UK: Newcastle University looks to a greener future

Newcastle University will play a key part in research into green energy solutions with its new Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research. The Institute was opened last month, and is located in the University’s Devonshire Building - in the heart of the cosmopolitan Northern England city of Newcastle.

Sir Joseph Swan, the Tyneside-born inventor, created the first electric light bulb back in the late 19th century. It is hoped the Institute named in his honour will lead to bright ideas in biofuel research, electrical power engineering for new and renewable energy generation, and cleaner solutions to fossil fuels. It is supported by the regional development agency, One NorthEast, which is putting £100 million into energy research over the next five year.

A hundred years ago, Newcastle was known for its coalfields. Now, the university looks to a future at the heart of the knowledge economy, rather than the industrial economy. It is one of the fastest growing universities in the UK, and according to the Time Online guide, “with its unusually wide range of degree courses, and top rated student facilities, it’s not hard to see why.”

About a fifth of the student population come from overseas, and find Newcastle a friendly and inexpensive place to live and study. Good rail links mean it is less than three hours from London, and there are many international and European air services direct to the city.

Manasvini Prabhat, from India, says “Newcastle offered me something of a ‘package deal’ - a well-reputed university, the course of my choice (chemical and process engineering) with the flexibility I wanted, as well as a scholarship to slightly ease the financial load.”

To find out more about the wide range of degrees offered at Newcastle University, contact one of our student counsellors.