A £65 MILLION centre of excellence will make Scotland a “global leader” in manufacturing, the Scottish Government says.

Described as a “factory for the future”, the facility will be created on the outskirts of the village of Inchinnan in Renfrewshire, which is close to Glasgow Airport.

Named the National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland (NMIS), it will provide support for companies across the country and aims to attract investment. Work will begin next year, with the centre acting as the anchor tenant at a new 130-acre business and manufacturing innovation district.

The news was announced yesterday as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Economy Secretary Keith Brown visited Rolls-Royce’s manufacturing premises at the business park.

The engineering firm is a founder member of Strathclyde University’s existing advanced forming research centre, and the university will also be involved in the new institute.

It will contribute £8 million, with Holyrood investing £48m.

Sturgeon said: “This exciting facility will be an industry-led international centre of manufacturing expertise. Research, industry and the public sector will work together to transform skills, productivity and innovation, attracting investment and making Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

“It will help companies right across Scotland embrace new manufacturing techniques, support cutting-edge research and help to develop further the skills of our workforce.

“The manufacturing jobs of the future offer exciting and rewarding careers for young people. We want to inspire them to work in this sector and revive Scotland’s proud tradition of manufacturing and engineering.”

Sturgeon added: “Inchinnan provides a gateway to the world through proximity to the airport and revives Scotland’s proud tradition of manufacturing and engineering.

“Although the centre will sit on the Clydeside, the benefits will be felt throughout Scotland.”

Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson insisted his area was the “perfect home” for the centre. He said: “We offer the right environment for it to flourish, with a strong manufacturing base and highly skilled workforce already in place, complemented by the excellent research expertise across the region.

“This combined with excellent connections by air, land and sea – which will be further enhanced by our Glasgow City Region City Deal projects – make it the ideal choice for this exciting development.

“Renfrewshire has long been renowned for its manufacturing expertise and innovation, not least in giving Paisley pattern to the world. I am excited about the prospect of helping to play our part in making Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing.”

Combining research and manufacturing with industry and public- sector expertise, it is hoped that NMIS will improve skills, product- ivity and innovation.

Companies worldwide will also be able to access its services, and a skills academy will help staff to learn new tools and techniques.

The development comes six months after the Scottish Government announced £8.9m in funding for the lightweight manufacturing centre as a first step towards the larger plan. That facility will open in May in nearby Renfrew.

Renfrewshire Council will put a further £39.1m into wider infrastructure work at the NMIS site through the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

Brown said: “Manufacturing is a key industry, already accounting for 52 per cent of Scotland’s international exports and nearly £600m of Scotland’s spend on business research and development. Our investment in NMIS builds on our support for the lightweight manufacturing centre and will support that and our ambitious target of doubling business expenditure on research and development by 2025.”

NMIS will be delivered in partnership through Scottish Enterprise. Its managing director, Linda Hanna, said: “Supporting growth in Scotland’s manufacturing sector is a key priority for us and central to the future of Scotland’s economy.

“Today’s announcement is a great milestone in the journey towards creating expertise and capability in a new hub to help drive increased innovation and investment. We look forward to continuing to work closely with partners to deliver this ambitious project and grow Scotland’s reputation as a global hub for high-value manufacturing.”

Dr Hamid Mughal, director of global manufacturing at Rolls-Royce, said it was “hugely encouraging to see the strategic importance of advanced manufacturing being duly recognised”.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, of Strathclyde University, added: “Today’s announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter for Scottish manufacturing, building on a great tradition of innovation.”