West Mids R&D projects receive government seed cash

A pair of West Midlands research and development projects are two across the UK which will receive up to £50,000 each to drive local economic growth, provide skills training and create high-value jobs.

Through the second round of UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) flagship Strength in Places Fund, each project will be able to apply for a further longer-term investment of £10-50m later this year if the early stages of development are successful.

Led by the Lucideon Group, the Midlands Advanced Ceramics for Industry 4.0 will work with the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group, as well as local manufacturers and researchers to help establish the Midlands as a global leader in advanced ceramics, which are vital for UK manufacturing sectors including energy, healthcare, aerospace and defence.

By using cutting edge digital modelling, it will help to bring new advanced ceramics technologies to market quicker, with less energy usage and lower carbon emissions. This will lead to a faster commercialization of new products, helping to improve the performance for next generation products including fuel cells, batteries, 5G communications, and medical devices.

The consortium aims to create over 4,000 jobs across the Midlands by 2030, developing an advanced ceramics supply chain that can export into one of the fastest growing international markets.

Meanwhile, CW Creative Futures, led by Coventry University, will build on the region’s world leading ‘Silicon Spa’ gaming cluster, home to over 50 games studios and 3,000 gaming businesses, harnessing the region’s unique skillset and infrastructure to create immersive products and services across new sectors such as automotive, advanced manufacturing and digital healthcare.

Partnering with local small to medium businesses, it will accelerate investments in demonstrator projects, helping to increase job creation and economic growth that is rooted in the region’s diversity and creativity.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “We are backing our innovators and with the support they need to turn great ideas into first-class industries, products and technologies.

“From virtual construction projects to extracting clean heat from disused mines, the pioneering projects we are funding today will help create jobs and boost skills across the UK as we continue to drive forward our economic recovery.”