Want to stay up to date about what's happening at the Hartree Centre? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter! This month we published a press release about our work with the South African Astronomical Observatory to deliver the ‘Intelligent Observatory’ programme. The programme is using AI and advanced digital technologies to automate and make telescopes smarter, so they can monitor themselves, process data instantly, and capture sudden astronomical events, like exploding stars, in real time. We also released a case study following a press release last month about our work with Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and Alder Hey Innovation to develop a smart staff scheduling system that will ease complex rota planning, reduce clinician administrative time and support staff wellbeing. Read the full monthly roundup below to learn more!
STFC Hartree Centre
Research Services
Warrington, Cheshire 5,765 followers
Powering digital innovation that delivers impact for people, places and UK industry.
About us
We are the only UK supercomputing centre dedicated to creating industry impact, equipping organisations of any size with the knowledge, skills and compute power needed to explore and adopt advanced digital technologies, from AI to quantum computing. To unlock the high‑growth potential for businesses and the public sector, we co‑develop digital solutions, translate research into practical applications, build capabilities and confidence through training and provide trusted insights that de‑risk technology adoption. From fusion energy and materials discovery to precision medicine and advanced engineering, we demonstrate how digital innovation can improve productivity, support net zero ambitions and enhance quality of life across the UK. As a national centre within the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), part of UK Research and Innovation, we are backed by over £170 million of government investment and major programmes such as the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation with IBM and Innovate UK’s BridgeAI.
- Website
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https://www.hartree.stfc.ac.uk/
External link for STFC Hartree Centre
- Industry
- Research Services
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Warrington, Cheshire
- Founded
- 2012
- Specialties
- High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Research Software Engineering, Innovation, Digital Technologies, SME Engagement, Training and development, Cloud, Emerging Technologies, Public Sector, UK Government, Collaboration, Aerospace, Automotive, Life Sciences, Materials, Chemistry, Healthcare, Energy, Environment, Security and Resilience, Modelling and Simulation, Visualisation, Impact, Policy, and Industrial Strategy
Updates
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📣 Today we co-hosted the Quantum Healthcare Summit with Health Innovation North West Coast and Institute of Physics at The Spine in Liverpool. It was thrilling to see so much enthusiasm for digital innovation with quantum technologies in healthcare throughout the day, as attendees came to speak with our quantum computing experts and Business Development team at our booth. Prof Richard Harding, one of our Business Development Managers shared how we have used quantum computing to speed up innovation in the healthcare industry like improving breast cancer identification. Richard also chaired an open room discussion with senior healthcare stakeholders on quantum adoption into the healthcare space, as well as a pitching session with our industry partners. Learn more about quantum computing at the Hartree Centre: https://lnkd.in/eb5qGtYc #Quantum #QuantumAdoption #HealthCareInnovation #QuantumComputing STFC | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | RCP Spaces at The Spine
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📣 It is fantastic to see our former Director Alison Kennedy recognised as part of the SC Conference Series Women’s History Month campaign for her outstanding contributions to the global HPC community and her leadership in advancing diversity across the field. With more than 30 years of experience across academia and industry, Alison has played a pivotal role in shaping high performance computing as it has helped to grow the adoption of advanced digital technologies across UK industry. As co-founder and first Executive Chair of Women in High Performance Computing (WHPC), she helped grow the organisation into a global network, supporting women in the field and highlighting the importance of diversity in driving innovation and long-term success. #WHM26 #SC26 #HPCunites STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
As the former Director of the UK-based Hartree Centre, part of the UK National Laboratories, I have more than 30 years of experience in HPC and AI across both academia and industry. My path into HPC was not conventional; my first degree was in history, and my early career was in systems programming, but that diversity of background shaped how I approached leadership, strategy, and community building within the field. Over three decades, I have seen high-performance computing evolve from a niche capability to a foundational pillar of scientific and industrial innovation. I was often one of the very few women in the room, an experience that reinforced my belief that talent and perspective are not limited by discipline or background. That belief became a defining thread in my career. I co-founded Women in HPC and served as its first Executive Chair, helping grow it from a small, informal initiative into an international organisation with national and local chapters and a presence at major global conferences. Its mission has been both to support women working in HPC and to encourage the wider community to recognise the value that diversity brings to innovation and long-term success. I was honoured to be named one of the inaugural “35 Legends of HPC” at the SC24 conference for my work advancing diversity in the field. Although now retired, I remain engaged through advisory and review roles across the UK and the European Union. My name is Alison Kennedy, and I have worked to ensure that high-performance computing grows not only in capability, but in inclusivity and opportunity. #WHM26 #SC26 #HPCunites
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We were delighted to explore quantum technologies with senior healthcare stakeholders today at Sci-Tech Daresbury, ahead of the Quantum Healthcare Summit tomorrow in Liverpool. There were enthusiastic discussions about quantum adoption into the healthcare space, informing attendees of the quantum computing work at Daresbury Laboratory. This included a tour of PsiQuantum lab one of our industry partners working towards building quantum technology hardware that can make an impact to UK Industry and the healthcare sector. It was great to hear the insightful discussions around quantum computing adoption and application in healthcare led by our Business Development Manager Prof Richard Harding and IBM's Director for the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation (HNCDI) Peter Waggett with the support of our quantum software engineer Oscar Wallis. Tomorrow Richard Harding will be continuing the discussion on how to bring people onboard and adopt quantum technologies at the Quantum Healthcare Summit tomorrow at The Spine, Liverpool. #Quantum #QuantumAdoption #HealthCareInnovation #QuantumComputing STFC | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | RCP Spaces at The Spine | Health Innovation North West Coast
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STFC Hartree Centre reposted this
🎉 Today, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has unveiled a new package of measures that will see the UK become the first country in the world to roll out #Quantum computers at scale. Notably: ✨ the Government has committed £2 billion to establish the UK as a world leader in Quantum. ✨ the aim is that the UK becomes the first country in the world to make and deploy Quantum computers at scale by the early 2030s, ushering in a new era for computing which could add £200bn to the economy by 2045. ✨ A defining technology of the future, Quantum is already revolutionising drug discovery, sustainability, financial services and more. Take a look at our groundbreaking work with STFC Hartree Centre for some examples: https://lnkd.in/ekH5UtUT and at IBM’s Quantum Roadmap: https://lnkd.in/eAmrghpy 💡 According to Gartner, we are the company to beat in terms of bringing useful #quantum computing to the world – take a look at their report here: https://ibm.co/6046DaFr4 P.S.: Did you know that you can get 100+ points for the word ‘quantum’ in a game of Scrabble if you position it on a triple word score and use all of your tiles at once? 😁 Image credit: Marcus Winkler
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This week, two of our Science and Business Engagement Officers had the opportunity to speak at PAERI26, the international Public Awareness and Engagement with Research Infrastructure conference. The theme this year centred around navigating science communication in a shifting landscape. With attendees and speakers based in research organisations all over Europe, PAERI26 brought together a wide breadth of expertise to explore how different organisations are responding to these shared challenges. One of our team, Zara Findlay, discussed how strong execution of visual identity can elevate an organisations perception, positioning and messaging, and the ongoing work around this at the Hartree Centre. The following day, Stella Elena Alexandrova shared how misinformation is impacting the digital landscape, some of our key strategies to combat this and how we help audiences understand how advanced digital technologies can tackle grand challenges, like those surrounding sustainable energy research. As the UK’s only supercomputing centre dedicated to industry engagement, our ability to build trust, demonstrate impact and articulate the value of advanced digital technologies is just as important as the technologies themselves. Forums like PAERI26 provide us with the space to share challenges, learn from peers across the community and continuously shape how we communicate. PAERI - Public Awareness and Engagement with Research Infrastructures | European XFEL | DESY | STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology #ScienceCommunication #ResearchInnovation #DigitalInnovation
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📣 We are working to create sustainable energy by making commercial fusion energy a reality as part of our ongoing work with UK Atomic Energy Authority through the Fusion Computing Lab collaboration. By leveraging supercomputing and AI, we are advancing complex modelling to deepen the scientific understanding of fusion, such as building fusion energy device simulations like the one in the image below, created by our Visualisation Team. Together, we’re developing fusion energy technologies virtually, reducing the need for costly real-world prototyping. With cutting-edge technology and world-class data science, we’re helping to create digital twins of future fusion power plants, accelerating innovation. Exciting progress as we work towards a sustainable fusion-powered future! Find out more about our work with UKAEA: https://lnkd.in/e55SJZ6m STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero #Fusion #NetZero #GreenEnergy #HPC #AI #Supercomputing #DigitalTwin
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Want to put quantum computing theory into practise? ⚛️ Join us for our intermediate-level Practical Guide to Quantum Computing training session, designed to help you understand the core concepts behind quantum mechanics and where quantum computing ideas originate. Led by our experts, this interactive course covers the foundational theory before putting it into practise, you'll get hands-on writing your own quantum circuit code during a guided tutorial. Perfect for learners who want to build a solid foundation in this fast-growing field. 📅 22 April 📍 Online Register now: https://lnkd.in/dwbrTNaW #QuantumComputing #DigitalSkills #TechTraining
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📣 It is fantastic to see our Training Manager Nia Alexandrov recognised as part of the SC Conference Series Women’s History Month campaign for her contributions to the global HPC community and technical training. Throughout her career she has helped shape HPC training worldwide, beginning in 1997 by exploring the use of technology in higher education. Today she leads our Training Team delivering training and upskilling the UK in HPC, AI, quantum computing and other emerging technologies supporting industry, academia and the public sector. Find out more about our free training courses: https://lnkd.in/dwbrTNaW #WHM26 #SC26 #HPCunites #Training STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
I never expected my career to be in the HPC and computing environment. In 1997, as I was re-entering work after maternity leave, the first project I worked on was about using the existing technological platforms to facilitate a learning community in fashion and textiles in higher education. Through this, I was drawn into the technology-rich learning environment of the HPC community, and 30 years later, I am a HPC and computing native. Today I can say, I am part of the global HPC community, I have co-chaired 12 workshops 'Best Practices for HPC Training and Education' at @SC Conference’, a number of BoFs and workshops at ISC High Performance, and have been part of International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) from its beginning in 2001. They shaped technical training worldwide, creating a community of like-minded professionals. Over the years, I have coordinated 3 MScs in HPC and its adjacent cognitive areas and helped launch hundreds of careers. I am proud that I have helped foster diverse student cohorts, with some following in my footsteps in training. Currently, I am the Training Manager at the STFC Hartree Centre, and I lead a team of andragogy, multi-media, and learning platform specialists. We design, manage, and deliver technical training courses for industry, public sector, and research communities. Our extensive portfolio features over 50 courses and webinars spanning introductory to practitioner levels, covering everything from HPC and AI to quantum computing and other emerging technologies. Also, our courses are now CPD Standards Office(CPD)-accredited or in the process of accreditation, providing participants with internationally recognised certification that elevates professional standards across the field. My name is Nia Alexandrova, and I believe the strength of the HPC community lies in its diversity and that true innovation emerges when we work together to create opportunities for everyone to succeed. #WHM26 #SC26 #HPCunites
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We are working with the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), a leading centre for optical and infrared astronomy, to deliver the ‘Intelligent Observatory’ programme. 🔭 The programme is using AI and advanced digital technologies to automate and make telescopes smarter, so they can monitor themselves, process data instantly, and capture sudden astronomical events, like exploding stars, in real time. The team is building software that monitors telescopes, spots problems early, and turns raw observation data into clear insights, all with minimal human effort. It summarises nightly observations, flags system glitches and weather disruptions, and ensures astronomers capture the best possible data. Meanwhile, advanced AI models also predict local weather, detect faults and adjust for atmospheric effects, keeping telescopes running smoothly and observations reliable. Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/e669cA2u STFC | UK Research and Innovation | Department for Science, Innovation and Technology | Adriano Agnello | James Todd | Robert Firth | Ciaron Howell #AI #Astronomy #SmartTelescopes
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