Sixteen major new research and development projects that will help to stimulate innovation in the UK’s manufacturing sector are to share government funding of over £6.5 million.
The Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (www.epsrc.ac.uk) are to provide grant funding to support the development of new technologies that have the potential to underpin new production processes in a wide range of industrial applications and market sectors.
The focus of the R&D will be on production technologies that can create high value through novel processes, advanced product manufacture, and/or resource efficiency improvements. The projects will also encourage the development of technologies that will facilitate greater environmental sustainability through efficient disposal, recycling or remanufacture of assets at the end of their useful life.
Iain Gray, chief executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: “The Technology Strategy Board has an important role to play, through funding for such collaborative research and development, helping UK businesses to accelerate the development of new equipment, processes and expertise brought about by technology innovation.”
Professor Dave Delpy, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) chief executive said: “Investment in cutting edge manufacturing research and the translation of that into commercial applications is the key to economic success. EPSRC has a portfolio of 350 live projects and an investment of £380 million in the manufacturing sector.”
Projects will lead to the development of technologies such as:
• An innovative method of controlling and optimizing car painting processes;
• Autonomous intelligent machining;
• On-line control of welding processes using ultrasonic test techniques;
• The sustainable and resource efficient cutting of titanium.
www.epsrc.ac.uk
