Plymouth Science Park secures £500k for state-of-the-art DREAM project
Cutting-edge additive manufacturing facility backed by Heart of the South West LEP
Plymouth Science Park has been awarded £507,000 for a new digital engineering test facility, to complement their Advanced Digital Manufacturing Innovation Centre as part of the new DREAM project. The funding has been allocated by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), from the £8m Digital Investment Programme.
The DREAM (Digital Reverse Engineering And Metallurgy) project will offer businesses a digital engineering test facility for reverse engineering, design, manufacturing and validation of additive manufactured prototypes and products.
The project is being developed in response to companies outlining their need for local digital engineering test beds, to underpin new production methods empowered by digital technologies. Having access to state-of-the-art reverse engineering, design, inspection and validation technologies will support the creation of regional jobs, develop skill sets, and improve productivity and throughput of the manufacturing base, whilst strengthening supply chain resilience.
The Heart of the South West Inward Investment Support Project is receiving up to £1.64 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects that will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “We are proud to support Plymouth Science Park’s visionary DREAM project. The test facility aligns with our mission to drive regional innovation, and is a testament to our region’s potential in shaping the future of engineering.”
Procurement of the equipment is underway and should be installed in spring 2024.
