The Committee met with Clive Hickman, Chief Executive of the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and Katherine Bennett CBE, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The group toured the MTC’s Antsy Park Campus to see first-hand the advanced research and development work taking place across the site. MPs were shown MTC’s work to support a consortium of leading UK manufacturers in helping produce over 11,000 ventilators at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how the MTC is working to help modernise the construction sector through new manufacturing approaches and technologies, as part of the Construction Innovation Hub.
MPs heard how the MTC's world-beating facilities are helping the UK to become a world leader in green manufacturing and construction, with its expertise of turning ideas developed through research into a reality. The West Midlands technology sector is the fastest growing in the UK, and is set to add £2.7 billion to the economy by 2025, along with 52,000 jobs.
As part of the evidence session held during the visit, the Committee discussed the opportunities for economic growth created by technology, research and innovation, and measures needed to support and accelerate R&D in the UK as part of efforts to recover from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clive Hickman, Chief Executive of the Manufacturing Technology Centre, said: “We are delighted to have hosted the Science and Technology Select Committee today to showcase our proud manufacturing heritage, record of attracting business investment, and specialist talent and expertise. The MTC is helping manufacturers adopt cutting-edge technology, delivering growth, skills and jobs. It is vital that the Government continues to invest in research and innovation to spearhead our economic recovery, and to accelerate the growth of our industrial heartlands.”
