The University of Salford’s North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC) has secured an additional £3.6m in funding from Research England, part of UK Research and Innovation, to accelerate innovation and research in robotics.
Dr Georgina Harris, director of engineering at The University of Salford, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this Research England development funding reaffirming our reputation for knowledge and expertise in robotics and automation.
“The award will support us with the recruitment of robotics specialists, invest in specialist facilities for the centre and enable us to play a pivotal role in the technology transfer from innovative research to industrial deployment.”
Read more: Salford receives funding for robotics centre
Construction of the new 22,580ft2 centre was announced last year, with NERIC due to be completed in the summer of 2022.
Work began on the new building at the start of the year with Morgan Sindall appointed as the contractor.
Harris added: “The North of England Robotics Innovation Centre is a model example of collaboration.
“Its creation is timely, taking place when the need for innovation in robotics and automation has never been more important to support the recovery of UK industry from the challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The new centre will provide SMEs with a hub where they can access world leading academics, where they can work collaboratively to develop innovative solutions and where they can test and validate these technologies in preparation for real world deployment.”
