Queen’s University Belfast has officially opened its £100 million Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), known as the Factory of the Future, at Global Point in Newtownabbey.

The open-access centre lets manufacturers test AI, robotics, automation and digital twins before committing to their own investment, backed by projections of up to 1,500 jobs and 300 apprentices by 2050.

AMIC has operated since April and houses engineers working across robotics and automation, advanced materials, digital twins, AI, advanced metrology and machining, alongside projects on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The 10,500 square metre building has capacity for 150 staff.

Almost £80 million of the funding came through the Belfast Region City Deal, and the centre is projected to add £1.3 billion to the economy by 2050.

Queen’s University Belfast, a Russell Group university based in Belfast, posted record research income of £124.6 million in its latest annual report. AMIC is delivered with Ulster University and Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, and operates as the organisation within the Factory of the Future building. It builds on more than 55 years of industry-focused innovation at Queen’s through centres including the Northern Ireland Technology Centre and the Polymers Processing Research Centre.

The structural driver is the open-access model, which lets manufacturers use specialist engineers, facilities and equipment shared across industry partners rather than building those capabilities in-house.

Professor Sir Ian Greer, president and vice-chancellor of Queen’s, said the model lets the university “work directly with manufacturers to address real-world challenges” by combining academic expertise and industry experience.

The centre was developed in response to the needs of Northern Ireland’s advanced manufacturing sector, with companies and industry partners helping to shape its capabilities, and it brings specialist engineering teams, research facilities and partners together in one location.

For the sector, AMIC confirms that universities are becoming shared-infrastructure providers for manufacturing innovation, pairing technology access with apprenticeship pipelines.

Source: edtechinnovationhub.com / drivesncontrols.com / ulster.ac.uk / qub.ac.uk