CEMMNT receives grant from emda to stimulate innovation in the East Midlands
.jpg)
The Centre of Excellence in Metrology for Micro and Nano Technologies (CEMMNT) has received a £250,000 grant from the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) to accelerate innovation in the East Midlands over 3 years. The funding will be channelled to assist SME companies in particular, through the supply of metrology, surface analysis and systems engineering services.
CEMMNT will offer the extensive expertise of specialists from its industry leading partners (BAE Systems, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), QinetiQ, Taylor Hobson and Coventor) to organisations in the region. Key focus sectors will include the health care and transport equipment industries, which form 2 of emda’s iNET innovation networks. Among its activities, CEMMNT will hold targeted workshops, surgeries and training events for local companies. The benefits of measurement and characterisation at key stages of product development and manufacturing life cycles, particularly for micro and nano technologies, are substantial. CEMMNT’s open access provision of these services, from the Centres of Excellence facilities of its partners, will enable regional companies to accelerate their own product and process innovations.
The CEMMNT Hub, based at Loughborough within the Systems Engineering Innovation Centre, will be the focal point for co-ordinating enquiries and will act as a one-stop portal to provide problem solving advice for organisations in the East Midlands.
David Wallace, emda’s International and Innovation Director said: “For businesses to compete effectively in the modern, global economy, it is vitally important that they are able to develop and exploit ideas. This grant will enable CEMMNT to provide companies working in the micro and nano technology sector with the specialised support that they need in order to innovate.”
About emda www.emda.org.uk
• East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.
• Working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations the aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) ‘A Flourishing Region’, which sets out regional priorities until 2020.
• The RES, coordinated by emda, highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and builds on the previous two strategies; ‘Prosperity Through People’ and ‘Destination 2010’.
Contact us for free problem solving advice