Major funding boost for Scottish high-tech research hub

The Advanced Forming Research Centre in Inchinnan is fast becoming a major manufacturing research hub

A Scottish high-tech manufacturing research hub has been given a major boost after securing more than £112m in funding.

HM Treasury announced investment of £96m in the University of Strathclyde's Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) in Renfrewshire.

The news came as the centre confirmed it had secured £16.5m for a new hot forging research platform.

AFRC is Scotland's only high-value manufacturing catapult centre.

The catapult network was established by the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK, to provide businesses with access to leading research and development facilities.

Innovative technologies

Announcing the new UK government funding, Chancellor Philip Hammond said: "Today's £96m investment for Scotland will support innovators across the country to create the technologies of the future and the better, highly-paid jobs we all want to see."

AFRC executive chairman Prof Keith Ridgway welcomed the news.

He said: "For a number of years the Advanced Forming Research Centre has been at the heart of manufacturing research and development in Scotland, turning innovative technologies into commercial reality and making manufacturing businesses, of all sizes from across the sector, more competitive in a global market.

"The funding announcement by the UK government means we can continue to build on our capabilities and help even more businesses moving forward."

The Advanced Forming Research Centre has secured funding for a new hot forging facility at Inchinnan

In a separate development, AFRC said its planned hot forging research platform, FutureForge, would be the world's most advanced facility of its kind.

It will be built next to the existing AFRC centre in Inchinnan, and is due to begin operating in 2020.

AFRC aims to transform the forging process for companies in the automotive, oil and gas, energy, nuclear and rail industries via collaborative R&D (research and development) projects.

FutureForge, which will include a bespoke 2,000-tonne hydraulic press, is being backed by the UK Aerospace Research and Technology Programme and Scottish Enterprise.

It is expected to help generate about £40m of new projects over 10 years, creating up to 34 new jobs.

Renfrewshire is fast becoming a major engineering research hub, with an £8.9m Lightweight Manufacturing Centre being established in the former Doosan Babcock facility in Westway, Renfrew.

Last December, it was announced that a £65m manufacturing centre of excellence would be created at Inchinnan, also in partnership with AFRC.