Newcastle bids to attract world's top scientists

Jun 2 2009 By Adrian Pearson, The Journal

THE world's top scientists are being tempted to bring groundbreaking research to Newcastle as part of a £700m project.

Science City bosses have sent out copies of their Scientia book to hundreds of companies across the globe to show why they should be investing in Newcastle.

Stem cell research, treatments for age related problems and new energy sources are all showcased in the brochure put together as part of efforts to transform Tyneside’s economy.

Among the projects that companies will be urged to back are plans to create a library of potential disease treatments in the city.

Scientists at the Newcastle Centre for Innovation In Drug Discovery say they want to speed up work on new drugs by providing one of the world’s biggest collections of biological samples.

Their work will mean potential cures can be tested against plants, bacteria and sea life, raising the possibility that hundreds of new drugs could be found in Newcastle.

Another flagship scheme sees experts in the city placed at the forefront of efforts to build machines capable of withstanding incredible heat.

A team including experts at Newcastle University are working on new materials which will allow high tech equipment to operate at temperatures of up to 900 degrees.