Local MP Alan Mak has visitred UCL to see first-hand the university's powerful role in maintaining UK global success in research and innovation.
As Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, he toured University College London's campus at East Bank, the UK's newest culture and innovation quarter on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford.
From the creation of nanofibers to treat cancer and cardiovascular disease to improvements in the sustainability of plastics, Mr Mak recognised universities’ powerful role in maintaining the UK’s global success in research and innovation.
At UCL East he learned about UCL Innovation & Enterprise’s impressive record supporting spinouts and start-ups, with more than 540 new student start-ups and over 70 spinouts initiated at UCL.
He also discussed the huge economic impact that universities make in the local and national economy.
The tour took in UCL’s Manufacturing Futures Lab, where researchers develop next-generation manufacturing technologies.
Mr Mak visited the Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab, where he saw a demonstration of ‘Spot’ the robot dog.
In the Innovation Lab, he learned about how the rapid-prototyping teaching maker-space enables staff and students to realise their design ideas, with access to 3D printers, laser cutters, materials and power tools.
Mr Mak was also shown UCL East’s state-of-the-art wet laboratories.
He said: "Thank you to the team at UCL for showing me around and allowing me to see their brilliant research and robotics work in action.
"UCL's Geoffrey Hinton and Sir Demis Hassabis are the latest British winners of Nobel Prizes for science and it was great to meet engineers, scientists and innovators who are also part of UCL's science success story.
"As Shadow Secretary of State I'm going to be travelling around the country to meet other innovators, scientists and engineers, to listen to their views and see their work.
"I'll also be holding Labour to account to make sure they build on the achievements of the last Conservative Government, and working hard on a new Conservative vision for how Britain can be a science and technology superpower."
