A NEW £6 million research centre that aims to become a global leader in developing materials technology was officially opened by the UK business secretary, Vince Cable, during his first visit to the North yesterday.
Dr Cable said the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites Centre in Belfast would “bring together leading academics with dynamic companies and help them with the design and rapid manufacture of high-quality composite products”.
The centre, which is co-owned by Queen’s University and the University of Ulster, has been funded by the UK’s department for business, innovation and skills, Invest Northern Ireland and Bombardier Aerospace.
The aim of the centre is to pioneer advanced engineering concepts that will lead to new product development that could in turn generate a major boost for the local economy in terms of jobs and investment.
Michael Ryan, vice-president and general manager of Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast, said the new centre would build “on a legacy of engineering innovation in Northern Ireland”.
“We are looking forward to seeing our investment support pioneering collaborative research and development projects, which are vital if we are to develop new technologies and skills in our high value engineering and advanced manufacturing sector.
“This, in turn, will help Northern Ireland, and in particular our small and medium-sized companies, to move up the value chain,” Mr Ryan said.
A glimpse of the future and a visit to one of the North’s former economic giants provided the backdrop to the UK business secretary’s first official Northern Ireland visit during which he called on a number of companies.
Dr Cable toured the production floor of Andor Technology in west Belfast where he watched engineers working on high-spec cameras employed in innovative medical research.
The business secretary also visited Bombardier’s new CSeries wing factory, which the UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive is financially supporting with £135 million of grants and funding.
The business secretary’s final official stop-off took him to Harland and Wolff where he saw the giant cranes that dominate the Belfast sky line.
Dr Cable said his visits to the Northern Ireland companies underlined how far it was from the truth when people say that Britain does not make anything any more.
