{"id":494,"date":"2018-05-23T11:22:34","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T10:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mub.eps.manchester.ac.uk\/graphene\/?p=494"},"modified":"2018-05-23T11:22:34","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T10:22:34","slug":"creating-an-industrial-strategy-for-advanced-materials-will-power-the-northern-and-uk-economies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sites.se.manchester.ac.uk\/graphene\/2018\/05\/23\/creating-an-industrial-strategy-for-advanced-materials-will-power-the-northern-and-uk-economies\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating an \u2018Industrial Strategy\u2019 for advanced materials will power the northern and UK economies"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester<\/a>, believes the strategic investment being made in Manchester to underpin its advanced materials capability has the potential to create a global economic powerhouse. \u00a0James will co-host a round table at the forthcoming FT UK Business Conference <\/strong>Opportunities for Future Growth in the North<\/strong><\/a> organised by Financial Times LIVE. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The future of manufacturing is facing a brave new world of innovation and creative disruption.<\/p>\n

In the UK we need to tackle huge challenges, such as the electrification of the nation\u2019s automotive fleet; the need to radically transform battery technology; and the quest for ever more resilient, sustainable and lighter materials.<\/p>\n

Creating new and smarter advanced materials<\/strong><\/a> will be critical to our success \u2013 and the global expertise in this field is based here, at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This advantage provides a fantastic opportunity to drive growth in our region by exporting world-beating knowledge and products to a global marketplace. \u00a0But to achieve our full potential we need to be focused on an industrial strategy <\/strong>for advanced materials<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Government\u2019s national Industrial Strategy is built on five pillars:\u00a0 ideas, people, infrastructure, business environment and places.<\/p>\n

I absolutely believe this region is already the best place for applied research in advanced materials. The massive, multi-million pound investment we are making to create world-class research infrastructure which, in turn, is attracting the very best people in the field of advanced materials. These brilliant minds are generating the best ideas and new knowledge to provide competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

Critically, all this resource is looking to the needs of the business environment and the translation of research into real world commercial solutions. An example of this approach is the soon-to-open Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre<\/a>\u00a0(GEIC), which is based at The University of Manchester. This \u00a360million Centre will accelerate the commercial pace of\u00a0graphene and 2D materials<\/a>\u00a0in Manchester, across the wider region and beyond.<\/p>\n

The GEIC will focus on industry-led application development in partnership with academics and aims to fill a critical gap in the graphene and 2D materials ecosystem by providing facilities that focus on pilot production, materials characterisation, together with application development in composites, energy, solution formulations and coatings, electronics and membranes.<\/p>\n

Along with the\u00a0National Graphene Institute<\/a>\u00a0and the \u00a3105million\u00a0Henry Royce Institute<\/a>\u00a0building – set to be completed in 2019 – the GEIC will be crucial in maintaining the UK\u2019s world leading position in\u00a0advanced materials<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The GEIC will also act as the cornerstone of the University\u2019s vision to create a\u00a0Graphene City<\/a>\u00a0in the heart of Manchester, made up of scientists, manufacturers, engineers, innovators, investors and industrialists to build a thriving knowledge-based economy.<\/p>\n