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Ground-breaking new technologies to help tackle global
challenges – from noise reduction equipment that protects
marine life to recyclable high strength alloys for vehicles –
will be developed in the UK as part of new university-industry
partnerships
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Government is investing £12m in four new partnerships
between companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, BAE Systems and
Dyson and universities in England and Scotland
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Programme has secured over £17m of industry-backing and
projects will support the Government’s aim through its modern
Industrial Strategy’s to raise public and private R&D spend
to 2.4% of GDP by 2027
New pioneering technologies to develop super-strong alloys in
vehicles, cut noise from boats and submarines, and speed up the
manufacturing of medicines are set to be developed in the UK as
part of four new partnerships between businesses and
universities.
The news comes ahead of a landmark speech by the Science Minister
at the Institute of Chemical
Engineering. Later today the Minister will stress the importance
of both Government and industry contributing to the Industrial
Strategy ambition of raising public and private investment in
research and development to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
Projects announced today help ensure it is UK industry and
academia that lead the way in bringing new products to market
that contribute to tackling some of the biggest challenges of a
generation, with products to address climate change and others to
help meet the needs of an ageing society.
Welcoming the news, Science and Innovation Minister said:
“The UK is home to world-beating businesses and researchers and
these partnerships will grow that reputation, bringing together
the best minds from industry and academia to create technologies
that address generational challenges facing the globe.
“Research and development is the cornerstone of our modern
Industrial Strategy and we are spending record amounts to build
on the strengths of this research base. Through it we are
committed to making sure the UK blazes a trail in innovating and
capitalising on the opportunities presented by the global
transition to cleaner, greener economies. The partnerships we’ve
unveiled today will help us do just that.”
The new projects are being led by R&D intensive companies and
include involvement from five leading universities in England and
Scotland. They include:
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Developing new materials that do not make noise underwater, led
by BAE Systems with the University of Southampton, the University
of Nottingham and Lloyd's Register. Noise pollution can cut the
life-expectancy of fish, dolphins and other marine life, while
also affecting human health, and these new materials will help
protect vulnerable marine life;
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Using AI and machine learning to speed up production of new
medicines from vaccines to tablets in order to get them from the
lab to the clinic faster, led by GlaxoSmithKline with
the University of Strathclyde with University of Nottingham;
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Developing a new range of fully recyclable ultra-high strength
aluminum alloys for the automotive industry, led
by Constellium and Brunel University; and
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Creating the next generation of household products using AI to
pave the way for robots to complete household tasks, such as
cleaning and tidying, led by Dyson and Imperial.
The projects, which join the 11 earlier collaborations announced
in 2018, will be funded with £12 million from the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UKRI, and
have leveraged £18.5 million in cash or in-kind contributions
from industry.
The partnerships are an important step towards meeting the
commitment of boosting private and public sector investment in
R&D by 2.4% of GDP by 2027, as set out in the Government’s
modern Industrial Strategy.
Professor Lynn Gladden, EPSRC’s Executive Chair, said:
“These four Prosperity Partnership projects link the UK’s
world-class research base to some of the country’s most
successful industries. As these proposals were advanced by
business, they will address challenges that are relevant to
industry’s need but will also advance science and engineering.
“The value industry places on these collaborations is evident
from the level of finance and resource committed in each of the
partnerships.”
The Government’s modern Industrial
Strategy sets out a long-term plan to boost
the productivity and earning power of people throughout the UK.
It sets out how we are building a Britain fit for the future –
how we will help businesses create better, higher-paying jobs in
every part of the UK with investment in skills, industries and
infrastructure.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Prosperity Partnerships
- Information on the
Prosperity Partnerships can be found here.
