Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has announced a £6.8m Advanced Engineering Competence Centre is to be created in Northern Ireland.

The facility will be based at the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites & Engineering Centre (NIACE) on the Airport Road, Belfast, and will focus on developing innovative solutions in the advanced engineering sector.

The centre is being financed by £5m of research and development assistance from Invest NI and £1.8m investment from industry.

The announcement was made at the Farnborough International Airshow, and Minister Foster said: "The Northern Ireland Advanced Engineering Competence Centre is the latest in a series of new competence centres being funded by Invest NI, which are designed to rapidly transform great research into commercial success.

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"This new industry-led centre is about maximising the benefits of the engineering knowledge and skills that already exist in Northern Ireland, and enhancing those capabilities to ensure that we stay at the forefront of the global advanced engineering sector.

"Through the centre, companies from industries such as aerospace, automotive and renewable energy will have the opportunity to collaborate with expert researchers at the University of Ulster and Queen's University Belfast to help them design and manufacture high-quality composite products."

Dr Scott King, Manager of NIACE and the new Northern Ireland Advanced Engineering Competence Centre, added: "There are great development opportunities for industry in Northern Ireland, and I am delighted that NIACE is the focal point for these.

"Securing £5million of assistance from Invest NI to help establish the Advanced Engineering Competence Centre will be crucial to supporting collaborative research between leading academics and industry. I would encourage companies operating in the advanced engineering sector to explore how this centre could benefit their business."

(JP/IT)