Tata Steel to develop advanced research centre at University of Warwick

TATA Steel is to create a new research and development centre at the University of Warwick, the Indian company has announced.

Company scientists and engineers will help develop a range of new materials to meet the future demands of manufacturers and consumers, such as for renewable energy generation and more fuel-efficient cars and planes.

The new development is being made possible following an £8m investment by the Regional Growth Fund.

Tata Steel’s R&D Group Director Debashish Bhattacharjee said: “We are strengthening our R & D in the UK to further develop technology and knowledge partnerships with customers, suppliers, and universities.

“We want to meet the future demands of our customers who are asking for lighter, stronger and more versatile steels.”

The new centre will see Tata forge even closer links with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, which is based at the university.

WMG chairman, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, said: “This new centre creates a critical mass of research excellence which positions the UK at the forefront of the international iron and steel research agenda.

“WMG and Tata Steel researchers will work together with this significant concentration of steel processing talent and technology to develop and deliver crucial new technologies to manufacturers enabling them to bring new products to our homes and businesses.”

The Advanced Steel Research Centre will feature state of the art research facilities, including advanced characterisation facilities, which will provide a unique national resource, complimenting Tata Steel’s long term investment in the university.

The centre will be led by Professor Sridhar Seetharaman, Tata Steel / Royal Academy of Engineering chair in Low Carbon Materials at WMG.  It combines his research excellence with that of two further Tata Steel chairs at WMG, Professor Claire Davis, Tata Steel chair for research into Thermo-mechanical Processing, and Professor Barbara Shollock, Tata Steel chair in Advanced Characterisation and Coatings.

Dr Bhattacharjee added: “WMG is gearing up to provide an eco-system for world class research in steel product and process development through co-sponsored professorial chairs, funding for equipment, and appointing staff and faculty members to create active groups around the chair professors.

“The creation of the Advanced Steel Research Centre will provide the much needed focus on research in this area in the UK. By locating our R&D centre at the University of Warwick, Tata Steel will work closely with the Advanced Steel Research Centre and leverage its expertise and facilities in an open innovation framework for providing our customers and supply chain partners with new products and services.”

Tata Steel is the largest operator in the UK steel industry, employing 18,000 people, and is a major supplier to many strategically-important UK manufacturers.

The company is the key partner in establishing The Proving Factory – an innovative partnership with high-tech companies in the automotive supply chain to help develop future technologies.

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