UK Digital Twin Centre Opens

The UK Digital Twin Centre has officially opened in Belfast, marking a significant advancement in the nation’s industrial innovation landscape. This state-of-the-art facility aims to revolutionize how industries design, test, and optimize operations by leveraging digital twin technology.

Digital twin technology involves creating real-time, data-driven virtual models of physical assets, systems, or processes. These dynamic simulations allow businesses to test, predict, and optimize performance without physical trial-and-error, reducing costs and improving efficiency across operations. As adoption grows, digital twins are forecast to contribute £62 million in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy over the next decade.

The Centre, delivered by Digital Catapult and funded by Innovate UK and the Belfast Region City Deal, provides advanced facilities, including a 360-degree immersive space and a high-spec technology lab. These resources are designed to solve complex operational challenges across sectors such as maritime, aerospace, and defense.

At the launch event, industry partners Artemis Technologies, Spirit AeroSystems, and Thales UK showcased early-stage applications developed within the Centre. These demonstrations highlighted the Centre’s commitment to cross-sector collaboration, aiming to strengthen supply chains, enhance product design, and support decarbonization efforts.

The UK Digital Twin Centre also announced its inaugural six-month Accelerator Programme, now open for expressions of interest. This initiative offers UK tech SMEs and industry partners funding, mentorship, and technical support to fast-track the adoption of enabling technologies such as IoT, simulation tools, and data integration.

Susan Bowen, CEO of Digital Catapult, emphasized the Centre’s role in driving innovation: “Seeing real-world use cases coming to life at the UK Digital Twin Centre is a powerful demonstration of how digital twins can deliver tangible advances for UK industry.” She added that the Centre is leveraging local innovation clusters to have a positive impact on economic growth in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

The establishment of the UK Digital Twin Centre in Belfast underscores the city’s growing prominence in the tech sector and its commitment to fostering innovation that benefits the entire UK economy.