Member Article

CPI breaks ground on NETPark National Formulation Centre

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) has officially broken ground for works to commence on the National Formulation Centre at NETPark, County Durham.

The new national innovation centre will provide open access facilities and expertise to help companies to develop, prove and scale up new formulated products.

The site is expected to be fully operational from December 2017, however, facilities are already open for business at NETPark’s Discovery 2 building.

The team are also developing a pipeline of projects that will enable CPI and partners from across the industry to develop facilities and expertise that will attract businesses to the area to develop their formulated products for years to come.

The new building is expected to house over 35 staff in both technical and non-technical roles, and will bring opportunities for up to 90 construction-based jobs during the build project.

Nigel Perry, CPI’s CEO, said: “I am extremely excited to be able to build on what has already been a promising start to our work in supporting the formulating industries in the UK.

“I am passionate that CPI continues to enable and deliver impact for the Industry and for the UK, and look forward to opening our new facility in 2017.”

The National Formulation Centre has received £8.9m in funding from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership’s Local Growth Fund.

North East LEP Innovation Director Hans Moller, added: “This project is an important step towards positioning the North East as a flagship area for the delivery of formulated products.

“The centre is a prime example of a strong innovation culture being built in the North East, driving us towards our goal of being recognised as a European innovation hot spot.

“It will be there to underpin and promote the region’s SME base, and will act as a strong magnet for future inward investment.”

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