Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, has officially opened the technical innovation centre Sensor City – the joint venture between LJMU and the University of Liverpool.
The facility, which boasts state of the art engineering and software technology aims to make the Liverpool City Region a key player in the development of sensor technology. It is hoped that Sensor City will create 300 start-up businesses and 1000 jobs and bring an economic boost the region.
Greg Clark, the Secretary of State, said: “Sensor City is a brilliant example of our Industrial Strategy in action, a hub that will bring together the best academic minds and entrepreneurs with businesses, large and small, to explore opportunities and foster collaborations that will turn innovative ideas into scale-up businesses. I am delighted we have been able to support its creation with £5 million of funding.
“Our modern Industrial Strategy has an ambitious long-term vision for the UK. We are committed to building on our strengths as a country and delivering a high-skilled economy for the years ahead. Sensor City will help us deliver on this ambition and make a valuable contribution to this work, driving forward innovation.”
Before the official launch ceremony, the Secretary of State took part in a tour of the facilities where he met resident businesses and saw examples of other technological innovation from LJMU including 3D printed footwear from the LJMU Fab Lab and healthcare sensors developed by academics in the Faculty of Engineering and Technology.
Alison Mitchell, Executive Director of Sensor City, said: “Since we moved into this iconic facility earlier this year, we’ve made great strides towards building a community of tech companies that are pushing the boundaries of Internet of Things (IoT) and sensor innovation.
“Our partnerships – both with academia and big business – are opening up access to world-leading knowledge, support and services. Together, we’re creating the skills base for emerging technologies in the North West, boosting jobs for the future and supporting our local community.”
Sensor City has gained funding through a £5millon University Enterprise Zone status capital investment award from the government and has also been awarded £5million in capital investment as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme.
Sensor City includes a Software Design Suite, Mechanical Laboratory, Optical Laboratory and Electronics Laboratory, as well as offering coaching, business mentoring, access to funding and collaborative spaces for businesses to meet.
St Helens Chamber is working with the Local Growth Hub to simplify access to business support, including Sensor City.
To contact the St Helens Local Growth Hub Team call 01744 742444 or email growthhub@sthelenschamber.com
