Good news for chemists at Manchester.

HM the Queen was preparing to join freshers in Manchester, UK, for the official launch of The University of Manchester just as this issue went to the press. The institution, formed by the union of UMIST and the Victoria University of Manchester, will support 34 000 students, making it the largest single-site university in the UK. Its inauguration marks the first time that two British research-led universities have joined together.

The move has given rise to one of the largest chemistry departments in the UK, supporting around 60 researchers, over 200 postgraduates, over 600 undergraduates (second only to the University of Oxford), 6000m² of refurbished lab space and a two-year £13 million building project to include a suite of brand new teaching labs.

The new School of Chemistry is home to several research centres with extensive industry and research council support, including the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) centre for radiochemistry and the recently opened Organic Materials Innovation Centre, an independently-managed partnership between industry and academia. The new university overall has the third largest number of current EPSRC grants and the largest current value of BBSRC grants.

Strategic targets, outlined by head of school Paul O'Brien, include consolidating the school's position as a top 5* or equivalent UK chemistry school (5* may disappear in the next Research Assessment Exercise); forging stronger links with business and industry; increasing research spinout and commercial activity; and regional, national and international strategic research planning for new and emerging science and technology. In 2001, the last RAE before the two universities joined forces, the Victoria University of Manchester scored five in chemistry, while UMIST scored four.

Bea Perks