Boost for Dorset’s innovation and defence ecosystem
Two Government announcements have provided a welcome boost to the growing innovation and defence ecosystem in Dorset.
A South West consortium including Dorset has been awarded up to £20 million of Government funding to enhance its reputation as one of the world's best places to develop, test and deploy autonomous technologies.
And Yeovil College has been awarded Defence Technical Excellence College (D‑TEC) status following a highly competitive national application process led by the Department for Education.
The Yeovil College bid was backed by Dorset Council and Dorset Innovation Park Ltd. It is one of only five providers in England to achieve Defence Technical Excellence designation with a budget of £182 million, recognising exceptional quality, ambition and credibility in delivering advanced technical education aligned to the needs of the defence sector.
College CEO & Principal Mark Bolton said: “Yeovil College has served the communities of North and West Dorset for many years. Those communities have engaged with Yeovil College more and more over the last decade, consequently almost half of all students studying with Yeovil College are resident in Dorset.
“Yeovil College has been delighted to have been providing ever increasing volumes of education and training for key businesses on the Dorset Innovation Park in recent years. The relationship with the team at the park is going from strength to strength and a key component of the compelling proposition within the D-TEC bid and broader Yeovil College vision is to have significant training, applied research and testing capability on the park as soon as possible to support the growth and innovation of our partners on the innovation park and in BattleLab.
“We are excited to take this next step with our partners on the park and look forward to having a more visible presence there in the very near future.”
In a separate announcement the South West is one of six regions across England and Wales that will receive funding through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.
The funding of up to £20 million will enable increased research and development into technologies that can be deployed on land, at sea and in the air which ultimately result in it becoming home to a Global Autonomy Cluster.
Led by the University of Plymouth and Plymouth City Council, the partnership draws together innovative and cutting-edge organisations and facilities that span Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. This includes Dorset Innovation Park and the BattleLab.
Designed to build on the South West's strong defence and marine expertise, the funding will make it easier for businesses to trial new systems safely by improving access to the region's unique assets.
It will also focus on cutting through regulatory barriers, supporting business innovation and accelerating business growth by creating high-quality jobs, driving new investment into the region, and supporting sovereign capabilities.
Cllr Richard Biggs, Dorset Council’s Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, said: “Our Economic Growth Strategy sets out how we see innovation in sectors including defence and clean energy increasingly driving our local economy. This funding will allow autonomous systems which are currently in 'research and development' stage, to move to real world deployment.
“And Yeovil College’s D-TEC designation shows our local educational institutions are well placed to provide the skilled workforce that new and existing companies in these growth sectors will need.”
Kevin Forshaw, Managing Director of Dorset Innovation Park Ltd, an arm’s length company set up by Dorset Council to manage and Develop Dorset Innovation Park, said: “These announcements are significant in our ambition to develop a turn-key solution for multi-domain uncrewed systems and digital security devices at Dorset Innovation Park and in the wider area, creating the future skilled workforce that will drive economic growth for business expansion and new companies locating on the park’.
“We look forward to working with our partners in academia, local councils and industry to build on these announcements and create well paid, skilled jobs for local people.”
In another show of confidence in the defence sector, Dorset Council recently bought 6.1 hectares (15 acres) of land neighbouring Dorset Innovation Park to accommodate existing businesses’ expansion plans and enquiries from companies wishing to base themselves at the site near Wool. This additional land could create an additional 200 new jobs in addition to those already projected as the park becomes a thriving hub for companies innovating solutions for UK security and defence.
