Liverpool region’s £60m packing innovation facility plan progresses
Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced £110,000 in pre-development funding for the National Packaging Innovation Centre.
The centre would focus on how to make packaging materials and processes better and more sustainable. It is being co-developed by the combined authority and CPI, a non-profit organisation dedicated to technology innovation. Unilever is a founding partner for the scheme. The corporation is also doing its own research, with its Materials Innovation Factory at the University of Liverpool.
CPI will be using the £110,000 from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to expand its offices to Liverpool Science Park, where CPI will be able to better collaborate with its industry and academic partners on the innovation centre project.
CPI strategic programmes manager Darren Ragheb said the office would “provide a hub for partnership development with universities, local government, industry, and SMEs to enable the development of the National Packaging Innovation Centre that will drive jobs and productivity in the region.”
Ragheb also praised the region for being an innovation centre.
“With the North West’s ambitious innovation ecosystem, Liverpool City Region makes an ideal location for CPI to expand its offering,” he said, “Through access to industrially relevant capabilities and expertise for packaging innovation development and demonstration, CPI will support the transformation of industries and improve the long-term health of our environment.”
Rotheram called the region “a real hotbed of innovation”.
“This funding is an important step towards the development of the National Packaging Innovation Centre in partnership with Unilever, that will help put our region at the head of the £1tn global packaging market,” he continued.
“As well as making a substantial environmental impact, this centre will attract investment to our area and create thousands of jobs and training opportunities for local people. The rest of the world will look and learn from the work we’re doing.”
Looks like a terrific proposal to utilise the innovative spirit and legacy to make a global impact.
By Global City
It will benefit Liverpool indeed but not the rest of the city region.
By West Kirby Queen
re a previous post: just because something is ,or maybe, based in Liverpool that does not mean it won`t benefit the rest of the city region, as ,for example, many people from Wirral work in Liverpool and they benefit from those jobs.
Steve Rotheram has injected funds into all areas of the city region not just Liverpool.
By Anonymous
@WKQ, are you serious this will be an international centre of excellence.
By Accepr it!
Dear West Kirby Queen, I believe the plan is once they have all the money in place, for this facility to be built in Wirral, so you are incorrect.
By ST