A £1.3 million contract has been awarded to transform a building at Enterprise Park Forres into the new Manufacturing Innovation Centre Moray (MICM).
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has contracted Morrison Construction to carry out the works and Torrance Partnership to oversee the contract.
The works will see the creation of business incubator and project spaces where existing business can innovate, as well as a demonstrator suite for showcasing the latest concepts in advanced manufacturing technology and equipment.
There are currently around 7,000 manufacturing jobs in Moray in sectors such as whisky and other food and drink, as well as technology and advanced engineering, and forestry. This is more per head of population than any other part of Scotland, HIE said.
The facility is expected to support up to 300 manufacturing jobs in the next ten years and once completed will provide support and advice to manufacturing companies across the area.
The centre’s primary focus will be on stimulating innovation and growth in product and process development, with a strong emphasis on transitioning to low carbon practices.
David Reid, HIE area manager for Moray, said, “MICM is all about innovation, growth, productivity, and efficiency in Moray’s indigenous manufacturing companies and increasing the number of manufacturing start-ups in the area. It will encourage more research and development and help attract manufacturing inward investment.
“In a wider sense the new centre will be designed to support the creation of higher paid jobs, improve skills among the workforce, attract and retain more young people, and encourage occupational integration and gender balance.
“Planning for the project has been a long and detailed process involving many partners and stakeholders and we are grateful to all those who have helped to get things to this stage. We’re delighted to be awarding the construction contract and look forward to continuing our close collaboration as we advance the project in the coming months.”
