Industry News

CO: The announcement of the successful suppliers for the provision of IT services for the Public Services Network (PSN) ‘demonstrates a major milestone in the Government’s ICT Strategy’, Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said recently. 
 
The PSN will provide a single logical network & marketplace for public sector communications, bringing suppliers & customers together to substantially reduce costs.  It will be the platform for public service providers to operate, share and deliver services across traditional departmental and regional boundaries, in more cost-effective and innovative ways.
Press release & links
 
MoD: The MOD has secured a supplier to produce new reactor cores for the Royal Navy's nuclear submarines and to upgrade the plant where they will be built.  The nuclear reactor cores will be used to power the 7th & final Astute Class submarine and the first of the Royal Navy's next generation of nuclear deterrent submarines, known as the Successor Class. and to upgrade the plant where they will be built. 
Press release & links
 
BIS: Business Minister, Mark Prisk, has officially launched this year’s See Inside Manufacturing programme to encourage young people to consider a career in manufacturing.  

Thousands of people are expected to visit iconic names such as Coca Cola, Mars, Warburtons, Aston Martin, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Airbus and GKN Aerospace over the coming weeks and get hands on with the latest designs & technologies that make Britain one of the world’s leading manufacturing nations.
Press release & links ~ See what events are taking place in your area & register interest
 
WAG: A Welsh Government sponsored international trade programme for the life sciences sector is geared to help generate up to £10m in new deals for participating Welsh companies. Business Minister Edwina Hart has approved approximately £500,000 funding for the 2012/13 programme that will help approximately 90 Wales based businesses seek trade opportunities and new business overseas.
 
The programme kicked off on Monday June 18 with 5 Wales based companies joining the UKTI delegation and participating in the Bio International Convention, Boston, USA - the largest global event for the biotechnology industry. The Wales delegation includes Biomonde, Biocatalysts, Biotec Services International, Ruskinn, Simbec Research and Q Chip.
Press release & links
 
BIS: A new £80m package to keep the UK at the forefront of advances in aerospace & advanced manufacturing has been announced.  The Government is investing £25m, with business, led by Rolls-Royce, providing a further £40m, for a series of collaborative research & technology projects.

 SAMULET II (Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK through Leading Environmental Technology) will investigate new manufacturing processes aimed at increasing productivity & making the best use of resources..

The Government will separately invest £15m in new capital equipment for the High Value Manufacturing Catapult - part of a Government backed network of technology & innovation centres - which will assist projects such as these across the advanced manufacturing sector.
Press release & links ~ Rolls Royce Samulet programme ~ High Value Manufacturing Catapult
 
OS: An idea for a mobile app which would help the public to nominate sites for offenders to work on, has triumphed in Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation Challenge

The app called ‘Community Payback Visibility’, by the Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust, would also allow the public to keep tabs on how work on these chosen areas is progressing.
Press release & links
 
WAGWales Office Minister, David Jones, has welcomed the announcement that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water will be investing £1bn on a wide range of infrastructure projects across Wales. 

The investment programme is employing some 10% of the construction sector in the Dwr Cymru region with more than 50% of spend going to local companies in the supply chain, supporting some 1,500 jobs.
Press release & links
 
BIS: A new national competition worth £3m to drive forward the UK’s green growth agenda has been launched by Deputy PM Nick Clegg.  The Green Genius - or ‘Greenius’ - contest will look for solutions to questions of food, water & energy security, such as how to keep bills down for consumers & businesses, how to better manage our food & water resources, and ensure a secure supply of clean, green & reliable energy.

Entrepreneurs & businesses will be invited to compete for £3m to fund the further development & commercialisation of innovative technologies. The provision of government funding for this initiative will be subject to a value for money assessment.
Press release & links
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