Posted on: 21 September 2015
The Princess Royal formally opened LR’s Global Technology Centre (GTC) in Southampton as part of the official opening of the Boldrewood Innovation Campus last week.
The campus is also home to Southampton University’s Faculty of Engineering and the Environment and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI).
Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Anne received a warm welcome from the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire – Mrs Lindsay Fox MBE, who introduced her to LR CEO Richard Sadler, LR CEO elect Alastair Marsh, vice-chancellor Professor Don Nutbeam, Professor William Powrie and 150 invited guests.
HRH toured the Towing Tank facility and visited the Centre for Complex Autonomous Systems Engineering Laboratories onsite before arriving at the GTC building.
After viewing the commemorative embroidery created by artist Alice Kettle, Princess Anne then explored an exhibit highlighting the key role LR has played in supporting the evolution of shipping, focusing on the technology challenges today and in the future. Historical material relating to LR’s involvement with royal yachts was also presented to HRH by LR’s historian Barbara Jones.
The Ship Emergency Response Team ran a simulation of a ship casualty for HRH to understand LR’s role in providing emergency response services. Finally, the Princess Royal unveiled a plaque and formally opened the campus.
Lloyd’s Register CEO Richard Sadler commented: “We were honoured to have HRH the Princess Royal opening the Boldrewood campus today. We were particularly pleased that she agreed to be here with us, due to her deep knowledge and passion for the maritime sector. The collaboration between industry and academia is vital for technical innovation. Our vision for the Southampton Global Technology Centre is to lead the world in helping to develop the solutions that will support safer, cleaner, more efficient businesses and assets.”
When fully completed, the Boldrewood Innovation Campus will host a world-class research infrastructure including an anechoic wind chamber, advanced fluid dynamics experimental facilities, which will be used across a range of disciplines including civil engineering and aerospace, and a 140m towing tank that will provide detailed research on new maritime technologies.
