Engineering research centres open in Sheffield

The Construction industry is set to benefit from opening of new world-leading advanced engineering research centres at the University of Sheffield.

The three centres will help develop new technologies in partnership with industry, which will help improve productivity.

The £47M development has been part-funded by European Regional Development Fund, UK Research and Innovation and The University of Sheffield, helping to boost Sheffield City Region’s reputation as a hub for advanced engineering and industrial digital technologies.

The centres – the Royce Translational Centre (RTC), the Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV), and the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) –  are located within the heart of the Sheffield City Region’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, a key element of the emerging Global Innovation Corridor that stretches across the Sheffield City Region.

The centres will use the transformational power of research to cut costs and lead times which will revolutionise industrial processes.

ICAIR is a uniquely powerful experimental facility for investigating both underground and above ground infrastructure, using data, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing techniques to increase productivity in the design, construction and operation of civil infrastructure.

LVV is a unique facility for conducting vibration and acoustic testing across length scales and climatic environments, scaling up to real-world industrial application. It’s one of the only openly accessible research facilities of its kind in the world.

The Royce Translational Centre (RTC) is home to Royce@Sheffield and the metals research group of AMRC, the National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC). Royce@Sheffield is one of the ‘spokes’ of the Henry Royce Institute and its work at the RTC is accelerating the benefits to industry in the field of Advanced Metal Processing including: net shape aerospace components and lightweight solutions for transport

The three world-leading translational research facilities are each housed in custom designed prestigious new buildings, creating 3,000sq m of high-technology facilities. Each one builds upon the UK’s scientific research leadership to equip industry in these key priorities of the government’s Industrial Strategy.

The site is already home to the University of Sheffield’s world-leading Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Factory 2050 – the UK’s first state-of-the-art reconfigurable factory, as well as aerospace giant Boeing’s new fabrication facility.

Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “At the University of Sheffield we deliver pioneering interdisciplinary research and find solutions to global challenges. The three centres launched today build on this established expertise and firmly place us as a partner for industry, from large multinationals to local SMEs. The capabilities of the centres will enable us to test and operate on an industrial scale, translating theory into application to improve productivity, cost efficiencies and innovation.”

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