Welsh Business Minister Edwina Hart has officially launched the ‘Innovation for Growth’ programme, a three-year research and development partnership between the Welsh Government and General Dynamics UK.
The multimillion-pound programme will consist of a series of individual R&D projects in the security and resilience sectors, with the overall aim of increasing the commercialisation of R&D through combining the expertise of General Dynamics UK, Welsh universities and small & medium-sized enterprises to meet the changing demands of the world’s defence industry.
The series of projects will look at a range of commercially exploitable areas ranging from Emergency Services communications to modelling situations and simulation.
General Dynamics, based in the US, is currently the fourth largest defence contractor in the world. The collaboration looks set to boost UK expertise locally and place Wales at the heart of what is a crucial global sector.
Launching the programme at the company’s EDGE UK® facility, Ms Hart said: “General Dynamics UK is a world-renowned security and defence company and the Welsh Government is delighted that it continues to deliver world-class solutions from Wales.”
Mark Douglas, Vice President for Business Development and Strategy at General Dynamics UK said: “We thank the Minister for her ongoing support, and that of the Welsh Government. Our close collaborations on this programme with Welsh universities and SMEs will help boost knowledge and expertise, placing Wales at the cutting-edge of the global security and resilience and defence sectors.”
