UEA staff have started making their own hand sanitiser

They are using the campus neglected labs


The staff scientists at UEA have begun making hand sanitiser to help the local council and the NHS cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Chemistry labs at the University of East Anglia were out of use after the university closed and teaching and research stopped, so Norfolk County Council and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital asked if the staff could produce some of the highly sought-after gel.

Professor Mark Searcey said: “All of the technicians, basically, who were normally in the science teaching building, jumped at the chance to actually make a contribution.

“Within a very short time I think we’d got about 170 litres of hand sanitiser, but we need a lot more.”

The university has appealed for businesses to come forward to help them produce the gel and supply ingredients. Despite the lockdown, they are continuing to contribute in any way possible.