RB opens up a world of inspiring science in Hull

Bruce Charlesworth outside the new Science and Innovation Centre in Hull.

RB’s inspiring new Science and Innovation Centre combines state-of-the-art research and development facilities with the talent and passion to drive forward the latest discoveries in consumer health.

It is RB’s largest healthcare development centre in the world and the biggest single investment in the company’s history.

Scientists will work with consumers to develop highly innovative products to be sold in markets across the globe, generating significant revenues and delivering huge benefits for the local and regional economy.

The centre provides a vibrant workplace, with cutting-edge laboratories, a novel sensory suite for product testing, and collaborative working spaces that encourage ideas to flourish. It will be a magnet for scientific talent and help to inspire and develop the next generation of British scientists.

RB has no less than 179 years of history and heritage in Hull and retains a powerful presence in the city. RB employs around 1,400 people in Hull, with 800 in science-based roles.

R&D teams for seven of RB’s biggest brands are based in Hull, while more than 300 million consumer units, comprising 1,000 different products, including Nurofen, Lemsip, Disprin, Bonjela, Dettol and E45, are manufactured at its city site each year.

The Science and Innovation Centre is a fusion of old and new. It incorporates the Humber Suite, a historic office building dating back to the 1920s, which has been remodelled and seamlessly connected to a high-spec, three-storey facility. A listed First World War memorial, a landmark on the site, has also been fully refurbished and is the centrepiece of a new sensory garden.

At the heart of the building is the “Innovation Pathway”, a large open-plan atrium that can accommodate up to 170 people and is designed, along with other collaborative areas, to drive a culture of community, innovation and partnering.

The new centre will support RB’s three-year, multi-million-pound innovation pipeline, including iconic brands such as Air Wick, Gaviscon, Nurofen, Scholl, Strepsils, Mucinex and Veet.

Scientists will work with consumers in cutting-edge facilities such as the Product Innovation Suite, where 3D projection technology can be used to create a range of consumer environments, while Skype-compatible cameras allow scientists from around the world to take part in sessions.

This novel sensory suite also includes “wet testing” booths, such as showers and bathrooms, for trialling products such as Scholl and Veet in controlled, and private, conditions.

The centre includes 13,000 sq m of laboratories, created to bespoke specifications and employing technology such as the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) – software that automates and streamlines processes in order to reduce the risk of manual error.

In the formulation lab researchers combine the ingredients that make up RB’s world-leading health products, while the analytical lab is used to test the quality and safety of products throughout their development.

A microbiology laboratory ensures the risk of bacterial and fungal interference is minimised, while in the stability facility, product samples are stored behind glass, allowing researchers to monitor how they react to various temperatures and humidity levels over time.

Hundreds of sensors placed around the building feed information to a central control system, ensuring that, in the laboratories, optimum conditions are maintained at all times.

When studies in the labs are successful, researchers will use a 10th-scale pilot plant – a mini factory that mirrors full-scale manufacturing processes – to make a test batch of the new product, without having to break into production lines at the main factory. This efficiency allows RB to speed up the process of delivering new products to market.

Dr Bruce Charlesworth, Chief Medical Officer for Relief, Hygiene and Wellness who heads up the Hull site, said: “As a leading consumer health and hygiene company, RB’s mission is to create innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes. The new Science and Innovation Centre supports that mission, helping us identify unmet needs and create superior solutions that put self-care in the hands of consumers around the world.

“One of the many exciting practical advances is our new tenth scale pilot facility. It's essentially a mini factory in which we can develop, scale-up and validate the manufacturing processes for our innovations without interrupting our vital factory lines.

“It’s this sort of best practice that we’re championing here in Hull to be cascaded across the RB network. We’re all about local focus with global impact and the new Science and Innovation Centre is a true leap forward for us in terms of our research and development capability.”

The Science and Innovation Centre will help RB to attract and retain the best scientists with a focus on improving lives through discovery and development. Over half of the company’s Hull-based employees work in science, and 48 per cent of the global R&D workforce is based in Hull.

Tony Earl, R&D Facilities Manager, said: “This significant investment has enabled us to transition to a state-of-the-art centre designed purposefully for R&D.

“Healthcare is a changing workplace and the construction of this facility propels RB to where we need to be in terms of healthcare capability. It is a great platform for us to move forward with R&D in the future and develop innovative solutions for consumer healthcare needs.”

Bruce Charlesworth and RB'S CEO Laxman Narasimhan pictured unveiling a plaque during the launch of the new Science and Innovation Centre in Hull.