GENERAL NEWS
New UK innovation strategy
As UK business confronts the twin effects of Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic , plans to boost private sector investment were set out in a new Innovation Strategy launched by UK Business Secretary , Kwasi Kwarteng , on 22 July 2021 .
Today ’ s Innovation Strategy is the UK government ’ s long-term vision to place innovation as a key pillar in its Plan for Growth . It aims to boost private sector investment in R & D across the UK and create the right conditions for all businesses to innovate .
“ The UK is committed to increasing annual public investment on R & D to a record £ 22- billion , but the private sector also plays a key role in boosting spending on R & D . The pandemic has shown us that major challenges can be resolved by ambitious investment in science , technology , innovation and entrepreneurship , and has shown the public what British innovators can deliver when given ambitious support , freedom and risk tolerance ,” said the UK Department for Business , Energy and Industrial Strategy .
The strategy takes lessons learned from the pandemic , including from the UK ’ s Vaccine Taskforce – where the public and private sectors successfully worked alongside each other – and applies them to find solutions to fundamental challenges facing the UK - including the relative decline in business R & D investment , skills gaps and the need for a pro-enterprise regulatory environment to spur innovation .
To achieve this aim , the UK government will specify ‘ innovation missions ’ to set clear direction , urgency and pace on the issues confronting the UK . These will be determined by the new National Science and Technology Council and supported by the Office for Science and Technology Strategy . The government is also outlining seven strategic technologies to prioritise and build on existing R & D strengths , including clean technologies , robotics , genomics and AI . Through the Innovation Strategy , the government aims to , amongst others :
■ Increase annual public investment in R & D to a record £ 22 billion .
■ Consult on how regulation can ensure that the UK is well-placed to extract the best value from innovation .
■ Introduce new High Potential Individual and Scale-up visa routes .
■ Reduce complexity for innovative companies by developing an online finance and innovation hub between Innovate UK and the British Business Bank within the next 12 months .
■ Expand IP education programme for researchers and launch International IP Services .
■ Publish a new action plan on ‘ Standards for the Fourth Industrial Revolution ’, promoting standards that enable innovation to flourish .
■ Invest £ 200 million through the British Business Bank ’ s Life Sciences Investment Programme to target the growth-stage funding gap faced by UK life science companies .
■ Support 30,000 senior managers of small and medium-sized businesses through Help to Grow : Management to boost performance , resilience and long-term growth .
The Strategy identifies areas where the UK has globally competitive R & D and industrial strength . These are Advanced Materials and Manufacturing ; AI ; Digital and Advanced Computing ; Bioinformatics and Genomics ; Engineering Biology ; Electronics , Photonics and Quantum ; Energy and Environment Technologies ; Robotics and Smart Machines .
Five pioneering projects will receive a share of £ 127 million through the Strength in Places Fund , delivered by UK Research and Innovation ( UKRI ). A further £ 25 million of funding for the Connecting Capability Fund will help drive growth through university-business innovation , and eight new Prosperity Partnerships will establish business-led research projects with £ 59 million of industry , university and government investment . n
Vestas wins 58MW order for wind project in Australia
In partnership with Global Power Generation , a subsidiary of the multinational power company Naturgy Group , Vestas has secured a 58MW deal for Crookwell 3 Wind Farm in New South Wales , Australia . The project will feature 16 V126-3.45 MW wind turbines in 3.6MW operating mode which Vestas , a major installer and maintainer of wind turbines , will supply and install .
Upon completion , Vestas will also deliver a 15-year Active Output Management 5000 ( AOM 5000 ) service agreement . This agreement aims to optimise energy production while also providing long-term business case certainty .
“ Global Power Generation ( Naturgy Group ) is a globally valued customer to Vestas ,” said Peter Cowling , head of Vestas Australia and New Zealand . “ We look forward to championing its ambitious vision of sustainability in Australia through the successful delivery of Crookwell 3 Wind Farm , and our remaining projects which are currently in progress .”
Delivery of the wind turbines is expected to take place in the second quarter of 2022 , with commissioning to start in the fourth quarter of 2022 . Crookwell 3 Wind Farm is set to power approximately 40,000 homes and create around 95 jobs during its construction .
This project is located near Crookwell 1 , which was the first wind farm to be established in New South Wales , Australia , when it was commissioned in 1998 . Successfully operating today , the 5MW project features eight of Vestas ’ V44-600 kW wind turbines . n
Vesta ’ s V112-3.0 MW wind turbine project in Macarthur , Australia .
8 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR September 2021