£20m to help manufacturing

A new manufacturing institute based near Glasgow Airport has been given £20 million in extra funding by the Scottish Government to help the sector after the coronavirus crisis.

Economy secretary Fiona Hyslop announced the cash for the University of Strathclyde’s National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), which is due to begin construction later this year. She said it will help Scottish companies with “cutting edge” research into new techniques.

While manufacturing cannot fully restart until phase two of the Scottish Government’s exit from lockdown, Ms Hyslop encouraged companies to begin preparing.

A total of £75m has been invested in the NMIS in Renfrewshire, while a £15.8m “advanced manufacturing challenge fund” will encourage innovation.

It will take 18 months to build the NMIS, with the project supporting 200 jobs. It will house a “fully digitalised factory of the future”, as well as a skills academy.

Ms Hyslop said: “Like many parts of the economy, manufacturing has been adversely affected by the impact of coronavirus.

“But the crisis has also demonstrated why we need a strong manufacturing sector, with many companies contributing to the national effort by repurposing or scaling-up their activity to supply vital equipment to health and social care.

“The Scottish Government is working with our partners to create a successful, vibrant and diverse manufacturing sector. The NMIS and the advancing manufacturing challenge fund both form a key part of that, helping companies across Scotland to develop skills, perfect the latest techniques and push forward with cutting edge research.”