Job-creating battery centre gets government funding boost

Part of a £44m funding award will be used to complete the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry which will create 100 jobs.Organisations across the automotive, rail and aerospace sectors will have access a unique battery production facility combining manufacturing, experimentation and innovationThe government funding, which is part of a wider £65m hand out, will also be used to develop the next generation of high-performance batteries for electric vehicles and wind turbines, which could also be used for new technologies such as electric aeroplanes.A total of £15m is to be given to universities, research organisations and businesses to build robots to inspect, maintain and repair nuclear power stations, satellites and wind turbines.The robotics will also be used to address new problems resulting from the pandemic, including ones that can operated remotely and make contact-free deliveries or move hospital beds.A further £6.5m will be allocated to the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre network to accelerate patient access to advanced therapies through the development of specialised infrastructure for the delivery of these products in the NHS.These cell and gene based therapies are aimed at the treatment of life-limiting and inherited diseases such as cancer, Duchenne muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis.