The Northern Ireland Science Park announced its ambitious plans for growth today, including the support of 5,000 additional new jobs and three new buildings, taking the total area to 1m square feet. As part of the expansion the Science Park has rebranded itself as Catalyst Inc - the new name reflecting the [...]
Invest NI has launched a Digital ICT Collaborative Network Call which will offer up to £250,000 funding to industry-led networks that would like support to co-ordinate and scope out innovative, collaborative projects. Following on from the publication of the Matrix Digital ICT report, Invest NI has identified medium to long [...]
Innovate UK has published its delivery plan for the year 2016/17 outlining its intentions to promote and accelerate business innovation and to drive and support economic growth across the whole of the UK. This is Innovate UK's first delivery plan in the new Spending Review period, and marks some significant changes in the way it [...]
Seven global aerospace companies were in Northern Ireland last week as part of a visit programme designed to build on Northern Ireland’s reputation for excellence in the aerospace sector. Hosted by Invest Northern Ireland, the UK Civil Aerospace Cluster of companies were briefed about the capabilities of the local aerospace [...]
A lot has been said and written about the growth and existence of a remarkable cluster of materials handling companies in deepest County Tyrone. But, like a lot of his industry counterparts, Kieran Hegarty reckons there is a pragmatic explanation. “Yes, there’s an engineering tradition around here,” he says from his office at Terex Corporation’s plant on the [...]
The Life Sciences are central in helping drive the future growth of Northern Ireland's economy was the message Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell brought to Carrickfergus today. The Minister was speaking as he visited Pollock Lifts who manufacture specialty mobility lifts for wheelchair and disabled access. Minister Bell said: “The Life [...]
When Gerry McNally says that the statistics around the polymers industry in Northern Ireland are impressive, he’s guilty of some understatement. And that’s not typical of the man. When it comes to enthusiasm for a chosen sector, McNally (Director of the NI Polymers Association) is a man with a passion for the business he’s [...]
MATRIX Chair Bryan Keating has been talking to Wendy Austin about apprenticeships in Northern Ireland and how his new role as Chair of the Strategic Advisory Forum on Apprenticeships is helping to shape the workforce to meet current and future economic requirements. A few years ago apprenticeships were in the [...]
The Precision Medicine Catapult, the UK's innovation centre for precision medicine, announced today that Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford will be the initial locations for its regional centres of excellence network. Each centre will act as a hub for regional precision medicine activities within the UK-wide network, co-ordinated [...]
The 2015 Knowledge Economy Index was launched today in Belfast. The launch, which was held at Brewbot on the Ormeau Road, brought together representatives from business, government and academia to hear from NISP Connect director Stephen Orr, Acting First Minister Arlene Foster and local entrepreneurs. This year's index has revealed [...]
It’s been quite a while since Matrix, the Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel, stepped up to the mark with a report on what is a key sector of the local economy. Back in 2008, it took a closer look at advanced engineering and advanced materials in separate reports. One member of the panel back then was Dr. Rob Hardeman, Technologist at Seagate’s [...]
About 35% of current jobs in the UK are at high risk of computerisation over the following 20 years, according to a study by researchers at Oxford University and Deloitte. Deloitte analysed ONS labour force data for the period between 2001 and 2015 and their researchers found the proportion of routine [...]