A £37 million initiative to enhance the UK's conservation and heritage science has been launched at Daresbury Laboratory.

The programme, managed and funded by the UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), aims to protect heritage for future generations while stimulating economic growth.

Daresbury Laboratory, located at Sci-Tech Daresbury, will play a central role in this initiative, supporting research programmes both across the UK and particularly in the North West.

The programme will create a network of state-of-the-art facilities and expertise nationwide, collaborating closely with academic institutions including the universities of Liverpool and Manchester, as well as local museums like Halton’s Norton Priory.

Paul Vernon, head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, said: "I am incredibly excited to work alongside AHRC on this UK-wide programme to support the research facilities, collections and expertise that are pivotal to heritage research in the UK.

"This is an exceptional opportunity to advance our knowledge and preservation of cultural heritage, through the world-class expertise and research facilities here at Daresbury Laboratory."

The RICHeS programme will create eight new jobs on the Sci-Tech Daresbury campus and will take office space within Sci-Tech Daresbury’s new Violet development, which will become the RICHeS headquarters.

It will also support conservation projects through Daresbury Laboratory’s microscopy facilities and advanced bioimaging techniques.

The programme will support the dating and authentication of heritage assets, such as paintings.

Professor Christopher Smith, executive chair of AHRC, said: "The UK has a rich and unparalleled cultural heritage and is a global leader in the science of heritage conservation.

"By investing in heritage science, we are not only unleashing new understanding about our cultural assets but boosting a world-leading heritage economy that will benefit us all."

The initiative will also support projects at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Liverpool.

Manchester Metropolitan University will establish a ‘Centre for Digital Modelling and Analysis for Conservation and Heritage’ to study heritage objects at a microscopic level.

The University of Liverpool will work with the National Museum of Liverpool to make the Garstang Museum of Archaeology's collections accessible online.

For more information about the RICHeS programme and how to get involved, visit the RICHeS website.