Atom Valley has achieved a major milestone in the completion of the base build of the Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Center – SMMC at Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale.
The 30,000 sq ft center is the first large physical development within the Atom Valley Innovation District – AVID, a 25-acre hub bringing together businesses, researchers, and investors as well as innovation partners engaged in advanced materials and manufacturing.
The development will help to cement Greater Manchester’s status as a world-leading center when it comes to advanced manufacturing, giving businesses the knowledge, facilities, and support they need to create and commercialize new technologies.
The completion of the building marks the end of years of collaborative working that has taken place between Rochdale Development Agency – RDA, Greater Manchester Combined Authority – GMCA, The University of Manchester, along with wider innovation partners.
RDA has physically developed the SMMC, collaborating with partners to attract investment and develop advanced materials and manufacturing as a significant development opportunity for Rochdale and Greater Manchester.
Work will shift from construction to specialist fit-out in the next phase, before the center opens in 2027.
The project is an evolution of the Center of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability – CEAMS established in 2023 after RDA brought together collaborators from industry, academia as well as government.
Since then, CEAMS partners have allowed businesses to gain access to a national network of specialist knowledge, facilities, and innovation support, which includes the Henry Royce Institute, the University of Manchester, the National Physical Laboratory – NPL, the Center for Process Innovation – CPI and NCC, formerly the National Composites Center.
CEAMS has already assisted more than 90 companies in developing new products and processes.
The Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Center – SMMC will offer a permanent physical gateway into the advanced materials and manufacturing network of the UK, giving businesses accessibility to specialist infrastructure, expertise, and innovation support in order to help translate ideas into products that are viable for commercial use.
The scheme has received £15.2m from the Towns Fund of the UK Government and £5.8m from the Greater Manchester Investment Zone.
A further £16.4m from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund – LIPF has also provided a further boost to the wider innovation district.
Its flagship government program, executed through UK Research and Innovation – UKRI, is investing £500m to boost regional innovation economies across the country.
The University of Manchester is the primary delivery partner for the program, working with RDA and the CEAMS consortium of national innovation partners to help build the innovation landscape around the SMMC.
Independent analysis has predicted the center will create £107m of economic value in the next decade, resulting in a 2:1 return on public investment.
It is also anticipated to attract new businesses, inward investment, and high-value jobs into Atom Valley.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig said, “Atom Valley is an exciting opportunity and key to our plans to bring sustainable growth to every postcode in Greater Manchester. The completion of the SMMC building is a major milestone for what will become a nationally significant hub for innovation. We’re providing space for businesses and connecting them with investment, world-class research, facilities, and support within the wider Atom Valley Innovation District. In practice, that means more opportunities for our businesses to grow, attracting new investment to this part of Greater Manchester, and more high-value jobs for our residents.”