BOLTON will have one of the largest departments in Europe dedicated to fire research in materials.

The Bolton Institute is to team up with Salford University's Fire research group when its scientists move to the Institute this summer.

Salford University is closing down its chemistry department so the team is moving to Bolton where a £10,000 fire laboratory refurbishment has been completed.

The Institute has an international reputation for its pioneering work, especially in developing the next generation of high-performance, flame retardant technical yarns.

It is also involved in a project with Salford and Sheffield Universities to find a new way of making synthetic textiles fire-resistant for British troops.

Professor Dick Horrocks, director of research, said of the new merger: "We will be the largest materials fire research group in the UK, possibly Europe, with an area of expertise in materials science and small-scale characterisation of fire performances.

"What Salford brings to the equation is applied chemistry. They specialise in burning mechanisms and fire toxic gas analysis which compliments our expertise in materials.

"If you put this together with Bolton's expertise in formulating and preparing new materials, then together we have a fire research team which is far more integrated than any other in the UK -- in either universities or industry sectors."

Porfessor Horrocks' team of Dr Baljinder Kandola and Dr Phil Davies will be joined by Professor Dennis Price and his assistant Dr Richard Hull from Salford.