Bristol Robotics Laboratory at UWE Bristol yesterday hosted the inaugural meeting of a government’s new Board of Trade, with the unique facility welcoming leading politicians and business figures from across the UK.
The board has been formed by International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox, who act as its president, to help boost UK exports, attract inward investment and ensure the benefits of free trade are spread equally across the country.
Dr Fox was joined at the inaugural meeting by Minister for Trade Policy, Greg Hands, Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chloe Smith.
Advisers from across the United Kingdom were also present, providing local expertise to guide the Board on trade and investment matters. They included Collette Roche, Chief of Staff at Manchester Airport, former President of the Board of Trade, Patricia Hewitt and Ian Curle CEO of the Edrington Group, one of Scotland’s leading premium spirits companies and producers of The Famous Grouse whisky.
Ahead of the meeting, the politicians and advisers toured the laboratory, on the University of the West of England’s Frenchay campus. The lab includes an assisted living studio, drone aerial zone, technology incubator and driverless car workshop.
Bristol Robotics Laboratory is a collaborative partnership between UWE and the University of Bristol. It brings together more than 200 academics, researchers and industry practitioners, is the most comprehensive academic centre for multi-disciplinary robotics research in the UK, and is spearheading Britain’s efforts to become a world leader in modern advanced robotics.
The Board, which has attraction criticism because Dr Fox is its only full-time member, will rotate its quarterly meetings around different parts of the UK.
Pictured: The Board of Trade holds its inaugural meeting at Bristol Robotics Laboratory
