A new research facility at Queen's University, Belfast (QUB) has been officially welcomed.

NI Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster has opened Ansin, a state-of-the-art research facility, established within QUB's School of Mathematics and Physics, which will focus on the development of advanced materials.

The project has resulted from a strategic partnership between Queen's and Seagate Technology.

It was during discussions last year, regarding Invest Northern Ireland's £12.7m offer of support for a £58m R&D investment by Seagate, that the Ansin concept was first proposed.

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As part of that project, Seagate has committed to a £1.7m collaborative research project with QUB, which will fund 10 research posts at the university.

To help establish this R&D facility, Seagate has donated equipment with an estimated value of £7.5m and, in addition, has agreed to provide £250,000 to fund business development activities that will encourage other companies to participate in the hub's research agendas.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister said: "This research facility represents an important collaboration between academia and industry, through which the wider industrial base will benefit from Seagate and QUB's leading surface science and advanced materials technology capabilities."

(NS/BMcC)