University gets cash for hi-tech business centres

RESEARCH TO SPEED UP THE USE OF INNOVATIONS IN INDUSTRY

RESEARCH centres working on ways to apply digital technology to manufacturing are to share £53 million of government funding.

Investment minister Lord Grimstone said money, through the national Made Smarter programme, will go to five projects, four of them involving Loughborough University.

The funding will support the development and increase use of innovations such as artificial intelligence and blockchain – transaction recording – in supply chains, or advanced robotics and smart machines in manufacturing.

Nearly £25 million will be invested in the five industry-sponsored research centres set up around the UK, including at Loughborough, to accelerate the development of cutting-edge digital solutions that can transform manufacturing businesses across many sectors.

Each centre will focus on a different area of manufacturing. The four involving Loughborough University are:

■ Digital Medicines Manufacturing Research Centre, based in Strathclyde, Cambridge and Loughborough, aims to create digital supply chains that enable medicines to be supplied on demand and enable clinical trials to operate more flexibly.

■ Research Centre for Smart, Collaborative Industrial Robotics, based in Loughborough, Strathclyde, Cranfield, Bristol and Warwick universities, will look to eliminate barriers to adopting robotics and accelerate their widespread use in manufacturing;

■ Materials Made Smarter Research Centre, based in Strathclyde, Cambridge and Loughborough, will work on overcoming technological challenges preventing adoption of new materials and manufacturing processes needed to become more sustainable and help achieve net zero emissions; and

■ People-Led Digitalisation, based in Bath, Nottingham and Loughborough, aims to achieving the highest level of manufacturing productivity by increasing the digital knowledge and awareness of manufacturers.

Lord Grimstone said: “Adopting digital technology is critical for manufacturers to unlock their full potential.

“Today’s investment shows we are doing everything we can to give businesses across the UK the tools they need to drive up productivity and build back better.

“Loughborough has a strong history of innovation and will be among the hosts of several of the new industry-sponsored research centres.

“We’re proud to continue our close relationship with the university to help keep our manufacturers at the forefront of the digital industrial revolution.”

A further £18 million has been awarded through the Digital Supply Chain Competition to 37 winning projects to support their development of innovations designed to help manufacturing supply chains become more productive and sustainable.

A further £10 million in funding has been awarded to the new Made Smarter Innovation Digital Supply Chain Innovation Hub to develop breakthrough solutions that create supply chains that are fully connected, resilient and sustainable.