Menu
18/03/2011
Research Boost For UK Manufacturing Industries
A £51 million investment to ensure the UK stays at the leading edge of manufacturing research was unveiled today by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts.
The announcement forms part of the Advanced Manufacturing strand of the Government’s Growth Review and will help stimulate growth through research in the most promising areas of manufacturing including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and the automotive industry. Funding for science research programmes was ring-fences and protected in the recent Spending Review.
£45 million will fund nine Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centres for Innovative Manufacturing and a further £6 million will support the manufacturing pioneers of the future.
The national centres, run by universities including Nottingham, Cranfield and Strathclyde, will focus on emerging science including biological pharmaceuticals, novel composite technologies, and intelligent automation, helping generate the new ideas that will fuel growth.
A High-Value Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) will play a key role in taking the research from the EPSRC Centres to the next stage of the innovation chain.
David Willetts said: “These centres will increasingly be essential drivers of innovation, opportunity and national prosperity. They will combine inventive research and business acumen to develop the high-tech manufacturing industries we need to secure sustainable growth.”
Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk said: “Manufacturing generates £140 billion a year for the economy and accounts for 55 per cent of total UK exports. And increasingly, it is high tech, advanced manufacturing that leads the way.
"But we need to do more to rebalance our economy. These exciting new partnerships between our universities and businesses will play a vital role in keeping UK manufacturing ahead of the game internationally.”
The EPSRC centres and are backed by leading industry partners including GSK, Rolls-Royce, IBM and a range of high-tech small and medium sized enterprises.
(BMcN/KMcA)
The announcement forms part of the Advanced Manufacturing strand of the Government’s Growth Review and will help stimulate growth through research in the most promising areas of manufacturing including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and the automotive industry. Funding for science research programmes was ring-fences and protected in the recent Spending Review.
£45 million will fund nine Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centres for Innovative Manufacturing and a further £6 million will support the manufacturing pioneers of the future.
The national centres, run by universities including Nottingham, Cranfield and Strathclyde, will focus on emerging science including biological pharmaceuticals, novel composite technologies, and intelligent automation, helping generate the new ideas that will fuel growth.
A High-Value Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC) will play a key role in taking the research from the EPSRC Centres to the next stage of the innovation chain.
David Willetts said: “These centres will increasingly be essential drivers of innovation, opportunity and national prosperity. They will combine inventive research and business acumen to develop the high-tech manufacturing industries we need to secure sustainable growth.”
Minister for Business and Enterprise Mark Prisk said: “Manufacturing generates £140 billion a year for the economy and accounts for 55 per cent of total UK exports. And increasingly, it is high tech, advanced manufacturing that leads the way.
"But we need to do more to rebalance our economy. These exciting new partnerships between our universities and businesses will play a vital role in keeping UK manufacturing ahead of the game internationally.”
The EPSRC centres and are backed by leading industry partners including GSK, Rolls-Royce, IBM and a range of high-tech small and medium sized enterprises.
(BMcN/KMcA)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
12 October 2015
£200m Polar Research Ship To Be Built
The preferred bidder to construct a £200m state-of-the-art polar research ship has been named. Cammell Laird in Birkenhead has been selected as the preferred bidder for the project which will help the UK remain at the forefront of climate and ocean research.
£200m Polar Research Ship To Be Built
The preferred bidder to construct a £200m state-of-the-art polar research ship has been named. Cammell Laird in Birkenhead has been selected as the preferred bidder for the project which will help the UK remain at the forefront of climate and ocean research.
22 January 2014
Man Dies In Accident At Toyota Factory
A 56-year-old man has died in an accident at Toyota's vehicle manufacturing plant in Derbyshire. Police were called to the factory at around 00:40 following a report that the man, understood to be a lorry driver, was trapped between to vehicles.
Man Dies In Accident At Toyota Factory
A 56-year-old man has died in an accident at Toyota's vehicle manufacturing plant in Derbyshire. Police were called to the factory at around 00:40 following a report that the man, understood to be a lorry driver, was trapped between to vehicles.
25 August 2004
Oxford plant hits Mini milestone
The new-look Mini celebrated a milestone today as the half-millionth vehicle rolled off the production line in Oxford today. Since production began at the BMW plant in 2001 more than 375,000 of the 500,000 Minis have been exported, boosting the British manufacturing sector.
Oxford plant hits Mini milestone
The new-look Mini celebrated a milestone today as the half-millionth vehicle rolled off the production line in Oxford today. Since production began at the BMW plant in 2001 more than 375,000 of the 500,000 Minis have been exported, boosting the British manufacturing sector.
08 April 2003
Report reveals passive smoking kills three people a day
New research has revealed that three people each day die due to passive smoking at work and has prompted renewed calls for laws to ban smoking in workplaces. According to research in ‘A Killer on the Loose’ published today, on the eve of a major conference on workplace smoking, every year 1,200 people in the UK die as a result of passive smoking.
Report reveals passive smoking kills three people a day
New research has revealed that three people each day die due to passive smoking at work and has prompted renewed calls for laws to ban smoking in workplaces. According to research in ‘A Killer on the Loose’ published today, on the eve of a major conference on workplace smoking, every year 1,200 people in the UK die as a result of passive smoking.
16 March 2011
£10m Funding For Three Low Carbon Vehicle R&D Projects
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is providing £10 million for three major projects to address fundamental research questions in developing low carbon vehicles, Business Minister Mark Prisk has announced.
£10m Funding For Three Low Carbon Vehicle R&D Projects
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is providing £10 million for three major projects to address fundamental research questions in developing low carbon vehicles, Business Minister Mark Prisk has announced.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A cloudy morning with some outbreaks of rain, some on the heavy side. Then turning brighter in afternoon with sunny intervals and more isolated showers. Fresh southeatserly winds. Maximum temperature 14 °C.Tonight:A dry evening with some sunshine to end the day, then staying dry overnight with some clear periods. Winds easing. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
