Business Secretary to
visit Speedo and Nottingham University Innovation Centre
Business
Secretary Vince Cable will today visit Speedo’s headquarters in
Nottingham where he will see how the firm develops its leading
swimwear worn by top athletes around the world.
He will tour the firm’s global research and development facility,
Aqualab, to see how Speedo designs and develops world class
swimwear and equipment, including the Fastskin Racing System worn
by Nottingham-based Great Britain swimmer Rebecca Adlington OBE.
He will also hear about the contribution Speedo makes to the local
economy and the impact the firm has on jobs in the area.
Afterwards, the Business Secretary will visit Nottingham
University Innovation Centre and learn more about university and
private sector collaboration with businesses such as
GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable
Chemistry, Ordnance Survey and technology firm e2v. e2v has
received £6.25 million from the Regional Growth Fund and has
licensed technology from the innovation centre.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
“Nottingham is clearly a place for innovative businesses and
individuals to thrive and that’s thanks to the investment firms
and universities are prepared to put into researching new products
and design.
“Speedo is a world leader in swimwear products and is using
cutting-edge technology, as well as first class skills, to ensure
it remains at the forefront of its industry. And with centres such
as Nottingham University’s Innovation Centre creating a space for
the research base and business to come together in partnership,
Nottingham is a place for companies and ideas to thrive and grow.”
Vince Cable will also announce that the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and GlaxoSmithKline are
to jointly fund a new Chair in Sustainable Chemistry who will be
based in the planned Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable
Chemistry at the University of Nottingham.
He will also announce £670,000 of EPSRC funding for a new
photoelectron spectrometer that will give accurate measurements of
liquids – the first of its kind in the UK.
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