Member Article

Merger strengthens North East process sector

Two North East organisations have joined forces this week in a bid to reinforce the region’s position as a driver for innovation in the UK’s processing sector. The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and the Centre of Excellence for Nano, Micro and Photonic Systems (Cenamps), announced their merge on Tuesday.

CPI aims to become a national centre of international importance, with over 70 high calibre scientists, engineers and support staff. Their approach to stimulating market-led innovation brings business together with academia to address the needs of the industry.

The newly merged CPI will be championing four key technology areas that offer the most sustainable growth potential. They are: advanced processes, low carbon energy, functional materials and printable electronics.

Nigel Perry, CEO of CPI, said “This is a highly positive move for North East England in a sector where we already have a real international presence. Processing is moving forward at a great pace and only those organisations which continually innovate and evolve will keep up with the marketplace.”

Processing has been the UK’s fastest growing sector over the last ten years growing at an average rate of 2.6 per cent per annum, and is now worth £70bn to the national economy. North East England’s contribution is some 25 per cent of this national total, with the sector representing 30 per cent of the North East industrial base.

Nigel said: “Since being established by One NorthEast four years ago, both CPI and Cenamps have worked to connect academia and industry and encourage market-led innovation, for the benefit of the region and its businesses. In this time, the established process industry on Teesside and across the North East has been revitalised, with the region now host to three national centres in plastic electronics, nanotechnology and biotechnology.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .