The centre will be in charge of planning, development and supply of integrated circuits and sensor technologies for the company specialising in industrial metrology and spectroscopy solutions.

The opening of the R&D centre was attended by Renishaw chairman David McMurtry, who praised the ongoing cooperation with the faculty spanning more than a decade. The aim is to expand ties and to draw young talented researchers to the new facility, he said.

Head of the Microelectronics Laboratory at the faculty Janez Trontelj, where the R&D facility will be based, said the laboratory was looking to employ around 30 young engineers over five years.

Cooperation between the faculty and Renishaw is currently valued at around EUR 500,000 per year, a figure which the two sides hope to increase by ten-fold in the coming years.

The Renishaw group is present in 32 countries around the world and employs around 4,000 people. Group revenues stood at around EUR 490m last year, 93% of which was generated through exports.