Funding for £30m ‘game changing’ advanced manufacturing research institute in Deeside announced
Funding for the first phase of a new Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute which has been described as a ‘game changer’ for Deeside has been announced by Economy Secretary Ken Skates.
The new institute will focus on advanced manufacturing sectors including aerospace, automotive, nuclear and food. It is aimed at targeting collaborative R+D, advanced manufacturing techniques and production processes, training needs and skills across industry.
The institute will act as a catalyst for growth and jobs across the supply chain in Deeside, North Wales, the Northern Powerhouse and further afield.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said;
I am absolutely committed to delivering on my pledge to establish a £20m Wales Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute in Deeside which will focus on increasing commercialisation, training and productivity.
If we are to continue to compete globally Welsh industry must remain competitive and this means adapting to modern techniques and understanding the potential opportunities offered by collaboration and changes in the economy, for example, the fourth industrial revolution.
The new institute will very much support these ambitions and I am genuinely excited by the impact it could have.
The centre will be ideally designed and located to deliver benefits for Wales and to maximise opportunities associated with the Northern Powerhouse.
Indeed external experts have predicted that, dependant on external economic conditions, GVA could increase by as much as £4bn, an impact that could be absolutely transformational to the economy of North Wales and our country more widely.
News that a new Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute in Deeside could boost Welsh Gross Value Added (GVA) by as much as £4bn over 20 years has been hailed by an AM.
Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant said:
Deeside is already an economic hub with a large amount of highly-skilled jobs within manufacturing.
This institute will build on that and take the area to the next level, and I’m delighted at the forecast of how much it will add to Wales’s GVA. I know the advisory board has worked very hard on developing the business case for the institute and I’d like to thank them for that.
Locally we have the skills, expertise and drive to make the institute a success and further strengthen the area’s economy.
The Institute has been developed by the Deeside Enterprise Zone Advisory Board, with detailed input from, Swansea University AMRC Sheffield, Airbus and Coleg Cambria in conjunction with SMEs and large companies.
