Horiba MIRA has announced a deal to invest US$12.7m in the construction of the MIRA Technology Institute in the UK, in collaboration with the Midlands’ top educational establishments.
The partnership – which alongside Horiba MIRA, comprises North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, Coventry University, Loughborough University, as well as the University of Leicester – will oversee the construction of a 24,500ft2 bespoke global skills center at MIRA Technology Park.
The site, which will open in September 2018, will look to create specialist skills in new disruptive technology areas such as electrification and driverless car technologies, ensuring a sustainable supply of future technical specialists and engineers.
George Gillespie OBE, CEO at Horiba MIRA, discussed the importance of the development: “The MIRA Technology Institute is a unique solution that has been created to address a very real problem the UK automotive sector is facing. It is well aligned with the government’s new Industrial Strategy. It will be a huge asset to MIRA Technology Park but we hope its benefits will be felt throughout the UK auto sector and beyond.”
Meanwhile, MIRA China has announced its move into a new office following a 50% growth in staff in the past 12 months. The new facility, which is double the size of the previous home, was officially launched this week.
The sustainably-designed development is located at Hongqiao SunnyWorld Centre in the Shanghai central business district. The move will see the company’s rapidly expanding engineering team bolster its existing capabilities while bringing in new CAV capabilities.
With an expected increase in CAV technologies, MIRA China expects to introduce additional engineers to meet demand. As vehicle systems continue to increase in complexity and as changes continue to be seen in emissions regulations, the company also plans to expand the team with local specialists in Real Driving Emissions, functional safety and electromagnetic compatibility.
Jason Bao, managing director, MIRA China, said, “We are committed to the Chinese market, which is seeing strong growth in new technologies such as autonomous and connected vehicles. With a larger team and this investment in brand-new offices, we’re in a great position to work with automotive manufacturers and suppliers across the country, leveraging our extensive engineering expertise both in China and the UK.”