North gets high-tech research flagship

A NEW state-of-the-art £6 million (€7.1 million) research centre which will specialise in developing the next generation of high-tech manufacturing materials is to be established in Belfast.

The North’s Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster yesterday confirmed plans for the new Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE) which will be financed by both public and private sector money.

The Minister said the centre would protect and grow businesses in Northern Ireland, particularly in the manufacturing sector which she said was the “key to economic recovery”.

Ms Foster said: “This flagship centre will become the focal point for advanced materials as well as engineering research and development in Northern Ireland.

“In particular, it will enable the advancement of composites technology across a range of industrial sectors.”

The new centre aims to encourage more companies to work together on groundbreaking research and development projects that will benefit the North’s economy. It is hoped it will also appeal to potential new investors who are considering Northern Ireland as a location.

Bombardier Aerospace, one of the largest private sector employers in the North, has offered to contribute £1.5 million to jointly fund the construction of NIACE. Last year, the Canadian group also unveiled plans to invest £28 million in a research and development programme exclusively based at its Belfast facility.

Michael Ryan, vice-president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast, said the group was at the forefront of advanced engineering and composite technologies.

He said the new industry-led NIACE centre would help both Bombardier and the local aerospace supply to chain to develop its own RD activities.

“It will enable Northern Ireland’s high-value engineering and manufacturing sector to develop its capabilities, move up the value chain and compete on a global stage,” Mr Ryan added.

The centre will also be financed by the UK’s department for business, innovation and skills and Invest Northern Ireland.

The construction of the 3,700sq m facility, which will be owned and operated by Queen’s University and the University of Ulster, is expected to be completed by the autumn.