A new £7.5m international research hub to develop hi-tech projects has been unveiled at Queen's University Belfast.
Academics and industry chiefs said they had high hopes for Ansin, which they said could bring major advances in computer hard drives, new and improved sensors and a host of advanced coatings.
Experts predicted that success in breaking new ground in the type of technology used to digitally store music and movies could generate wider economic growth for the local economy.
The project was launched in partnership with Seagate Technology, and while it is expected that new levels of information and data storage will be one groundbreaking advance, there are hopes that attracting international companies could deliver other innovations including new medical sensors and security devices.
In Ansin researchers will work on new advanced materials from the micron scale, about 50 times smaller than the width of a human hair, all the way down to layers of materials just a few atoms thick.
Queen's said Ansin is one of the top 10 industry-linked university research centres in the world.
