Government set to unveil five manufacturing research hubs
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Five new research centres targeting innovative manufacturing techniques will be announced by the government today.
The new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) will be funded by grants totalling £14.1m and will support PhD and engineering doctorate (EngD) students in areas such as biotechnology, composite and ultra-precision component manufacturing.
Universities and science minister David Willetts will announce the creation of the centres this afternoon while addressing the EPSRC’s Manufacturing the Future conference at Loughborough University.
‘Developing the research base to support the UK’s wealth-creating industries of tomorrow is essential,’ said Willetts, who will also attend the opening of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IfAM) at Nottingham University this morning.
‘However, to make discoveries, we have to have new explorers and the new CDT I will announce today will help supply UK industries with the skilled researchers they need to drive growth.’
The new research centres will include:
- CDT for Innovative Manufacturing in Emergent Macromolecular Therapies at University College London (UCL), which will focus on the most rapidly developing parts of the UK bio-centred pharmaceutical and healthcare biotechnology sector;
- CDT for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation at Strathclyde University, which will tackle issues in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing;
- Cambridge & Cranfield Doctoral Training Centre in Ultra Precision, which will focus on the demand for large-scale, ultra-precision, complex components by emerging sectors and innovative products such as intelligent packaging and low-cost photovoltaics;
- Industrial Doctorate Centre in Composites Manufacture based around the National Composites Centre in Bristol, which will focus on the specialist discipline of polymer composites manufacturing relevant to the aerospace, automotive, marine, wind energy and construction industries; and
- Centre Of Advanced Training for Engineering Doctorates (COATED) hosted by Swansea University’s Innovation Knowledge Centre, which will focus on existing doctoral programmes and a new one based on functional coatings.
EPSRC chief executive Prof David Delpy said: ‘The new CDTs will be strategic centres for the next generation of engineers through the EPSRC-funded manufacturing EngD programme.’
Readers' comments (3)
Mike Blamey | 19 Sep 2012 9:43 pm
It has been my pleasure to communicate with David Willetts on a range of issues over the past few years. It is with no pleasure, but a certainty that I am correct, that I have to advise him (and indeed any of the academics who purport to be business-men/women) that putting additional money into a 'pot' albeit under a new name -academic research- that has conspicuously failed to provide anything really capable of creating wealth over the past 45 years...is just throwing good money after bad!
When will they learn?
There is a simple route to wealth creation, and that is NEVER with a civil service attachment!
If I might refer the Minister to the many comments I have made to him in the past.
Best wishes
Mike B
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Marc Holmes | 20 Sep 2012 11:12 am
@Mike B
For those of us who know nothing of your "many comments" to the minster, could you enlighten us by explaining why these Research Centers and EngD scheme do not help improve UK business?
Regards,
Marc
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Andy | 19 Nov 2012 4:55 pm
@Marc
The EngD is a tremendous programme that has grown strongly and delivered a lot of great research in industry. It is actively improving the industry by offering the direct link between industry and with the doctoral standard of academia to deliver an innovative solution to an industrial problem.
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