A new £50 million hub to help manufacturers across the UK use data to become more competitive is to be developed at Ulster University.
Backed by both public and private sector funding, the Smart Manufacturing Data Hub will be designed to support 10,000 manufacturers and underpin 13,000 jobs, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
It will work across the manufacturing spectrum, supporting companies to develop, test and adopt data-driven technologies.
The Smart Manufacturing Data Innovation Hub will be based around three main elements.
A Manufacturing Data Exchange Platform (MDEP), will allow companies to submit their manufacturing data to an online platform and receive extracted intelligence in return. The Virtual Manufacturing Test Beds (VMT) will de-risk investment in digitalisation technologies for SMEs, leveraging anonymised data from existing manufacturing support facilities and ensuring sharing of best practice.
Meanwhile, a £10 million Digital Innovation Fund will facilitate companies who use the MDEP to implement recommendations for digitalisation.
The hub will be supported by £20 million from the UK government backed Made Smarter Innovation Programme, along with £30 million of business co-investment.
It will first be accessible by small and medium size manufacturers in Northern Ireland in the coming months, before going live for companies across the rest of the UK. The programme will be supported across the rest of the UK by 12 delivery partners, including the University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing, Industry Wales and Scottish Engineering.
The funding comes as part of the £300 million Made Smarter Innovation Challenge, a collaboration between UK Government and industry designed to support the development and increased use of new and existing industrial digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
“Made Smarter provides the opportunity for innovative collaboration that will be transformative in driving industry competitiveness,” Pro Vice Chancellor Research at Ulster University Professor Liam Maguire said. “At Ulster University, we have a strong track record of collaboration; using our research and technology to act as a catalyst for change, innovation and positive economic, social and environmental impact.
“Made Smarter is another important project in the broader realisation of the Derry and Strabane City Deal agenda, further enhancing the attractiveness of investment and driving economic growth”
UK Industry Minister Lee Rowley said it is vital manufacturers across the UK can capitalise on the productivity and growth gains which come with the adoption of the latest data-led digital technologies.
“The Smart Manufacturing Data Hub, backed by £20 million of government funds, will support companies to implement cutting edge production and process techniques themselves, helping bring the next generation of products to our shelves in a more efficient and sustainable way,” he said.
