NEWS
Leading role – CPI chief executive Frank Millar reflects on a successful two decades .
HELP TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Teesside-born CPI celebrating 20 years
A
deep technology innovation company on Teesside is celebrating 20 years of helping to turn incredible ideas into reality .
The Centre for Process Innovation ( CPI ) first opened its doors at the Wilton Centre , Redcar , in 2004 and from that original facility it has grown across the area and beyond .
CPI now has a fourth site in Glasgow , having already opened up an RNA Centre of Excellence in Darlington and another base at Sedgefield ’ s science park , NETPark .
As a social enterprise , CPI invests its profits back into the company and helps SME ideas into something that can go to market .
Those are in industries such as food and feed , pharmaceuticals and medical devices , novel materials such as energy storage and batteries , and increased sustainability for fast moving consumer goods from natural sources rather than oil and gas .
Frank Millar , the CEO at CPI , said : “ We work in five-year blocks and in the period 2018-2023 , 76 per cent of our work included an SME partner .
“ We are keen to keep up that relationship and have positive effects on technology SMEs developing new products and processes .
“ We have seen 37 per cent of projects work across the system during that period . all of them , to bring that brilliant triple helix on and make ideas coming out of those institutions a commercial reality through a catapult of public funding and building relationships across the industry . That is the model we want to keep progressing .”
Darlington ’ s RNA Centre of Excellence , which opened in September last year , has the capacity to deliver 100m vaccine doses in the event of a future health emergency .
Another example of CPI ’ s work is how it helped DEScycle on Teesside develop its e-waste company . The project transforms old electronics into raw material for new technologies .
As a trusted partner of industry , academia , government , entrepreneurs and the investment community , CPI is the catalyst for delivering smart AgriFoodTech , energy storage , HealthTech , materials and pharma innovations .
And CPI is proud to create highly skilled , well-paid jobs for the Tees Valley , as well as having members of its own team who have been with them through the journey of growth .
Frank , who took over from nonexecutive director Nigel Perry MBE as CEO in 2020 , said : “ CPI was created 20 years ago by One North East , the regional development agency , and our specific focus at that time was the process industries .
“ There were three original needs . The first was to improve industry knowledge commercialisation , the second was to put more substance and structure around the management of long-term innovation and the third was to provide suitable , costeffective facilities which helped to de-risk this innovation journey .”
In forging strong , lasting partnerships designed to make a sustainable difference , CPI has remained strong to its key ‘ dos and don ’ ts ’ statements , which have become the company ’ s mantra .
Frank said : “ We do make industry more competitive . We do make the transformation of research affordable . And we do show we are having an impact .
“ One of the major things we have learned is how to measure and prove how we are having an impact .
“ We don ’ t compete with industry because we are there as an enabler . It ’ s about taking the risk on a product that needs to go to market or clinical trials for industry to gain confidence .
“ And we don ’ t use the public money we receive to disrupt the market by offering services at a discount .
“ CPI has learned over 20 years to be very transparent and to comply with the demands of the private sector and the fairness , governance of the public funding sector .
“ Utilising public funding well as a good steward is a role we have developed and we are very proud of .”
“ We work with the region ’ s universities , about new tech being developed for For more information visit uk-cpi . com .
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