Bristol site at the heart of new advanced manufacturing centre

October 11, 2011 by
Filed under: News 

The National Composite Centre in Bristol is a key part of a new Technology and Innovation Centre in high value manufacturing (HVM) that was launched today.

The Technology Strategy Board will invest £140 million over the next six years to stimulate manufacturing in the UK, reduce the risk of innovation for new and established UK manufacturing businesses and attract international business to the UK. The new centre in high value manufacturing will be the first of at least six Technology and Innovation Centres to be established by April 2013.

The HVM Centre brings together seven institutions of excellence to better support UK manufacturing:

·         Advanced Forming Research Centre (University of Strathclyde)

·         Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (University of Sheffield)

·         Centre for Process Innovation (Wilton & Sedgefield)

·         Manufacturing Technology Centre (Coventry)

·         National Composites Centre (University of Bristol)

·         Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (University of Manchester and Sheffield)

·         Warwick Manufacturing Group (University of Warwick)

By incorporating the seven institutions, the HVM Technology and Innovation Centre will support a number of different industries including pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, food & beverages, healthcare, aerospace, automotive, energy, chemicals and electronics.

The HVM Technology and Innovation Centre will commercialise business-led research and innovation that will help UK manufacturing businesses become more competitive on a world stage. As well as receiving funding from the Technology Strategy Board, direct contracts with UK business will form a third of the overall funding for the centre. The Centre will also be well positioned to secure funding from competitive Research and Development (R&D) grants, including EU funding.

“High value manufacturing is a priority for the Technology Strategy Board. The future of manufacturing in the UK needs to be high value, delivering strong financial performance, strategic importance, and positive social impact,” said Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board. “The UK has some of the best manufacturing businesses in the world, the industry accounts for 12 per cent of GDP, around half of exports and in 2010 employed 2.5 million people in the UK. The new centre will help UK businesses stay at the leading edge of manufacturing technology and create and protect jobs long into the future.”

“This is a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses in manufacturing. The new HVM Technology and Innovation Centre will become the go-to place for innovation in the UK manufacturing,” said Peter Chivers, Chief Executive of the National Composites Centre. “Using the facilities and expertise from the seven institutions, the new centre will provide a compelling advantage for UK manufacturing. We have already received strong interest from UK businesses to use the service and will be working collaboratively with UK manufacturing businesses from today.”

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