Great Northeast Nanofabrication Facility
A new regional micro and nanofabrication hub for the North East of England
The Great Northeast Cleanroom
Opening in January 2027 at Newcastle University, the Great Northeast Cleanroom will create an advanced facility for nanoscience research and testing. The new facility will help North East universities deliver high-quality teaching, research, innovation and skills training and will also be of use to academics and the public.
Training and industry innovation will be conducted across semiconductors, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), photonics, quantum technologies, microfluidics and biomedical devices.
2027-2030
Attain industrial funding through direct payments and indirectly through joint Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA) and Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) awards.
This would total to £30M+ in investment if all the money was to come through. If we keep momentum, we strongly believe we can exceed £10M investment in the coming 5 years.
Impact
The creation of a cleanroom will bring added value to the university and to the North East region. The positive impacts of the facility will be seen throughout study and employment.
- Facility impact: a cleanroom is fundamental to semiconductor research – spanning Engineering and Physics schools. Hosting a regional world-class facility brings reputation and ranking benefits.
- Research impact: having a high-quality facility supports high-quality research, which in turn brings both research papers and research funding.
- Industrial impact: we have a vision for an industrial annexe that provides TRL4-5 services – this will bring industrial support for research, facility, and doctoral training funding applications.
- Teaching impact: across the world, leading universities are offering students experience of working with clean rooms and nanotechnologies. This facility ensures students in the North East of England can also gain this experience. It will be a leading example of how our Education Strategy helps students to encounter the leading edge of research and industrial practice.
