The UK Government has announced £5m in funding for the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus (AGIC) to accelerate the delivery of mission critical technologies through large-scale advanced manufacturing.
The money, part of the Defence Growth Deal, will facilitate technology development for the marine and advanced manufacturing sectors through skills development and innovation at the Campus, which is partly virtual and partly based at Rosyth Docks in Fife.
AGIC launched in 2022 to bring together industry, academia and government to create innovation and accelerate automation in the marine, shipbuilding and renewable energy sectors.
Its first facility was the University of Edinburgh’s FastBlade at Rosyth, the world’s first test facility that uses regenerative hydraulic technology to offer high-quality, low-cost fatigue testing of lightweight composite structures for research and product development.
AGIC partners are Babcock International, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Strathclyde, Fife College, Fife Council, Royal Navy, Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland.
The new funding complements £25m in UK Government seed funding unlocked by the Forth Green Freeport in January to support reindustrialisation of the Edinburgh, Fife and Falkirk areas. The Freeport, an alliance of public and private organisations, aims to catalyse new green technologies, alternative fuels and renewable energy manufacturing in the region.
Professor Graham Wren of the University of Strathclyde, Chair of the AGIC Steering Group, said:
On behalf of the AGIC partners, I am delighted to welcome the Minister’s announcement and the UKG’s investment in the Arrol Gibb Innovation Campus. This investment will leverage existing programmes to deliver a strong platform bringing industry, government and academia together, driving innovation for Scottish and UK industry.
Through the AGIC partners, we look forward to contributing our strengths in digital systems, data science and automation, while supporting skills development and training that will benefit suppliers, SMEs and the wider maritime sector across the UK.”
Professor Guangzhao Mao, Head of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering and AGIC Steering Group member, said:
The University of Edinburgh will bring its gamut of expertise in advanced manufacturing and materials, as well as data science and digital systems, to support innovation and upskilling at AGIC. By bringing together industry, academia and government, we can turn world‑class research into impact.”
Dr Susan Bodie, Head of Innovation Development and Licensing at Edinburgh Innovations, said: “AGIC will support the development of new technologies and high-quality jobs by providing the environment to test, prove and scale new industry solutions.
Through the FastBlade facility, for example, we can support testing of composite materials for large-scale structures that support UK supply chains in the shipbuilding, marine and renewable energy sectors.”
