The Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East, provides modern, state-of-the art facilities to bring together the UK’s technology and manufacturing expertise in electrification research,  development and Innovation.

Now the facility, based within the Innovation Centre on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, Washington, Sunderland, will be home to a new 450-bed hospital to treat seriously ill patients with coronavirus.

The Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East, will continue at an alternative location nearby.

NHS Nightingale Hospital

The new hospital will be operated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who will treat patients from across the North East.

The building is owned by Sunderland City Council, and Newcastle University housed its Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East, there.

Rachel Chambers, Chief Operating Officer of the Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East, said: “At a time of unprecedented challenges people need to be flexible in their approach and everyone needs to pull together. 

“Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East, is proud that the Government has decided to convert the Innovation Centre into a Nightingale Hospital for the region and applaud the efforts of all those involved.

“This large new building, owned by Sunderland City Council, is perfectly suited to supporting this national effort and providing the additional capacity to the region’s NHS hospitals during these times.”

Newcastle University is continuing to invest in the Driving the Electric Revolution Centre, North East. In the short-term, if required, it will move to the Washington Business Park, which is only a few hundred yards away from the Innovation Centre.

The centre will actively continue to work on supporting the development and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises, new job creation, skills development, inward investment, re-shoring and UK company investment, accelerating production scale up and innovation, whilst growing UK capability and building critical supply chain for the UK.

Fitting support for crisis

Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "This building will be central to the region's economic revival when we emerge from this crisis, so it is fitting that we open it to support the national effort and provide valuable additional capacity to the NHS, to allow them to care for more people as pressures on our health and social care system continue to increase.

"We hope that the facility will not be needed - and that the region's hospitals are able to meet demand, following the social distancing measures put in place last month, but it is reassuring that it is there to support and relieve the region's existing NHS facilities in the event that is needed."