The new Pilot Manufacturing Resource Centre at the Specific Project in Baglan was recently opened by Welsh Economy Minister Edwina Hart.

Dedicated to the ‘scale-up’ and commercialisation of functional coatings for steel and glass, the centre houses new laboratory facilities and a new processing line. 

Mrs Hart said: “This important milestone highlights the importance of industrial and academic collaboration in taking forward such highly innovative work.  The new centre has the capability to deliver commercial solutions to industry partners, create new products and services that will benefit supply chains in Wales and generate Intellectual Property.”

The new centre has received £1.9 million of funding from Academic Expertise for Business — a six-year programme funded by the Welsh Government and European Structural Funds to support knowledge transfer from academia to business.