A NATIONAL Manufacturing Institute for Scotland is to be built in Renfrewshire with a £65 million investment.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the centre would be an “industry-led international centre of manufacturing expertise” which would “revive Scotland’s proud tradition of manufacturing and engineering”.
The Institute, described as a “factory for the future,” will have a role in helping companies across Scotland develop new technology.
When operational in 2020, it will also play a role in creating a manufacturing innovation district in Inchinnan which could create up to 1,000 jobs within three to five years, and could become a catalyst for up to 10,000 jobs in the next 20 years.
Scotland’s manufacturing industry currently employs 180,000 people, adds £12.5 billion to Scotland’s economic output each year, accounts for 52 per cent of international exports, and nearly £600m of the nation’s spend on business research and development.
The latest Scottish purchasing managers’ index, published yesterday by Bank of Scotland, reported a strengthening of positive sentiment among Scottish manufacturers. The report also found growth among manufacturers in November had accelerated for a second successive month.
The bulk of the funding for the centre, £48m, will come from the Scottish Government as part of its 2016 manufacturing action plan.
The University of Strathclyde, which will be the anchor university, is investing £8m. Renfrewshire Council will provide a further £39.1m through the Glasgow City Region Deal, to support wider infrastructure work at the site.
Located close to Glasgow Airport, work to build the centre will begin next year. It will build on Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre at Inchinnan, as a first step towards the wider manufacturing district. A Lightweight Manufacturing Centre is scheduled to open in the area next year.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Economy Secretary Keith Brown made the announcement during a visit to Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing facility in Inchinnan. The company is a founding member of the Advanced Forming Research Centre.
Ms Sturgeon said that research, industry and the public sector would work together at the facility to “transform skills, productivity and innovation, attracting investment and making Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing”.
She added: “It will help companies right across Scotland embrace new manufacturing techniques, support cutting edge research and help to further develop the skills of our workforce.
“The manufacturing jobs of the future offer exciting and rewarding careers for young people. We want to inspire them to work in this sector and revive Scotland’s proud tradition of manufacturing and engineering.”
Mr Brown said it built on Government support for the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre. “And it will support our ambitious target of doubling business expenditure on research and development by 2025. [It] will not only see us continue to reach out worldwide, but also see the rest of the world turning to Scotland for innovation and expertise.”
To support the manufacturing industry, the Scottish Government, in February 2016, published an action plan entitled A Manufacturing Future for Scotland. The NMIS was deemed fundamental to that plan’s overall success, and became a Programme for Government commitment.
NMIS will be delivered in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Funding Council, Renfrewshire Council along with Government and the university.
Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce said it would “further strength Scotland’s reputation as a hotbed of cutting-edge manufacturing knowledge”.
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