Higgs innovation centre being built in Edinburgh

The Higgs Centre for Innovation, which will be run in partnership with Edinburgh University, began construction earlier this week. It will be built at the Royal Observatory on Blackford Hill.

Backed by a £10.7 million investment from the government, the centre will help academics, PHD students, and engineers connect with small businesses, as Edinburgh looks to advance its position at the forefront of the British technology industry.

The centre is named in honour of Peter Higgs, who received the Nobel Prize for his predication of the existence of the Higgs-Boson particle, and who is also a former Edinburgh University professor. Higgs now holds the honorary title of Emeritus Professor at the university.

(Credit: Peter Tuffy)

With further financial backing from The Science and Technology Facilities Council coming over the next 5 years, this centre is clearly good news for both science and Scotland.

Where science happens

As Professor James Dunlop, head of the Astronomy department at Edinburgh University, puts it: “The new centre will cement Edinburgh’s reputation as a world leader in the fields of astrophysics and big data, and provide new opportunities for knowledge exchange between astronomers, particle physicists, engineers and industry.”

Work began on the centre on Wednesday and it due to be completed in 2017.