Two companies in the Bradford district have been awarded Government cash to develop state-of-the art research programmes.

Turbo chargers BorgWarner Ltd, based at Roydsdale Way, Bradford, and electric motors manufacturer ATB Morley in Pudsey are among 130 companies or schemes named today in round three of the Regional Growth Fund (RGF).

BorgWarner’s bid will see a research and development test facility centre built at its factory along with a research and development unit at the University of Bradford for Turbo engineering.

ATB Morley expects to create about 35 graduate and shop floor jobs. The money will support a research and development programme until 2015 to devise products for the renewable energy sector, including wind and tidal power.

The research is being undertaken at the company’s Pudsey base, with its factory in Fulton Street, Bradford, which employs about 30 people, scheduled to make the new products.

Bradford Council leader David Green said: “I had a meeting with BorgWarner on Wednesday to discuss the RGF bid and other hopeful expansion plans and I am delighted that there bid has been successful and we look forward to continuing to work with the company.

“It is a leading manufacturer in Bradford exporting turbo chargers all over Europe. This bid will help further development of the companies offices based in Bradford.”

ATB Morley, which has twice recently won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, specialises in making electric motors for the mining industry.

About 90 per cent of its products are exported to countries such as China, India, Australia and Russia which retain major coal mining operations. The company employs a total of 225 people in Pudsey, Bradford and Stockport.

Steve Kolowiecki, managing director, said the RGF funding would help ATB Morley, which last year grew turnover by more than a third to £26 million, develop products specifically for renewable energy applications.

He said: “Coal still fuels 60 per cent of power generation and mining remains a major market for us. But we need to diversify and develop equipment for use in new energy sectors.

“Over the course of the programme we expect to recruit around 35 people, including degree-level people for design as well as shop floor workers such as machine operators.”

The Department for Business said no details of funding allocated to each project would be released for six months as schemes still had to go through due diligence and it was commercially sensitive information.

The RGF supports projects and programmes that lever private sector investment creating economic growth and sustainable employment.