The Technology Strategy Board today revealed plans for two Catapult centres in future cities and transport systems, which will bring business and research together to accelerate innovation in order to improve services and quality of life in cities, and to develop integrated, efficient and sustainable national transport systems.
It has also committed to invest over £50 million of its budget to stimulate innovation in five areas of research and development where a Catapult centre is not currently the appropriate solution, but which also hold high potential for growth. These areas are photonics, sensors, smart grids, resource efficiency and complex systems.
The Catapult centres in future cities and transport systems complete the network of Catapults which will be established using over £200m Government investment in the current spending period. They join the five Catapults areas already announced: high value manufacturing, offshore renewable energy, cell therapy, satellite applications and connected digital economy.
Work will start with UK business and other stakeholders to establish the two Catapults announced today, starting with a registration of interest phase in April. All Catapults are expected to be fully operational in 2013.
As the Technology Strategy Board progresses with the Catapult development programme, this announcement completes an important phase which started in the summer of 2011 with a major programme of consultation. This involved engaging with thousands of UK businesses and research organisations and other stakeholders to identify areas where the need, the opportunity and the capability come together to make a Catapult the right answer at the right time – creating a long-term resource that does not currently exist.
To mark this milestone, the Technology Strategy Board today also published a Catapult update brochure titled Shaping the network of centres, which is available from this website.
The Technology Strategy Board, as the UK’s innovation agency, was in 2010 tasked with establishing and overseeing a network of world-class technology and innovation centres to help commercialise the results of research in specific focus areas. These catapults will help stimulate economic growth by focusing on innovations that will give UK businesses a technological edge in global markets worth hundreds of billions of pounds per year. They form a key part of the Government’s work to rebalance the UK economy.
Organisations interested in registering their interest in the Connected Digital Economy Catapult can do so until noon on 28 March, by visiting www.catapult.org.uk/digital
Catapult update – Shaping the network of centres (March‘12)
Strategy and Implementation plan – Closing the gap between concept and commercialisation (May ‘11)