A new multi-million pound engineering competence centre in Northern Ireland will focus on developing innovative solutions within the sector.
The £6.8m Advanced Engineering Competence Centre, based at the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites & Engineering Centre (NIACE) on Airport Road, Belfast, will help companies to develop advanced technologies across a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, renewables and defence, and facilitate research project.
Announcing the new centre in July of this year the Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said: “The Northern Ireland Advanced Engineering Competence Centre is the latest in a series of new competence centres being funded by Invest NI, which are designed to rapidly transform great research into commercial success.
“This new industry-led centre is about maximising the benefits of the engineering knowledge and skills that already exist here, and enhancing those to ensure that we stay at the forefront of the global advanced engineering sector.”
Through the centre, companies from the various industries will have the opportunity to collaborate with University of Ulster and Queen’s University researchers to help them design and manufacture high-quality composite products.
Financing for the centre is made up of £5m of research and development assistance from Invest NI and a £1.8m investment from industry.
Dr Scott King, manager of NIACE and the new Northern Ireland Advanced Engineering Competence Centre, said: “There are great development opportunities for industry in Northern Ireland, and I am delighted that NIACE is the focal point for these.
“Securing £5m of assistance from Invest NI to help establish the Advanced Engineering Competence Centre will be crucial to supporting collaborative research between leading academics and industry. I would encourage companies operating in the advanced engineering sector to explore how this centre could benefit their business.”