British Petroleum (BP) is to fund a substantial new research centre in the Department of Chemistry, aimed at the application of surface chemistry to oil recovery. Energy is a central research theme in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, including work on technologies such as photovoltaics, fuel cells, wind turbines, bioenergy and nuclear reactors as well as smart metering, demand reduction and many other aspects of energy management and policy. The Faculty is happy to add the science of oil recovery to the portfolio and looks forward to a fruitful collaboration with BP.