Vince Cable, the Secretary of State for Business announced on May 26, 2011 that the next technology and innovation centre will be in offshore renewable energy, the Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org) has published a list of ten further candidate areas.
Three out of the ten candidate areas, which are named in the Board’s strategy and implementation plan for the centres, will be the focus of new centres designed to make the UK a world leader in their fields.
The purpose of technology and innovation centres is to promote the UK’s economic development and the centres are expected to help generate billions of pounds for British companies and the economy.
Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: “The technology and innovation centres programme is proceeding at pace. The establishment of these centres has created a lot of excitement in the academic, technology and business worlds and feedback to our prospectus issued in January was tremendous. We are continuing discussions with interested parties as we develop the programme. We are looking forward to these centres starting operation and ultimately producing innovations which will make the UK world leaders in a range of markets.”
Business Secretary Vince Cable said: "Technology and innovation centres are a new approach to linking research with the practical needs of the business world. Once operational, the centres will produce innovations which could help to make the UK a world leader in a range of markets. I am delighted to have been able to launch the competition for the third TIC in offshore renewable energy today."
Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said: “Technology and innovation centres will play a critical role in accelerating business innovation across a wide range of areas. We must build on our strengths in these areas to maximise the benefit to the UK and re-balance the economy.”
A technology and innovation centre is a physical, business-focused centre where world-leading technologies and research capabilities are available to businesses to help them solve their commercialisation challenges and produce innovations which can be developed commercially, with the potential to create multi-billion pound global business opportunities.
The offshore renewable energy technology and innovation centre announced today is the third to be launched, joining high value manufacturing and cell therapy as areas already given approval to go ahead.
The next three centres will be selected from:
- Complex systems
- Digital media/creative industries
- Future cities
- Future internet systems
- Photonics
- Resource efficiency
- Sensor systems
- Smart grids and distribution
- Space
- Transport systems and integration
Iain Gray added; “These areas have been identified as the ones where there is most potential for a centre to have a catalytic effect in stimulating future economic growth. Our task is to establish where a technology and innovation centre is the right solution at the right time. We have also identified several other areas which we believe will warrant further study in time, as potential areas for such centres in future.”
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