Dorset Innovation Park’s new agri-tech centre set to create jobs and apprenticeships in boost for sector – Business Live

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

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A new £1.9m research and design centre has been opened at Dorset Innovation Park in Wool, in a move that is expected to boost jobs and growth in the county’s agri-tech sector.

DraperVENT, which develops ventilation and renewable heating systems for buildings used in poultry farming, has invested in the facility to advance automated livestock farming systems and achieve higher levels of animal welfare and sustainability.

The firm was awarded an initial £740,000 loan to kickstart the project from Dorset’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in July 2020, as part of its Growing Places Fund.

The 1,700 mt sq centre has now been completed within a year.

The LEP said that by 2025 the Agri-Tech Innovation Centre will have allowed DraperVENT to safeguard 18 jobs and create 20 new roles. It added that it could increase the turnover of the firm’s parent company, DraperGROUP, to over £20m.

The project will also see the creation of an apprenticeship programme with local colleges to encourage young people into the agri-tech sector.

The building will provide space for education, training, research, product testing and demonstrations.

Sara Uzzell, Dorset LEP deputy chair, said: “Dorset’s agri-tech sector is worth over £108m and has been identified as a high-growth sector in Dorset’s Local Industrial Strategy.

“The facilities at the Agri-tech Innovation Centre will place DraperVENT at the forefront of ventilation innovation.”

DraperGROUP’s managing director Paul Draper said the firm, which is headquartered on Ferndown Industrial Estate, was “delighted” to have a workplace that would allow its 32 staff to collaborate.

Mr Draper said: “Dorset is the perfect place to take DraperVENT to the next level because of the drive and determination to see agri-tech businesses succeed in the region.

“The Dorset Innovation Park plot provides us with an opportunity to develop, test, promote, store, and distribute our products while we benefit from reduced business rates thanks to it holding Enterprise Zone status.

“There is also the opportunity for us to collaborate with other innovative on-site businesses.”

DraperVENT received a grant of around £70,000 for the project from Low Carbon Dorset, an initiative run by Dorset Council and the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to help Dorset businesses incorporate renewable energy.

Around £175,000 of the total cost of the facility was was used to to install sustainability features, including a rooftop solar panels, a ground source heat pump, underfloor heating, LED lighting and four electric vehicle charging points.

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