Friday, July 13, 2012

News: AMP hosts session on bridging the "Valley of Death'"

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The Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham recently hosted an evidence session for a parliamentary inquiry into improving the commercialisation of research.

The Science and Technology Committee has tasked MPs to look at the so-called "Valley of Death" created by the lack of funding needed to bring products to market from scientific research.

The session at the AMP explored the way in which defence and aerospace has been commercialised and heard from experts from large businesses and research institutions. It also discussed how SMEs and the wider business community can benefit from government funded research projects.

The AMP is the UK's premier advanced manufacturing technology park, providing world-class advanced manufacturing technology solutions to ensure repetitive advantage for industry.

It is home to the The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, one of the most effective organisations for bringing together companies and academia. The £100m collaboration includes 40 partner organisations, comprising world leaders in the aerospace supply chain, key government offices and international academic institutions.

Henner Wapenhans, head of Technology Strategy at Rolls-Royce, one of the founding private sector members of The AMRC, said: "We are quite proud of being one of the early partners in creating this new model. It has been a good model to show how, between industry, government and academia, it has managed to work.

"It has created a critical mass so that we now see a lot of international interest in what is going on here and people are looking to the UK and this advanced manufacturing park to see how they might emulate it. It is a fantastic example."

Rolls-Royce has begun construction of their own facilities on the AMP. The 14,900 sq m Advanced Blade Casting Facility will use cutting edge manufacturing techniques to produce single crystal turbine blades for Rolls-Royce's most modern, high-thrust Trent engines.

Plans have also been submitted for "Project Power". A Rolls-Royce factory to manufacture, assemble and test components for the proposed next generation of civil nuclear power stations.

A third, smaller factory is proposed which could house one of Rolls-Royce's suppliers. Together the facilities are expected to support about 360 skilled jobs.

Rolls-Royce website

AMRC website

Advanced Manufacturing Park website

Images: AMRC

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