A HIGH performance computing hub in Daresbury has been praised by the House of Lords.

A digital skills committee visited STFC's Hartree Centre this week to find out about the work they are doing to apply digital technologies to support UK businesses.

The visitors were shown the cutting edge 3D visualisation suite and advanced software training facilities and they discovered how STFC is working with industry bosses as well as businesses to help promote jobs.

Baroness Morgan, chairman of the Digital Skills Committee, said: "The expertise and cutting edge technology at the Hartree Centre were hugely impressive.

"It demonstrated to us the real life applications of digital technologies which need to drive UK competitiveness.

"The strength of the synergies between science and technology, industry and academia were also apparent to us.

"The Daresbury campus is a great example of the strength of regional hubs."

Cliff Brereton, director of the Hartree Centre, said: "We were able to show the committee how our powerful computers can be programmed to help to solve complex problems, from stimulating how a cancer drug interacts with human cells to help industry develop more effective drugs, to predicting how ingredients in products interact with each other , something which is shaving months off the development of breakthrough, innovative products.

"Although the committee members saw just a snapshot of what we do, I hope they left wanting to promote our work more widely."

The Hartree Centre, which is at the Sci-Tech Daresbury science and innovation campus, was officially opened in February this year by the Chancellor of the Exchequor George Osborne aimed at driving growth and innovation between science and business.