27 November 2023
Investment builds on a £4.5bn package for manufacturing to drive economic growth across eight key sectors.
The High Value Manufacturing Catapult has received funding in the Government’s Autumn Statement to drive green growth in the UK.
Following the Chancellor’s speech on Wednesday 22 November, Innovate UK, working with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), is investing an additional £145 million into the UK’s innovation ecosystem.
This includes £50m to boost Catapult activity and capability in high growth sectors. Of that funding:
Katherine Bennett, Chair of the Catapult Network and CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, said:
This is a welcome investment that recognises the vital role that Innovate UK and Catapults play in delivering economic growth.
“The high-impact infrastructure investments that add up to £50m will enable Catapults to drive innovation-powered green growth across the UK, equipping supply chains with the world-leading technologies and technical skills they need.
“I look forward to seeing these cutting-edge projects shape the UK’s net zero future.
Additionally, UKRI’s Faraday Battery Challenge will receive £50m to advance the UK’s capability in battery manufacturing scale up. This includes £12m for the Advanced Materials Battery Industrialisation Centre (AMBIC), delivered by HVM Catapult, which will provide innovation capability for the synthesis and processing of immediate and next generation battery materials
Separately, the Chancellor confirmed plans for a new centre of excellence for manufacturing cutting-edge medicines after a multi-million-pound fund was announced in the Autumn Statement. The Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence will focus on developing innovative and sustainable manufacturing techniques.
The Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation Centre of Excellence will be the second facility opened by CPI, another of the HVM Catapult’s seven centres, within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS). This new centre will build on millions of pounds of investment currently being delivered through the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre.