United Kingdom allocates £12 million to drive advancements in tech manufacturing
UK Invests £12 Million in IT-Driven Manufacturing Research
The UK is investing £12 million in cutting-edge research projects that link IT innovation with advanced manufacturing, aiming to drive growth and keep the country competitive in the global race. These projects, carried out through partnerships between academia and industry under programmes such as Prosperity Partnerships funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), focus on areas like artificial intelligence (AI), steel technology, and enhanced industry trust in AI-based systems.
Key examples from recent UK research projects include:
- ADAPT-EAF, led by the University of Cambridge with Tata Steel UK, targets advancements in steelmaking using electric arc furnaces (EAFs). The project integrates AI tools with rapid alloy prototyping to optimise recycled steel production for automotive and packaging applications, supporting future industry skills and securing high-quality UK steel supply.
- AI2: Assurance and Insurance for AI, led by the University of Edinburgh with Axa, develops methods to measure risks and insure AI reliability. The aim is to increase trust in AI technologies across sectors by protecting organisations against AI underperformance, helping promote safer, more responsible AI deployment in manufacturing and beyond.
These projects are part of a broader effort to apply digital technologies to UK manufacturing challenges, improve productivity, and strengthen supply chains. Additional related initiatives supported by Innovate UK and The Productivity Institute focus on exploring the technical and economic adoption of breakthrough technologies like AI in sectoral productivity.
The UK's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has allocated the £12 million for six research projects focusing on IT innovation in manufacturing. David Willetts, science and universities minister, announced this investment, emphasising the need for the UK's manufacturing industry to have access to the latest science and technology.
Some of the projects under this investment include:
- The University of Strathclyde and Loughborough University are collaborating on a project called Decision support for chemicals manufacturing, which aims to develop software for analyzing data from sensors used in the chemicals manufacturing process.
- Aston, Sheffield, and Coventry University are collaborating on a project called Simulating services in 3D, which aims to aid manufacturers as they transition from product-centric to services-based business models.
- Loughborough University is leading a project called Improved information systems, which aims to enhance the availability of information throughout the manufacturing supply chain by developing "intelligent software services".
- The University of Nottingham is leading a project called Cloud manufacturing, which aims to apply cloud computing principles to enable manufacturers to share design and process resources. Nottingham and Brunel University are working together on a project called Crowdsourced food and packaging design, which aims to develop IT tools for customer inclusion in product design and development processes.
- The University of Bath is leading a project called Complex project analysis, which aims to improve complex, collaborative engineering projects by analyzing the way parties work together through email, computer-aided design (CAD), etc.
Four new R&D centres are part of the investment across the country, focusing on innovative manufacturing equipment and techniques. Mark Claydon-Smith, who leads the Manufacturing the Future program at the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, stated that ICT plays a significant role in improving manufacturing intelligence, collaboration, efficiency, innovation, and enabling new business models and technologies.
This investment is for world-class research bases to investigate innovative new manufacturing equipment and techniques, further supporting the government's agenda to maintain competitive manufacturing through digital transformation and sustainable materials innovation.
[1] UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). (n.d.). Prosperity Partnerships. Retrieved from https://www.ukri.org/our-work/our-programmes/challenge-led-research/prosperity-partnerships/
[3] Innovate UK. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence (AI). Retrieved from https://www.innovateuk.ukri.org/funding/competition/artificial-intelligence-ai/
[5] The Productivity Institute. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Manufacturing. Retrieved from https://www.theproductivityinstitute.org/our-work/sector-focus/manufacturing/
- The UK's investment in IT-driven manufacturing research extends beyond the Prosperity Partnerships, with Innovate UK and The Productivity Institute also supporting projects that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to enhance productivity, improve efficiency, and enable new business models in the manufacturing industry.
- The finance sector is not left out in this technological advancement, as seen in the AI2 project led by the University of Edinburgh with Axa, which focuses on developing methods to measure risks and insure AI reliability, aiming to increase trust in AI technologies across various sectors, including manufacturing.
