Renfrewshire will be home to the new £65 million National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS), with Strathclyde University announced as the anchor university.
The Scottish government will invest £48 million in NMIS with £8 million from the University of Strathclyde. This is in addition to the £8.9 million announced in June 2017 for the Lightweight Manufacturing Centre as a first step towards the wider centre. Renfrewshire Council will also provide a further £39.1 million through the Glasgow City Region Deal to support wider infrastructure work at the site.
Work to build the centre, which will help manufacturing businesses throughout Scotland become world leaders in innovation, will begin next year. The centre at Inchinnan will be situated next to Glasgow International Airport and the M8.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Economy Secretary Keith Brown made the announcement during a visit to Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing facility in Inchinnan.
Sturgeon said: “This exciting facility will be an industry-led international centre of manufacturing expertise. Research, industry and the public sector will work together to transform skills, productivity and innovation, attracting investment and making Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing.
“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.
“Inchinnan provides a gateway to the world through proximity to the airport and revives Scotland’s proud tradition of manufacturing and engineering. Although the centre will sit on the Clydeside, the benefits will be felt throughout Scotland.”
FM @NicolaSturgeon announces a new £65 million National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland during a visit to @RollsRoyce manufacturing facility in Inchinnan. pic.twitter.com/EJcx3eFQJo
— First Minister (@ScotGovFM) 11 December 2017
Dr. Hamid Mughal, director of Global Manufacturing at Rolls-Royce added: “We welcome the Scottish government’s announcement on the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland, which is positive news for the Inchinnan district. It is hugely encouraging to see that the strategic importance of advanced manufacturing is being duly recognised and that the Scottish government intends to work closely with industry to promote greater innovation and productivity.”
IMAGE CREDIT: The Scottish Government/YouTube
