Business News Round Up (08/10/2024)
UK delays third stage of post-Brexit border rollout
The UK government has delayed the third and final stage of the post-Brexit border rollout, triggering an angry response from traders, who said ministerial engagement with industry was “totally lacking”. A waiver on safety and security certificates for goods entering the UK from the EU has been extended by three months to January 31, 2025, according to an update published by HM Revenue & Customs on Monday. The announcement by the UK tax authority marks the latest in a string of delays to the implementation of the country’s post-Brexit border regime. Trade representatives said that while they welcomed the waiver extension, the government’s failure to properly engage with industry or offer clear guidance on arrangements with Britain’s largest trading partner had left homegrown businesses at a disadvantage.
https://www.ft.com/content/3819a7e1-fc75-4893-bae8-7b9b58fc884d
New project receives funding to boost regional innovation in Greater Manchester
A collaborative project aimed at strengthening the commercialisation of research in Greater Manchester has been awarded funding through the Connecting Capability Fund (CCF) from the Research England Development (RED) Fund. The six-month initiative, running from October 2024 to March 2025, will be led by the University of Manchester Innovation Factory (UoMIF) in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Salford, and aims to increase innovation and drive economic growth across the region while enhancing collaboration between the organisations. The project brings together Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) from all four partner institutions to collaborate, share best practices and provide mutual support. The initiative aims to significantly enhance the commercialisation of research and innovation in the Greater Manchester region and enable the involved TTOs to grow academic engagement in commercialisation and disclosure numbers, support development of a commercialisation pipeline and secure investment.
Ten years of City Deal investment reaps £880m return
The UK and Scottish governments joined local leaders to mark ten years of the Glasgow City Region City Deal and to reflect on what has been achieved through the £1.13 billion of funding. One of the largest and the most advanced in the UK, Glasgow’s Deal has delivered a range of high-profile projects such as Greenock Ocean Terminal, the bridge over the M8 at Sighthill and the Govan to Partick bridge – with the new Renfrew bridge set to open later this year. The eight participating member authorities for the Glasgow City Region City Deal are East Dunbartonshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Renfrewshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council. Signed in 2014, Glasgow’s Deal provides £500m each from the UK and Scottish governments for a range of infrastructure, employability and innovation projects with the eight local councils contributing a further £130m.
University of Glasgow to lead UK’s ‘first sustainable electronics centre’
The University of Glasgow is to lead the development of the UK’s ‘first sustainable electronics centre’- in a bid to cut waste from electrical and electronic equipment. The £5.5 million Responsible Electronics and Circular Technologies Centre (REACT) programme aims to establish central Scotland as a leader in sustainable electronics manufacturing and design. It is one of five new centres announced across the UK which will share £25m from UKRI’s £25m Accelerating the Green Economy programme. The programme is part of UKRI’s Building a Green Future, which aims to accelerate the green economy by supporting research and innovation that unlocks solutions essential to achieving net zero in the UK by 2050. REACT is the UK’s first sustainable electronics centre. It will drive the transition to net-zero electronics, addressing both environmental and economic challenges faced by the industry, while promoting the adoption of green technologies through collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers.