LONDON: A high-flying new UK research centre could make worrying about our carbon footprint a thing of the past.
GREENER ENGINES: Birmingham University and Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, are to set up a new £60 million High Temperature Research Centre that will help develop future generations of greener aero engines – making more eco-friendly, more efficient air travel possible. — LPS photo
Birmingham University and Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, are to set up a new £60 million High Temperature Research Centre that will help develop future generations of greener aero engines – making more eco-friendly, more efficient air travel possible.
Rolls-Royce is investing £40m in the facility.
This is to be matched by an investment of £20m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, through the UK Research Partnerships Investment Fund.
Bringing together a leading global company with an internationally recognised research group, the High Temperature Research Centre builds on a long-standing successful collaboration between the two organisations.
It is hoped that this major public and private capital investment will provide a significant economic stimulus for the UK and create high-skilled jobs.
Professor David Eastwood, the university’s vice-chancellor, said: “Drawing on the University of Birmingham’s outstanding research base this new facility will create a step-change in research capability in the UK – which will directly benefit the manufacturing sector of the economy and enhance the economic competitiveness of the region.
We are delighted to be strengthening our long-standing partnership with Rolls-Royce, one of the UK’s flagship companies.
” There is an expectation that an additional £10m of private-sector revenues through research programmes from the wider industrial base interacting will be possible over the first five years of operation.
The centre will deliver applied research programmes and the development of research into ICT tools to enhance product quality and production efficiency.
It will be a unique casting, design, simulation and advanced manufacturing research facility and will focus initially on the key manufacturing areas of investment casting, design for manufacture and systems simulation; the centre will then draw in additional research competencies related to these areas through wider industry and academic involvement.
For Rolls-Royce, Dr Hamid Mughal – executive vice-president, Manufacturing Engineering & Technology – said: “We are delighted to be extending our advanced manufacturing and design research capabilities with the proposed development of the High Temperature Research Centre.
“This type of industrial and academic collaboration plays a crucial role in enabling high quality product and process innovation.
High temperature metallurgy and the related advanced manufacturing processes will give our customers more efficient products and we are very pleased to strengthen our strategic partnership with the University of Birmingham in this key area of research,” he added.
For Birmingham University, Professor Paul Bowen, head of the School of Metallurgy & Materials, said that the investment underscores the global influence of the university’s metallurgical research and will build on its recent investment in infrastructure and staff.
He added: “The close collaboration between the two organisations is typified by their interactions in establishing the Manufacturing Technology Centre supported by the Regional Development Agencies and now by Catapult Centre funding through the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills.”