Thousands of jobs are set to be created in the Midlands after the region’s bid to become a world-leader in advanced ceramics received the significant cash boost.
The funds will be used to create a world-leading industrial and academic research and development programme over the next four years, creating a cluster of new businesses in the Midlands and strengthening the supply chain in the region.
The SIPF funding, combined with partner investment and the creation of new business opportunities, will together make the programme a £42.1 million project.
Formed by some of the area’s largest businesses and universities, the MICG was launched in 2020 to deliver a world-leading approach to advanced ceramics.
Membership of the MICG is made up of blue-chip companies and SMEs including Rolls-Royce, JCB, Morgan Advanced Materials and Lucideon - as well as the universities of Birmingham, Leicester and Loughborough.
Ian Edmonds, of Rolls-Royce, is the chair of MICG. He said: “This is great news for the Midlands.
“Advanced ceramics are often unseen but vital components of jet engines, electronics, medical devices, car batteries, other energy technologies and many more manufactured products.
“They allow products to operate at higher temperatures, in more challenging environments and can last longer than plastic or metal equivalents.
“Globally, the advanced ceramics sector is projected to be worth £143 billion by 2023, and the outcome of this funding means the Midlands is well-placed to be part of it.”
Led by UK Research and Innovation, Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) is a competitive funding scheme that takes a place-based approach to research and innovation funding, to support significant local economic growth.
Professor Bala Vaidhyanathan, who has played a key role in the academic element of the MICG and leads the Advanced Ceramics Research at Loughborough University’s Department of Materials, said: “We are extremely pleased to be part of this winning SIPF bid.
“This project deals with the development of energy efficient, agile manufacturing processes that will give the Midlands advanced ceramics sector a very strong competitive advantage and will provide state-of-the-art training to the next generation skilled workforce.
“Furthermore, the successful outcomes will provide an integrated platform of digitally intuitive manufacturing enabling the UK to lead, adopt and adapt to the emerging Industrial Revolution 4.0."
Professor Steve Rothberg, the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at Loughborough added “I want to congratulate Professor Vaidhyanathan’s team. This is a great recognition for our world-leading advanced ceramics research and will strengthen our drive towards achieving significant reduction in energy consumption, carbon emission and material waste during ceramics manufacturing.”
The successful outcome of the SIPF funding is also set to unlock further investment from MICG’s partners.
This includes opening up opportunities for the next stage of the development, an Advanced Ceramics Campus proposed for North Staffordshire – which will make the total investment exceed £80 million and ultimately contribute towards 4,200 new jobs in the region over the next decade.
Tony Kinsella, chief executive of Lucideon, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive the funding from UKRI.
“It will create many exciting opportunities in research and development across the Midlands.
“Crucially, it also opens up opportunities to attract further public and private sector funding for the Advanced Ceramics Campus.
“This facility will provide an important hub for industry, offering a centre of excellence for research and development, as well as underpinning academic research.
“It will create an environment for business and academia to share knowledge and collaborate on research and development, safeguarding existing jobs and allowing existing companies to expand, as well as providing opportunities for new start-ups.
“The campus will also have knock-on benefits across the Midlands, with innovation improving productivity and competitiveness in manufacturing, helping to ‘level up’ the region’s economy and create new efficiencies to drive down emissions.”
More details about MICG can be found at https://micg.org.uk/
