“These new facilities will encourage businesses to take advantage of cutting-edge digital technologies, offering flexibility to develop and refine processes and greater efficiency.

“We welcome the support of Innovate UK and look forward to working with industry partners, innovators and problem solvers, to deliver more sustainable growth across our region.”

Iain Elliott, CEO of HETA, said discussions are under way with prospective clients who recognise the potential of the project.

He said: “Both rigs are big pieces of equipment which can be of use to industry as test rigs which are full scale. They can use them to find out if their technology works rather than disrupting their own premises and plant and they can create a digital twin to develop their concepts.

“If a manufacturer needs to make changes to their factory, they can do it by trying them on the digital rigs. Maybe try speeding up a conveyor line to see what difference it makes in terms of productivity or anything else.

“It also helps you look into predictive maintenance – you can put sensors on the equipment and it will feed back information on how it is performing. It can help you identify why things are breaking down and how you can stop that. Essentially it helps you keep the equipment as efficient as it can be.”

KTPs have driven innovation and growth by creating collaborations between businesses and academic institutions since 1975. They generated more than £2bn for the UK economy between 2010 and 2020 and currently support more than 800 businesses.

Jan Antons, Innovate UK’s knowledge transfer adviser for Hull, Humberside and North Lincolnshire, said: “This Knowledge Transfer Partnership is a fantastic example of how collaboration between academia and industry drives real impact.

“By combining cutting-edge research with practical application, we are driving innovation that delivers real benefits, including advanced digital skills to businesses and the wider community.

“It’s a privilege to work with this incredible project team, and to support a knowledge transfer that creates lasting impact.”

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