Celebrating first 5 years of innovation
with many securing permanent roles.
The centre has also invested over £4m in technology.
The HIIP has enabled the centre to enhance its technology offering for businesses in the region – including x-ray, microscopy, metrology, metal additive manufacture, virtual reality and data analytics facilities.
The HIIP has been funded through a £2.9m grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal – a £1bn package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
The funding has enabled significant investment in state-of-the-art technology at the 3M BIC to aid business growth.
Facilities now include: a self-serve digital “space” equipped with a range of 3D printers, virtual reality, 4K videography; a fully supported metal additive manufacturing (AM) centre of excellence; an imaging suite equipped with optical, laser and electron microscopy equipment; metrology grade X-Ray CT; a visualisation suite for product design, animation, and business data analytics and high performance computing, plus a fully equipped software training suite that can accommodate 18 delegates.
Prof Liz-Towns-Andrews, chief executive of the 3M BIC, said: “The concept for the 3M BIC was to create a state-of-the-art centre for the colocation of spin-in companies alongside the University of Huddersfield.
“It was all about breaking down those barriers between industry and academia.
“We’ve created a one-stop-shop where businesses can innovate, collaborate and help facilitate local and regional regeneration, as well as transfer knowledge with universities, such as Huddersfield.
“Its innovative approach directly impacts the growth of tenants and network members as well as the regional economy. Any profits get ploughed back into the centre to improve its offering to other businesses and thanks to funding, such as the HIIP, we have been able to grow our offering significantly, to ensure we remain at the forefront.
“Looking to the future, we are hoping to engage with more micro businesses in the region, as well as streamline our business support triage system in response to customer need.”
Kirklees Council leader Clr Shabir Pandor said: “The new facilities provided through the HIIP will enable businesses from Kirklees and beyond to boost their innovation footprint and overall productivity.
“Local Growth Deal funding is supporting Kirklees companies to compete on the national and international stage for digital, design and smart manufacturing, as well as creating jobs and growing the economy for the long-term.”