A TESTING centre for green energy and sustainable manufacturing will be officially opened today in a bid to improve the region's status as a science-based energy hub.
The Redcar-based Centre for Process Innovation is to unveil the National Biotechnology Demonstrator Facility at an event at the Wilton Centre this morning.
The facility will be used to road-test processes that could later be rolled out on an industrial scale, and help to develop sustainable and ground-breaking manufacturing processes.
This project has been supported by government funding amounting to around £12m, and complements other work being done by the CPI including the development of anaerobic digestion technology.
The CPI is also involved in groundbreaking work in printable electronics through its business unit in Sedgefield and Wilton.
The Printable Electronics Technology Centre provides R&D support and engages in partnership with a view to providing new innovative designs for organic photovoltaics, organic thin film transistors and organic solid state lighting.
Back in March, the Government announced a consortium including the CPI would receive “substantial investment” to boost the growth of new technology through the formation of the UK’s first elite technology innovation centre.
The consortium also included the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, the Advanced Forming Research Centre, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the Nuclear AMRC, the National Composites Centre and Warwick Manufacturing Group.
The technology innovation centre model has been championed by the CPI for several years, and is based on suggestions by Hermann Hauser and James Dyson.
It provides high-quality technical skills and equipment to businesses that would otherwise be unable to afford it.
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said: “This first elite technology and innovation centre in high value manufacturing will support our objective to rebalance the economy by underpinning current UK manufacturing strengths through the development and deployment of novel technologies into sectors such as aerospace, automotive and pharmaceuticals, whilst at the same time driving the UK into leading positions in new high growth markets by creating a platform for innovative SMEs to work with larger companies in developing technologies such as plastic electronics, fibre reinforced polymer composites and biotechnology.”
