Engineering news
The government’s next Catapult research centre, which will aim to help cities become smarter, will be based in London and receive £50 million of public and private funding, it was announced today.
The Future Cities Catapult is being chaired by former chief scientific adviser Sir David King and will be “linked” to Glasgow, which was selected in January as the Technology Strategy Board’s “Future Cities” demonstrator.
Speaking at the Innovate UK 2013 conference in London, business secretary Vince Cable, said: “There is a potential market worth £200 billion in infrastructure and services for future cities. The Catapult will be cross-disciplinary, drawing experience together from health, transport, energy and public safety, and making them useful in a business context.”
The Future Cities Catapult will be the fifth to become operational, following Catapults in Transport Systems, the Connected Digital Economy and Satellite Applications. The Future Cities Catapult will play a “key part in the government’s industrial strategy”, the government said.
Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: "London is recognised as a truly international city. Its unique set-up including national and international transportation links, world-class universities, leading engineering, construction and digital businesses and highly-skilled staff makes it the perfect place for the Catapult."
The Catapult will work closely with Glasgow city council, who recently won £24 million of government funding from the Technology Strategy Board to be a future cities demonstrator. The demonstrator will work alongside the Catapult in London to make sure there are opportunities for innovative UK businesses to develop integrated urban solutions that can be sold to cities across the world.
The Technology Strategy Board is yet to recruit a chief executive for the Catapult.