The Ray Dolby Centre officially opens today, 9 May 2025, at a ceremony in Cambridge.
The new facility is a major asset for the country that will support world-class physics and bring together a community of the brightest minds to solve some of the world’s most complex problems.
Nationally leading facilities
The Ray Dolby Centre is the new home of the Cavendish Laboratory, the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physics.
It has been named in recognition of a generous £85 million donation from the estate of Cambridge alumnus and sound pioneer Ray Dolby.
The project to replace the existing facilities at Cambridge is supported by a £75 million investment from the UK government, administered through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The centre’s ambitions align with EPSRC’s support of nationally leading research facilities such as the Rosalind Franklin Institute and National Wind Tunnel Facility.
Fostering collaboration
The Ray Dolby Centre will feature 173 laboratories, clean rooms, lecture halls, learning and collaborative spaces, workshops and offices.
It will serve as a national hub for physics where the research community across the UK will have access to specialised research equipment, resources and facilities.
The Collaborative R&D Environment for Physics (CORDE) national facility, funded by EPSRC, will be hosted at the new Ray Dolby Centre.
CORDE will foster collaboration between industry and university researchers and enhance public access to new research.
Inspiring future generations
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive Officer, said:
The Ray Dolby Centre will make a significant and much welcome addition to the Physics research and innovation community in the UK.
The Centre will inspire future generations and foster new collaborations, not least through its innovative plans for equipment sharing and opportunities for users from across the UK to benefit.
I am delighted to be able to join in celebrating this remarkable occasion.
Pushing the boundaries
Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair at EPSRC said:
The Ray Dolby Centre is an enormously exciting state-of-the-art facility that will enable our research community to continue to push the boundaries of knowledge and generate transformative discoveries.
Having recently visited the centre, I am profoundly impressed by the cutting-edge design and the opportunities that it offers.
The Collaborative R&D Environment for Physics (CORDE) exemplifies our commitment to ensuring that the benefits of our investments are available widely across academia, while also supporting business innovation and enhancing opportunities for skills training.
CORDE, and the wider Ray Dolby Centre, will catalyse groundbreaking advances and enable the UK to maintain its position at the forefront of physics.
Creating the right environment
Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge said:
The Ray Dolby Centre is a state-of-the-art national facility for physics which sits at the heart of the emerging Cambridge West Innovation District.
This unique environment is transforming how the UK does science, creating the leading location in Europe that brings together academics, entrepreneurs, and industry.
It will be at the forefront of AI, quantum, and climate research, catalysing the growth of UK science and technology.