Universities and science minister Jo Johnson has given £60 million to fund six new research hubs to boost innovation and improve manufacturing techniques in the UK.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will provide the finances for the scheme, with the hubs led by the universities of Sheffield, Huddersfield, Nottingham, Cardiff, Strathclyde and University College, London.
These will pool expertise from 11 other universities and 200 partners drawn from industry and academia. They will focus on areas such as powder-based manufacturing processes, biological medicine and 3-D printing.
Johnson commented: Developing new innovative manufacturing techniques will help UK industry create new products, explore more business opportunities and ensure the UK becomes more competitive and productive.
This investment will lay the foundations to allow industry and our world-leading universities to thrive for years to come and is exactly the type of project that our upcoming Industrial Strategy will look to support.
Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRCâs chief executive said that some hubs will develop on earlier centres for innovative manufacturing while others, such as the Sheffield university hub, would be new ventures.
He added: EPSRC is pleased to be at the forefront of the drive to keep the UK a prosperous and productive nation.
One of the universities involved in the scheme, The University of Huddersfield, is set to launch a £30 million UK Manufacturing Research Centre.
The Future Metrology Hub will be situated in the Universityâs Centre for Precision Technologies, which houses a team of researchers in precision engineering and metrology.
Researchers at the universities of Sheffield, Loughborough and Bath will provide complementary expertise and support, as will the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) from its bases at Teddington and Huddersfield.
The Hub is set to address major, long-term challenges facing UK manufacturing industries.
A large team of industrial partners, including companies from a wide variety of industrial sectors, will also provide funding and support to the Hub.
