75 jobs take a step closer as £9m funding deal agreed for R&D facility
The D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has awarded Derby City Council over £9m in funding – £6.875m from its Getting Building Fund and £2.2m from its Growing Places Fund – to support the development of a Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) at Infinity Park in Derby.
The Nuclear AMRC Midlands research and development facility will provide around 46,300 sq ft of new floorspace and bring together the University of Sheffield’s Nuclear AMRC and the University of Derby’s Institute for Innovation in Sustainable Manufacturing (IISE).
The Nuclear AMRC Midlands will deliver 70 direct jobs, support 35 collaborative R&D projects and support 100 businesses through the Fit For Nuclear supply chain development programme in its first five years of operation. Fifty learners will be supported, with a further 50 employees upskilled.
Elizabeth Fagan, chair of the D2N2 LEP board said: “Our recovery and growth strategy highlights the importance of low carbon growth and raising productivity levels across our region. Our investments into Infinity Park and the Nuclear AMRC will play a critical role to in developing clusters of highly productive and sustainable businesses across D2N2 and supporting local economic development.”
Andrew Storer, chief executive officer of the Nuclear AMRC, said: “We’re delighted to secure funding for the new facility at Infinity Park, and will continue to work with D2N2, the University of Derby and other local partners to deliver high-value jobs and support the region’s economic recovery. With the transition to net-zero emissions at the top of the national and international agenda, there will be huge long-term opportunities for manufacturers of all sizes in nuclear and other low-carbon sectors such as offshore renewables, hydrogen and carbon capture. It’s part of our job to help the supply chain in and around Derby to win that work.”
