£21million for Centres for Innovative Manufacturing 04 March 2013

Four new research centres, aimed at developing new manufacturing methods involving electronics, lasers, medical devices and food production, have been awarded £21 million EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) grant funding.

It's part of a £45 million package of investments in manufacturing research announced on Wednesday (27 February 2013) by David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science.

"The UK has a proud history of manufacturing but, to build on this success, industry needs access to the very latest science and technology," states Willetts.

"This package of investment will see our world-class research base investigating innovative new manufacturing equipment and techniques," he continues.

"This will support our industrial strategy in a range of important sectors, driving growth and keeping the UK ahead in the global race."

The new Centres, which are due to begin work later this year, will involve academics from 15 universities across the UK as well as more than 60 project partners from industry.

EPSRC currently supports 12 centres across a wide range of fields, from additive manufacturing to industrial sustainability to continuous manufacturing and crystallisation. These four new centres bring the total to 16.

The new centres are: the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large Area Electronics, led by Dr Chris Rider at the University of Cambridge; the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Food, led by Dr Tim Foster at the University of Nottingham; the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser-based Production Processes, led by Professor Duncan Hand at Heriot-Watt University; and the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices, led by Professor John Fisher at the University of Leeds.

Brian Tinham

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