Innovation centre to help SMEs build resilience

Located in Rainham, perfectly situated on the border of London and the wider southeast, Future Cube will be home to a range of demonstrators and tools that will help businesses to explore and adopt new technologies and improve their efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in an exciting and engaging way.

The Future Cube facility is the result of a partnership between Havering Council, SEGRO, the London Riverside Business Improvement District (BID), and the Greater London Authority with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) selected as the lead delivery partner on-site.

MTC’s specialists and expert guidance will help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to address the practical, technical and strategic challenges that are critical to helping them to build long-term resilience and viability. 

The team at Future Cube has extensive experience and sector knowledge, as well as access to Innovate UK's REACH SME grant scheme, which can provide up to 50 per cent of funding for innovation projects.

The facility was formally opened by Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe CBE in a special ceremony. He was joined by the Leader of Havering Council, Councillor Damian White, and representatives from the Riverside BID, and SEGRO.

"We are excited to start working with businesses in Greater London and the Thames Gateway, the region has a history of innovation and entrepreneurship and Future Cube is the perfect partner to help those businesses flourish through the introduction of new skills and increased productivity which will stimulate growth, said Clive Hickman, Chief Executive Officer, MTC.

"We have successfully operated an MTC facility in Liverpool for a number of years, to the benefit of industry in the North West. We are looking to replicate that success here, working with regional stakeholders to help businesses in Greater London and Thames Gateway region stay competitive, improve product development and processes, and benefit from new technologies, taking academic research and translating it into innovative solutions for industry."

www.the-mtc.org