Japanese tech giant Fujitsu is investing £22 million into a research and development centre in the north west of England.
Phase one of the project is already underway with a Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies (C-Cat) set to be established by the end of the year.
The C-Cat foundation will aim to import emerging technologies from Japan. Through the establishment of the centre, Fujitsu will also aim to create over 200 "high-skilled" jobs over the next year and potentially more as the project develops.
Initially, the project will operate from Fujitsu's Manchester offices and draw from its long-standing partnership with the University of Manchester. Eventually, the C-Cat will expand into a permanent campus with a final location to be announced in the Autumn.
The centre, which will be led by emerging technology expert Dr Keith Dear, will focus on a range of emerging technologies, such as quantum, AI, and digital twin technology, to provide a direct link to work in Japan so that the UK can benefit from the country's leadership in areas such as supercomputing.
This is the first announcement to come from the 'Free Trade Agreement' that was signed by the UK and Japan in October 2020. Greater collaboration in science and technology were key areas of the deal, with the aim to enhance the UK's status as a superpower in those fields.
"We share the UK government's ambitions to thrive as a science and technology superpower," Fujitsu's global CTO, Vivek Mahajan said. "We recognise the potential of the growing partnership between the UK and Japan, and we will look to contribute to this by building the C-CAT as an innovation bridge between the two countries. The establishment of the Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies here demonstrates the UK's importance in our global mission to create a more sustainable world through innovation."
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