Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Minister, Saqib Bhatti MP visits CSA Catapult

Today, Saqib Bhatti MP visited the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult as his first engagement as Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Minister Bhatti heard how CSA Catapult supports UK SMEs, microbusinesses and larger companies across the UK to develop ground-breaking technology applications using compound semiconductors across Net Zero and Future Telecoms.

Minister Bhatti also heard about key projects CSA Catapult is delivering, including @FutureBEV— a £26m collaborative project creating UK supply chains for battery electric vehicles to lower carbon emissions—and CSA Catapult’s strategic innovation partnership with Siemens in power electronics, machines and drives.

CSA Catapult’s Chief Executive Officer, Martin McHugh spoke about a UK-wide skills strategy to get more young people into electronics and electrical engineering.

New funding will be made available to encourage more learners in Wales into electronics. ‘Spark their imagination; power their future’—a project funded by Innovate UK and run by Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult and the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF)—will offer 24 bursaries of £1,000 to Year 13 pupils in Wales who have secured a place to study electronics and electrical engineering (EEE) at a partner university.

The project will also provide thousands of learners across Wales, aged 15-18, with classroom resources and insights into the wealth of exciting and rewarding career opportunities that are on offer across the electronics sector.

Future Telecoms to support UK industry

CSA Catapult has recently been awarded £4m from Innovate UK to help deliver a resilient and energy efficient future telecoms network for the UK.

The funding will help expand CSA Catapult’s activities across the future telecoms landscape and develop new compound semiconductor technologies to improve the speed, energy efficiency and security of our communications networks.

The Future Telecoms Hub will complement CSA Catapult’s existing operations at its headquarters in Newport, South Wales by providing closer access to a thriving telecoms ecosystem across Bristol and the South West that includes several major technology companies and research institutions.

The Future Telecoms Hub will also strengthen CSA Catapult’s connection with the Western Gateway and will host collaborative research projects with the University of Bristol.