New innovation centre ‘a big bang for regional economic prosperity’

Plans for a new innovation centre, set to turbo charge the local economy and bring millions of pounds of investment to Rochdale and the wider region, have been revealed to North West business leaders.

Located on the Atom Valley site, the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) will focus on providing state-of-the-art green manufacturing solutions. Advanced materials are designed to cut down on waste and increase sustainability, making them crucial for business and the environment.

CEAMS is led by a consortium of expert partners, including the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult and its centres, the Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Henry Royce Institute, and National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

Chief Executive of HVM Catapult, Katherine Bennett, said

“Once the stuff of science fiction, the development and use of advanced materials has already opened up a world of possibilities.

“The High Value Manufacturing Catapult will be instrumental in encouraging businesses to participate in CEAMS. Just over a year ago we signed a pledge with Innovation Greater Manchester and the Combined Authority which included a commitment to attract new investment to the region.”

Rochdale Borough Council Leader, Paul Emmott, said:

“CEAMS represents a big bang for regional economic prosperity. It is a once in a lifetime project that will secure the future and change the face of not just Rochdale but of the North West.”

The North West of England remains the biggest manufacturing area in the UK, worth £28.2bn and employing over 300,000 people. CEAMS is part of a wider strategy to cement the regions reputation as the hub of manufacturing in the UK and is also a key component of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s (DSIT) Innovation Accelerator programme.

It is hoped that in its initial phase around 50 companies will come and work to develop and scale up their materials technologies at CEAMS.

Frank Millar, CEO at CPI, said:

“We are looking forward to bringing our 20 years of expertise in the development of advanced materials to this project and collaborating with some of the very best academics and industry leaders, bringing inward investment to Rochdale and the Greater Manchester region.”

The project is funded as a two-year pilot by the Greater Manchester Innovation Accelerator programme.

Led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, the pilot Innovation Accelerator programme is investing £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects to accelerate the growth of three high-potential innovation clusters – Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and West Midlands.