- 26/06/2019
- Posted by: Joyce Watson MS
- Category: Feature
A local Assembly Member has been briefed on the progress of a world-leading new science facility in Aberystwyth.
Joyce Watson AM recently met the Chief Executive of AberInnovation at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay.
Mrs Watson was given an update on the progress of the Aberystwyth Innovation and Enterprise Campus (AberInnovation) at Gogerddan.
The centre will offer companies the opportunity to develop new products and services in collaboration with Aberystwyth University experts.
Joyce Watson AM said:
“I believe that this new centre for excellence could make a huge difference to our local economy.
“West Wales has a wealth of imaginative small businesses, and this new resource will offer expert support to entrepreneurs and start-ups, helping them compete on a world stage.”
The Chief Executive Officer of AberInnovation, Dr. Rhian Hayward, reported that the construction project was making excellent progress.
As part of the Phase 1 development of the site, the new Seed Biobank had been completed in May and the BEACON Biorefining Centre was almost finished.
Both facilities will be fully operational before the end of August 2019. Phase 2 will include the construction of a Future Food Centre, an Advanced Analysis Centre and an Innovation Zone, with completion of the whole site due by August 2020.
The new campus will foster collaboration between business and academia, with the University’s research acting as a catalyst for innovation and bringing new industry partnerships and jobs to the region.
The £40.5m project is being funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and Aberystwyth University.
