The University of Liverpool has announced plans to position the Liverpool City Region and the UK as a global leader in AI-driven materials research, development, and innovation.
Announced at the University’s annual Vice-Chancellor’s Conference yesterday, the new £100m AI Materials Hub for Innovation (AIM-HI) will be a flagship national facility dedicated to accelerating the application of artificial intelligence in materials chemistry.
Focusing on areas such as catalysis, materials for net-zero, soft matter, and product formulation, AIM-HI will drive innovation in sectors crucial to the UK economy and the transition to net zero.
AIM-HI will feature state-of-the-art research and translational spaces, as well as an innovation incubator designed to foster collaboration between academic and industrial researchers.
The facility aims to bridge the translational gap between academic research and industry implementation to accelerate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and robotics in materials science, boosting innovation, driving economic growth, and supporting workforce skills and development.
READ MORE: Euro 24 and UK Sport accounts guru joins expanding MatchFit North team
AIM-HI is a £100 million total project that is estimated to create or support up to 900 high-value jobs across the UK and generate more than £400 million in Gross Value Added, fuelling a new era of economic growth driven by AI and advanced materials innovation in the UK. Funding for AIM-HI will be secured from multiple sources, including industry.
Professor Tim Jones, vice-chancellor of the University of Liverpool, said: “This is a bold and forward-looking initiative to unlock the full potential of AI in advanced materials discovery.
“The University of Liverpool is a global leader in AI-driven materials research and industry collaboration, as demonstrated by the success of the Materials Innovation Factory.
“AIM-HI represents the next step in our mission to accelerate materials science innovation, drive regional and national economic growth, and support the UK’s transition to net zero. We are determined to put Liverpool – and the UK – at the forefront of the global AI revolution in materials discovery.”
Professor Matthew Rosseinsky OBE FRS, from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Chemistry and Materials Innovation Factory, added: “AIM-HI reflects our ambition to seize the opportunity offered by AI to accelerate the discovery of the materials that society will need to tackle global challenges. By developing new tools to identify outperforming materials from the vast space of chemistry, we will open new scientific directions and drive forward technology. Our extensive network of industrial and academic partners will be key to success.”
AIM-HI builds on the proven track record of the University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory (MIF), an £81 million centre of excellence for advanced materials discovery co-created with Unilever.
The MIF, which opened in 2018, has generated more than £120m in competitive grant funding, supported hundreds of high value jobs and catalysed SME growth across the region. AIM-HI will apply the MIF’s highly successful academic-industry collaboration model at a national level.
The University of Liverpool is a world leader in AI and robotics for materials chemistry, with an international reputation for pioneering research in the field.
