Queen’s University Belfast: Queen’s University to help deliver Smart Manufacturing workshops in Northern Ireland
The FutureScope Smart Manufacturing Experiment marks the first step in a five-year journey by local nano technology consortium Smart Nano NI to further the development of smart manufacturing in Northern Ireland. Queen’s University is a prominent member of the consortium and will be involved in the programme.
The initiative is being delivered by Digital Catapult, the UK authority on advanced digital technology, as part of the consortium.
Professor Robert Bowman, who is leading the Smart Nano NI project for Queen’s, comments: “This is an innovative programme and a fantastic opportunity for manufacturing companies in Northern Ireland. Participants will be able to access a series of free learning sessions to enable them to identify challenges and opportunities affecting their businesses and gain the necessary skills to work towards the creation of a proposal for a prototype smart technologies solution.”
Over the 12-week Experiment programme, participants will learn about the basic principles and functionality of cutting-edge smart technologies such as nanotechnology, blockchain, 5G and augmented reality, as well as their use cases and market potential. Expert technologists from Digital Catapult and Smart Nano NI will support participants with feedback on feasibility and practical requirements to ensure graduates’ outcomes are targeted and actionable.
The programme has been made possible by government funding awarded to Smart Nano NI by the UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places fund. This research and innovation funding supports significant local economic growth and will accelerate the development of transformative advanced prototyping and smart manufacturing methods in Northern Ireland.
Digital Catapult is now seeking applications for the initiative from manufacturing businesses from all sectors through an open call which will run until 13 September. Applications are open to manufacturers at an early stage in their smart manufacturing journey or those keen to find out more about smart technologies and their uses.
On Wednesday 17 August Digital Catapult will host a live, interactive briefing session on the FutureScope Smart Manufacturing Experiment, at Ormeau Baths, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast. This event will offer manufacturers the chance to hear from leaders in the smart manufacturing sector and to see what smart manufacturing could do for their business and their clients.