HVM Catapult: Decade of innovation-driven transformation

In a year in which many companies had to resort to furlough and plant closures and when industry focus was inevitably on the short-term, this Annual Review shows the HVM Catapult continuing to deliver its mission to build a world-leading, agile, innovation-led UK manufacturing sector. Despite the restrictions of the pandemic, the Catapult kept the torch lit for innovation using novel approaches to support almost 5900 industrial partners, more than half of which were SMEs.

Projects highlighted in the Annual Review show the HVM Catapult helping to develop and scale-up the new green technologies and processes needed to reach net zero and supporting manufacturers to make the green products of the future with clean energy and sustainable materials that will not leave a scar on landscapes. The organisation is engaging with firms of all sizes to help them harness new technologies, boost productivity and secure and grow their markets.

The Review also shows the Catapult stepping forward to support the national response to the pandemic, taking a lead in delivering ventilators to the NHS, supporting development of new vaccines by hosting the COVID-19 vaccine library, and establishing stronger supply chains for personal protective equipment (PPE).

The 2020-21 Annual Review marks the tenth year of High Value Manufacturing Catapult operations. Since its creation in 2011, the organisation has worked with almost 22,000 companies, transforming their performance and boosting local economies.

Celebrating the Catapult’s achievements to date, High Value Manufacturing Catapult CEO, Katherine Bennett CBE, says: “The foundations are in place for the HVM Catapult to be at the heart of the post-pandemic recovery. Our ambition now is to make the UK a leading industrial superpower by the end of this decade, doubling the value of manufacturing as a proportion of the economy to 20%.

"By working together, we will lead the UK’s clean, green recovery in 2021/22 and its industrial transformation over the years to come.”

For more information, visit: https://hvm.catapult.org.uk/annual-review-2021/