Morrison Construction has been awarded a £1.3 million contract for the refurbishment of a building on Enterprise Park Forres to create the new Manufacturing Innovation Centre Moray (MICM).

The project, commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), will involve creating business incubator spaces, project spaces for innovation, and a demonstrator suite showcasing advanced manufacturing technology.

With around 7,000 manufacturing jobs in Moray, MICM is a crucial part of the region's economic growth. The centre is expected to support up to 300 jobs in the next decade and will provide support and advice to local manufacturing companies.

The MICM will focus on stimulating innovation and growth in product and process development, with a particular emphasis on low-carbon practices. The project is part of the Moray Growth Deal, which includes funding from the UK and Scottish Governments and HIE.

-- Advertisement --

David Reid, HIE area manager for Moray, said: "MICM is all about innovation, growth, productivity, and efficiency in Moray's indigenous manufacturing companies and increasing the number of manufacturing start-ups in the area. It will encourage more research and development and help attract manufacturing inward investment.

"In a wider sense the new centre will be designed to support the creation of higher paid jobs, improve skills among the workforce, attract and retain more young people, and encourage occupational integration and gender balance.

"Planning for the project has been a long and detailed process involving many partners and stakeholders and we are grateful to all those who have helped to get things to this stage. We're delighted to be awarding the construction contract and look forward to continuing our close collaboration as we advance the project in the coming months."

HIE is also starting the process of finding a service operator for MICM. The agency has published a Prior Information Notice on Public Contracts Scotland website to gauge interest and get feedback from the marketplace.