Member Article

New North East jobs to be created after £900,000 funding boost

New jobs are to be created in the North East after the announcement the region is to benefit from a £900,000 funding boost.

Five new North East initiatives that will develop innovative low carbon technologies have been announced, and they will receive the investment from the Collaborative Projects Fund, through the Regional Growth Fund.

The investment is designed to generate jobs and assist in developing electric vehicle technology efficiency and investigating improved infrastructure robustness.

AVID Technology Group Ltd, of Cramlington, and Newcastle University are working to develop an improved DC fan and water pump with new motor and controller assembly, which will improve performance, reduce weight and costs. The project will create 46 direct new jobs.

Peterlee’s Seaward Electronics Ltd and Teesside University are to develop an EV (Electric Vehicle) charging point tester which would ensure safety, functionality and efficiency of commercial and domestic charging points, with the creation of eight new jobs.

Meanwhile, twenty five new jobs will be created by a research and development project by Sevcon Ltd, of Gateshead, and US firm Wolverine Tube, to model and develop a novel High Voltage Low Power Inverter for use in EVs that can also improve the efficiency of non-EVs.

Cramlington firm Hyperdrive and Wylam Professional Services (WPS) aims to develop products and associated engineering services in data loggers and GPRS enabled control ECUs for automotive, defense, marine and portable power applications. The project will generate three direct, and four indirect jobs.

Dr. Colin Herron, managing director of Zero Carbon Futures, which oversees the fund, said: “This continued investment is great news for the companies directly affected, but crucial for the UK’s ability to develop a comprehensive infrastructure that supports the take-up of low carbon vehicles.

“The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is gathering pace, and the North East is becoming a hub of infrastructure development and subsequent EV adoption.”

Herron says it is vital for projects such as those supported by the Collaborative Projects Fund to continue evolving innovative solutions that help integrate or improve low carbon vehicle technologies.

He continued: “For example, one of the successful projects, led by Route Monkey, will develop a software package that analyzes usage patterns of EVs to help work out residual values and optimize the total cost of ownership.

“This will help make EVs appeal to fleet managers who are under increasing pressure to reduce the running costs and carbon footprint of their operations. As EVs are still a new technology there is currently very little information on the long-term value of vehicles and degradation of battery performance, but an accurate forecast of performance reduces leasing companies’ risk and future financing costs.”

Route Monkey, based in Livingston, Scotland, is working with Teesside University and Newcastle’s Urban Foresight to deliver the innovative project, which will create 18 new jobs.

Colin Ferguson, Route Monkey chief executive officer, said: “The latest round of funding allows the further development of research work carried out by Route Monkey and other innovative, collaborative projects.

“This investment not only makes innovative ideas a reality, but generates new jobs and allows for sustained business growth.”

The money will help work towards commercialising products and services that stimulate business growth and enable the country’s low carbon vehicle transition.

The Government’s Regional Growth Fund is a £3.2 billion fund designed to help companies in England grow. So far, £2.6 billion of funding has been allocated to support projects and programmes committed to deliver sustainable jobs and economic growth.

The investment is a further boost for the North East, which will soon be home to a centre of excellence for low carbon technologies. The Future Technology Centre, which is owned and managed by Zero Carbon Futures, will be open for business in early 2014 and will drive the UK’s transition to a low carbon future, laying the foundations for the country to fortify its position as a European leader in the development and implementation of these technologies.

The third bidding round of The Low Emission Transport Collaborative Projects Fund is now open with a total of £574,000 available for applicants. This is the final opportunity to bid for funding to undertake collaborative, near market research to bring new products to market to support the growth of the low emission transport sector in the North East.

The deadline for submission is Friday 20th December 2013. For more details visit www.collaborativefund.org.uk The fund is managed by Gateshead College and Zero Carbon Futures and administered by New Skills Consulting.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Graham Vincent .