The University of Strathclyde has officially launched the Advanced Net Zero Innovation Centre (ANZIC), a new national facility supporting the UK’s transition to a net-zero economy through innovation, collaboration, and advanced manufacturing.

Located at the Rolls-Royce facility in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, ANZIC provides open-access, industrial-scale research, testing and development capabilities for clean energy, transport, and digital technologies.

Supported by partners including Innovate UK and Scottish Enterprise, ANZIC aims to combine Strathclyde University’s research capabilities with industry expertise from the Power Networks Demonstration Centre and the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland.

Now open to partners from industry, academia, and the public sector looking to develop next-gen net-zero technologies, the Centre features a ‘megawatt-scale’ testing environment.

With a high-capacity power supply, dynamometers and an outdoor test area, the facility will allow validation of large-scale energy systems and electric propulsion under real-world conditions.

“This facility brings together some exciting world-leading capabilities and is a brilliant example of collaboration between industry, academia, and the public sector to create an innovation asset that will foster sustainable growth in the Scottish economy,” said Jane Martin, managing director of innovation and investment at Scottish Enterprise.

“By leveraging unique strengths and resources, we can both drive innovation around transformative net zero technologies and create the right environment for companies to expand and create jobs.”

ANZIC is also home to the National Advanced Semiconductor Packaging and Integration Centre (NASPIC), supported by Glasgow City Region Investment Zone funding, which is working to advance UK ambitions in semiconductor innovation.

NASPIC will provide advanced packaging and integration capabilities to help the industry develop and scale next-generation semiconductor technologies, a project expected to generate £800 million in revenue and create 300 jobs.

Recommended reading

• NZTC Lays Out 10-Year Plan to Drive Net Zero Innovation
• Scottish Net Zero Financing Initiative Launched to Unlock Investment
• Scotland Must Go Electric or Miss Net Zero, Warns New Report

ANZIC is a critical strand of Strathclyde’s wider advanced manufacturing programme, which also includes Project PRISM from the Glasgow City Innovation District, an initiative aiming to build on the UK’s space sector capabilities.

Strathclyde University is also the academic lead on the Maritime Supply Chain Innovation project, which is projected to support over 750 long-term jobs as well as provide wider benefits for over 6,000 maritime-related jobs across the region.

Speaking on the opening of ANZIC, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “By bringing together world-class capabilities and strategic partnerships, we are creating a platform for transformative change in how we power our world, manufacture our technologies, and train our future workforce.”