The Industry 4.0 collaboration space will be based at the Hartree Centre at STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, at Sci-Tech Daresbury.
It is the first time that three distinct and yet complementary experts in the field of computing (STFC Hartree Centre), analytics (Atos Codex) and IoT solutions (MindSphere) have come together and combined their expertise to offer industry the opportunity to discover new pathways to growth.
The accelerator program is offering businesses of all sizes the chance to produce proof of concepts, mentorship to help them acquire Industry 4.0 technologies like big data analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), modelling, simulation and sensor technology through the Made Smarter programme, and the opportunity to develop end-to-end digital solutions.
The IDA will also sign-post firms to external funding programmes such as Innovate and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
Brian Holliday, Executive Management Board of Siemens plc and Managing Director for Siemens Digital Industries, said: “Staying competitive in the evolving technology landscape isn’t easy, yet the opportunity to drive productivity has never been greater.
“By harnessing the combined power of these three partners the IDA has a mandate to do just this; increase industrial productivity providing new pathways to growth.
“Combining the unique capabilities of Siemens, Atos and the STFC Hartree Centre in one accelerated environment, we aim to cut through the noise to help businesses overcome their own digitalisation challenges and realise the opportunities presented within Industry 4.0."
Adrian Gregory, Senior Executive Vice president and CEO, Atos UK and Ireland: “This facility will deliver new levels of data-driven insight and opportunity in direct alignment with the challenges set out in the Made Smarter Review. Through our continued partnership we are pleased to support the Hartree Centre as a beacon of innovation, where the enormous potential of digital technologies can be harnessed and applied, helping businesses to remain fit for Britain’s digital future.”
Alison Kennedy, Director of the STFC Hartree Centre, said: "At the Hartree Centre we work with companies in a wide range of industries to help them benefit from advanced digital technologies like supercomputing, big data analytics and AI. We're thrilled to be able to offer our expertise in this exciting and unique partnership which will offer UK companies a practical, collaborative space to accelerate the exploration and integration of Industry 4.0 technologies and improve productivity.”
The IDA aims to address many of the challenges set out in the independent Made Smarter Review commissioned by UK Government, including:
- Upskilling the UK workforce in high-demand digital areas e.g. data, simulation, IoT
- Creating a thriving High Value Manufacturing environment
- Building demonstrators to prove the art of the possible to UK businesses
- Providing access to industrial digital technologies for UK manufacturers
- Improve UK productivity levels which are lower than global rivals
The Made Smarter Review estimates that if successfully implemented, these solutions could add £455bn to UK GDP within the next 10 years.
The Hartree Centre, where the IDA is based, provides collaborative research, innovation and development services that accelerate the adoption and application of high performance computing (HPC), big data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in UK industry.
Backed by over £170M of UK Government funding and strategic technology partnerships including Atos, Siemens and the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre, the centre enables businesses and researchers to use digital tools to gain insight, value and competitive advantage.
