The announcement was made by Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, who also confirmed that the Catapult will receive £51million of grant funding from the £780million investment in the UK’s Catapult network, part of the Government’s industrial strategy.
The Catapult already employs 23 people and is set to create around 100 new jobs internally.By 2023 it aims to have helped create 1,000 new high-tech jobs within the businesses it has supported around the whole of the UK.
With analysts predicting that the world market for compound semiconductors will increase from $66billion today to over $300billion by 2030, the Catapult is seen as an essential element in the UK’s efforts to develop an effective sector.
Commenting Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said: “This investment in the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult cements Wales’ reputation as a leader in advanced electronics.Bringing together academics and businesses to develop new technologies will support areas of our daily lives from the next generation 5G mobile network to improving scanning at airport security."
For the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, CEO, Stephen Doran said: “Our Catapult is a UK-wide centre, based in Wales.With immediate effect, this grant funding will allow the Catapult to create a critical mass of industry-leading expertise at the heart of the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.The transformative potential for compound semiconductors to meet the challenges of the future has never been higher, and our new Innovation Centre will make sure that Wales is at the forefront of this revolution.”
The Catapult Innovation Centre will house a design studio, laboratories and test facilities, supported by simulation and modelling tools and advanced capabilities.It will help companies to accelerate the development of new products using compound semiconductors.
Doran added: “So far we have had contact with more than 150 businesses from around the UK and that has allowed us to develop an in-depth understanding of the compound semiconductor market and create a strategy that will help us to support and collaborate with industry.We are open for business and looking for great people to help us make these innovations happen.”
