Britain’s Energy Coast Fab Lab sparks into life
A global movement which aims to nurture innovation and spark invention has landed in West Cumbria with the official opening of the Britain’s Energy Coast Fab Lab today.
Economic development organisation Britain’s Energy Coast (BEC) has opened brand new facilities at Createc in Cockermouth and West Lakes Academy in Egremont, which together as one have become the ninth Fab Lab – standing for fabrication laboratory – in the UK. They will provide businesses, entrepreneurs, schools and community groups with access to a wide range of cutting-edge equipment such as precision laser cutters and 3D digital printers, enabling them to develop products, prototypes or simply to learn more about the latest fabrication methods. Users will have access to on-hand expert support as well as an on-line community of potential collaborators and problem solvers linked to the 250 Fab Labs around the world.
A concept born by the world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America, Fab Labs are hands-on digital fabrication laboratories which have been described as a “half-way house” between a laboratory and a workshop where anyone can have the opportunity to turn their creative ideas and designs into (almost) anything.
The BEC Fab Lab has been possible thanks to a £200,000 investment from BEC, made in partnership with its nuclear funders, along with a further £100,000 from The Sir John Fisher Foundation and £80,000 from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) through the Solway, Border and Eden Local Action Group.
David Jones, Head of Projects, Energy Business Support at Britain’s Energy Coast, said, “Encouraging innovation and invention is key to West Cumbria’s future economic prosperity. The BEC Fab Lab has a central role to play in supporting the work and aspirations of local companies, entrepreneurs and, crucially, young people who we need to encourage and nurture. Today’s event marks the culmination of a lot of hard work by a number of different people and organisations and so it is extremely rewarding to see them officially opened and ready for use.”
Rekha Mehr, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Department for Business, Innovation Skills (BIS) officially opened the facilities and was joined by members of the local business community who had the opportunity to see the equipment put into action by school pupils from Eaglesfield Paddle C. E. Primary Academy and West Lakes Academy.
She said: “The facilities and equipment in the BEC Fab Lab are very impressive and will make a huge difference to small businesses and entrepreneurs who can now take their ideas forward without the barrier of having to buy prototyping equipment. You don’t have to be designing the next rocket to benefit from the BEC Fab Lab, businesses can use the facilities to help produce packaging for their products or signage for example.”
As part of the opening Miss Mehr announced the winner of a competition that has been running to create a mural representing the collaboration between the two BEC Fab Lab facilities. The winning mural has been designed and created using the facilities in the BEC Fab Lab and was unveiled to an audience of local dignitaries, school children, members of the business community and those who have supported the project.
Brian Hough, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Socio Economic Manager, said, “Through investments by ourselves, Sellafield Ltd and Nuclear Management Partners in Britain’s Energy Coast we can see a wide range of skills and training support facilities being created. BEC Fab Lab adds to an impressive network of facilities where both young people and local businesses can develop skills and maximise commercial opportunities.”
The BEC Fab Lab facilities are now available to hire by local businesses, schools, community groups or individuals and will provide open access on certain days to all members of the community. The first scheduled open days for local businesses to see the facilities in Cockermouth are Friday 14 and Saturday 15 February 2014.
For further details and to find out how you can get involved, or even volunteer to assist users, contact info@becfablab.org or telephone Danny Frost, BEC Fab Lab Manager, on 01900 825080.
