gained more than £3m worth of grants and investment after working with the centre, which is now looking for over 200 more North West companies to be supported in the development and commercialisation of new eco-innovative products and services.
This support may be in the form of three to six month research projects with Lancaster University or the University of Liverpool, or through free support from innovation consultancy Inventya Ltd.
In addition, 50 SMEs have been recruited and matched with 50 of the UK's brightest graduates who will complete three year research and development projects for the business and use these as the basis of a PhD programme of research.
Graduate Projects Including International Placements
Upcoming Events
LEC Seminar 4 June 2013
Professor Ming-Lai Fu and Dr Jian-Qiang Su, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, China
Tuesday 04 June 2013, 1300-1400
LEC Training Room 1
Speaker:
Misunderstood, overweight, henpecked, too few papers and home flooded? Riverine vegetation (not you!) in a multistressor environment
Dr Matthew OÂ’Hare, CEH Edinburgh
Wednesday 05 June 2013, 1200-1300
LEC Training Rooms 1 And 2
Dr. Matthew O'Hare is Senior Aquatic Botanist at CEH Edinburgh. He is interested in factors influencing the ecology of aquatic plants in the UK, especially river plants. These factors include herbivory and eutrophication but his major focus is on the interaction between water flow and the plants.
Plan for the future - understand the science behind the schemes
Tuesday 11 June 2013, 1000-1400
Hollins Farm, Ennerdale
Free event for all farmers and farm environment advisors