The Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee for the Economy held a meeting at the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre in Newtownabbey this week.
Members accepted an invitation from Queen's University to attend the venue the day after its official opening event.
This visit marked the first formal launch of one of the university's three Belfast City Region Deal innovation centres.
Its purpose is to facilitate the development of new products while improving productivity and enhancing competitiveness within the sector.
As part of its scrutiny role, the committee sought to understand how strategic investments like AMIC support innovation, productivity and economic growth.
Following the session, committee members toured the facility as part of its two-day launch programme.