£5 million investment to strengthen innovation in manufacturing

This is the third investment by the Board in high value manufacturing during the last 18 months and brings the total invested by the government-funded organisation, in this area, to nearly £50 million, in over 80 projects. The high value manufacturing innovation feasibility projects cover a broad range of enabling technologies, from digital printing to the manufacture of medical implants using laser melting techniques, and from robot-enabled 3D precision assembly to the development of special inks to improve the security of high-value branded products. A condition of the projects is that they should begin to address the challenges set out in two of the Government's key policy documents in 2009, namely New Industry, New Jobs and the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy. With a total project value in excess of £10 million, the collaborative research and development funding was awarded to 22 separate consortia, with grants ranging from £60,000 to £350,000 and benefiting over 50 UK companies, about half of which are small and medium enterprises. These feasibility projects are designed to be relatively short term, requiring work to be completed by the end of 2010. Companies and other organisations seeking further information about these and other funding competitions should visit the Competitions page of the Technology Strategy Board website – www.innovateuk.org, email competitions@tsb.gov.uk or phone the Competitions Helpline at 01355 272155.