T H E U K S T R A T E G I C I N V E S T M E N T F U N D – I N T E R I M R E P O R T
l Investment of £ 45 million , through the Technology Strategy Board collaborative R & D delivery programme , to support research and technology critical to the development of low carbon aircraft engine technology . The Technology Strategy Board is considering a number of projects , to be led by Rolls-Royce , under the heading of SILOET ( strategic investment in low carbon engine technology );
TUC General Secretary , Brendan Barber said :
‘ High value manufacturing should be at heart of plans to get the UK out of recession . Measures announced recently , such as the £ 45 million investment in low carbon technology at Rolls-Royce , will create jobs and boost growth across the country .’
l A £ 12 million expansion of the Printable Electronics Centre . Printable electronics focus on cutting edge processes that allow circuits to be printed into flexible surfaces , unlike traditional silicon chips . The centre was formally opened in March 2009 focusing on display technology . The expansion , supporting growth in low carbon products , will enable it to offer capability in the manufacturing of ultra-efficient lighting and photovoltaics and contribute to the low carbon agenda . Over the next four years , the facility will focus on exciting new display technologies , stimulating the creation of up to 250 jobs in the North East and up to 1,500 jobs nationally by 2014 ;
l An additional £ 5 million for collaborative R & D as part of the Technology Strategy Board ’ s High Value Manufacturing competition . This is in addition to the £ 24 million invested earlier this year in projects that have the potential to bring about a step change in the competitiveness of participating companies by making improvements in the range of 25-50 % relative to current performance on , for example , overall manufacturing costs ; product performance , durability and reliability ; or , time to market . The scope of this funding could lead to a range of improvements for example , in resource efficiency and sustainable processes , design and innovation processes , or collaboration within value chains .
l An £ 8 million expansion of the highly successful Manufacturing Advisory Service over 2009 / 10 and 2010 / 11 . £ 4 million will enable a wider range of businesses to improve efficiency and increase orders . A further £ 4 million will provide more specialist advice to manufacturers on competing for low carbon market opportunities .
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