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A new UK centre of excellence in computational science, which will support a wide range of scientific research topics including the biological and medical sciences as well as the physical sciences and engineering, is being launched today.

The centre is bringing together leading UK expertise in key fields of computational research to tackle large-scale scientific software development, maintenance and distribution, thus improving the scientific research software that universities and industries worldwide increasingly rely on.

The Computational Science Centre for Research Communities (CoSeC) will involve four of the seven UK Research Councils, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Medical Research Council.

CoSeC will be housed in STFC’s Scientific Computing Department (SCD) and David Corney, Director of SCD, said: “CoSeC embraces decades of core support by the research councils, and will provide continuity and security in the years to come.”

The areas of research which will benefit from this centre include the study of viruses and proteins at the molecular level; and fusion energy, one of the most promising options for generating large amounts of carbon-free energy in the future; and brain scanning technologies that may make it possible to identify and track the signs of dementia.

CoSeC Director Dr Barbara Montanari said: “CoSeC supports thousands of researchers in universities and industry, and is a hub for exchanging knowledge and expertise across scientific communities.”

The centre was launched today at the Research Software Engineers Association conference today at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

For more information please read the CoSeC launch press release.

For more information contact:
Marion O’Sullivan, STFC Scientific Computing
Tel: 01235 394205

Notes for editors

For more information about CoSeC and the work we support, visit the CoSeC website.

Collaborative Computational Projects (CCPs) enrich UK computational science and engineering research in various ways. They provide a software infrastructure on which important individual research projects can be built. They support both the R&D and exploitation phases of computational research projects. They ensure the development of software which makes optimum use of the whole range of hardware available to the scientific community, from the desktop to the most powerful national supercomputing facilities.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

As the main funding agency for engineering and physical sciences research, our vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world to Research, Discover and Innovate. By investing £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, we are building the knowledge and skills base needed to address the scientific and technological challenges facing the nation. Our portfolio covers a vast range of fields from healthcare technologies to structural engineering, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry. The research we fund has impact across all sectors. It provides a platform for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. We work collectively with our partners and other Research Councils on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BBSRC)

BBSRC invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Funded by government, BBSRC invested £473 million in world-class bioscience, people and research infrastructure in 2015-16. We support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

More information about BBSRC, our science and our impact. More information about BBSRC strategically funded institutes.

The Medical Research Council (MRC)

The Medical Research Council is at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers’ money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area of health. Thirty-one MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms.