As a research intensive university, our laboratories and experimental spaces are vital to our work and much of our research is entirely dependent on these spaces. Re-opening the cleanrooms is a significant milestone in resuming our activities and producing the research we are known for worldwide.
Over the last month, the cleanrooms technical team, led by John Ure have been working hard to prepare the Mountbatten building for safe working and bringing the laboratories back on line so that work can recommence, supporting the industry at this vital time.
Following the re-opening of the laboratory last week, Professor Mark Spearing, Vice-President Research and Enterprise, and Professor Sir David Payne, Head of the Zepler Institute for Phototonics and Nanoelectronics, visited the Mountbatten building to see the work that has been undertaken to enable this important facility to re-open safely.
Sir David commented:
“Re-opening laboratories and in particular the Mountbatten cleanrooms is far from straightforward. Labs need to be operational, because equipment that is unused can develop faults. The Mountbatten cleanrooms are housed in a very complex building and the team has been working for several weeks to ensure that it comes out of deep sleep safely and without problems in equipment availability. The team are elated that this has been done without major hitches.”
“You can see the extraordinary care we have taken to preserve the safety of the people working in here, we’ve got spacing, we’ve got masks, we have a very clean environment and it feels great to be back in.”
Mark Spearing added: “I would like to thank all colleagues who made this possible. It has been a fantastic team effort. It is also important to note that every laboratory situation is different, with different requirements for its operation, and different challenges to ensure the safety and health of its users. This has required creativity and flexibility from all involved to come up with good solutions in each case. This has been achieved to a high standard and in a very timely manner.”
