New technology centre puts Nottingham at forefront of aerospace research

1-11-2012 — /europawire.eu/ — John Rishton, the Chief Executive of global power systems company Rolls-Royce, and an alumnus of The University of Nottingham, opened a new £5.1 million Aerospace Technology Centre at the University today.

The 2000m2 Centre at the University of Nottingham Innovation Park (UNIP), will eventually house over 100 staff, including secondees from industry. Researchers will work on specific projects to develop new aerospace technology and on ways to transfer that knowledge more effectively from academia to industry.

The Centre will be at the heart of the University’s Institute for Aerospace Technology. The Institute brings together a number of internationally leading research groups involved in work on Aerospace Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, More Electric Aircraft, Aero Engines and Propulsion and Aviation Operations.

Many of the world’s leading aerospace businesses work with the University, including Rolls-Royce, GE, Airbus, EADS, Boeing, BAE Systems, GKN, Thales, Safran and UTC Aerospace Systems. In addition, the University is also working with many small to medium sized businesses which play a key role in the aerospace supply chain.

Speaking at the opening of the centre, John Rishton, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce, said: “I am delighted to be opening the Aerospace Technology Centre. Rolls-Royce has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with the University including two University Technology Centres researching aero-engine transmission and manufacturing technologies. This new facility will help Rolls-Royce, the aerospace industry and The University of Nottingham maintain their positions at the forefront of technology.”

Professor David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, added: “It is very fitting that John Rishton is opening our new Aerospace Technology Centre today. Not only is John a distinguished alumnus of the University, but, Rolls-Royce is the University’s largest industrial research partner. We are very proud of our long and close association with one of the UK’s most prestigious global businesses.

“The Aerospace Technology Centre provides the University, and our key industrial partners, with a unique facility. Within it, we will be able to develop, integrate and demonstrate new technologies at a scale and complexity not currently possible within any other research institute in the UK.”

A £50 million aerospace research portfolio
Nottingham University is currently involved in approximately 70 industrial aerospace projects across a spectrum of research areas. The University’s aerospace research portfolio amounts to around £50 million, which includes over £20 million in funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The funding for the Aerospace Technology Centre building includes £3.1 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and £2 million from the University. In total, £8.8m is being spent to support the establishment of the Institute, which will help to secure the University’s position as one of the leading institutions in the world for research into aerospace technologies.

Other significant investors in the University’s Institute for Aerospace Technology, include the EPSRC, which has invested £1.37m in specialist equipment for use in aerospace research.

For more information about the Aerospace Technology Centre and the Institute for Aerospace Technology at The University of Nottingham, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/aerospace

For details about The University of Nottingham’s services for business, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/servicesforbusiness

-Ends-

For more information about this press release, contact Nick King, Marketing Projects Manager, Business Engagement and Innovation Services, University of Nottingham. Tel: 0115 82 32184, or email nicholas.king@nottingham.ac.uk or Tim Utton, Deputy Director, Communications, University of Nottingham on +44 (0)115 846 8092.

For up to the minute media alerts, follow us on Twitter

Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is also the most popular university in the UK by 2012 application numbers, and ‘the world’s greenest university’. It is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2011, for its research into global food security.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fund-raising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…

The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone’s health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via research Councils UK.

About Rolls-Royce:

1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets – civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.

2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.

3. Annual underlying revenue was £11.3 billion in 2011, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £60.1 billion at 30 June 2012, providing visibility of future levels of activity.

4. Rolls-Royce employs over 40,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.

5. In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested £908 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.

6. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.

7. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.

About the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing is part financed by the East Midlands ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

About the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The EPSRC is the UK’s main agency for funding research in engineering and physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800m a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change.