EPSRC High Value Manufacturing Catapult Fellowship Centre

This proposal aims to establish a pioneering EPSRC High Value Manufacturing Catapult Fellowship Centre, with the purpose of serving the UK's advanced manufacturing research community in selection, creation, management and growing a network of about 16 flexible term academic Fellowships spread across the seven HVM Catapult Centres (HVMC). These Fellowships will open new gates for all UK based academics to engage with the Catapult centres, and help implant new scientific ideas into the rich manufacturing base. EPSRC HVMC Fellowships would differ from the standard EPSRC fellowship schemes by offering a unique knowledge exchange network between the academia and the industry, through High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres.

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is uniquely positioned to lead and coordinate the centre's activities, with two well-established academic HVM Catapult Centres, AMRC with Boeing and Nuclear AMRC offering their groundbreaking model and experience in engaging academics with a strong industrial partnership base. The centre will be supported by all seven HVM Catapult Centres, and HVMC Chief Technology Officers will form the Steering Committee of the centre, and a part of EPSRC HVMC FC Forum. The fellowships will enable academic staff to spend 6-month research visits in either one or more HVM Catapult centres spread flexibly between 1-4 years.

The establishment of EPSRC HVMC FC will be strongly aligned with the following aspects of the EPSRC strategy:

- Key cross-cutting objective of Manufacturing the Future Challenge theme for 2011-2015 is to work in the UK Innovation Landscape by having joint strategy and investments with other key agencies in research funding and policy, and
- Key strategic goal for EPSRC for 2011-2015 is to deliver impact. HVM Catapults are ideally positioned to accelerate the implementation of university-led innovations and to promptly bridge current industrial needs with novel scientific knowledge.

In addition, a closer engagement of the UK academics with industrially led research centres will shape their novel research concepts into applicable technologies throughout high-value manufacturing sector.

A nationally important benefit in establishing EPSRC HVMC Fellowship Centre will be in providing a scientific adhesive for Catapult Centres and fostering exchange of knowledge on the level of fundamental science oriented towards growth of UK's economy. This will introduce a whole new paradigm shift in the way that many academics still think about their research, and will encourage both experienced and young academics to develop a sense of importance for genuine impact and innovative contribution to the industrial base. Further, it will serve as the catalyst for other similar initiatives, and the model for other recently established Catapults. Finally, it is expected that this centre will encourage the industrial base to engage with academics through Catapult centres by funding their research directly in the future.

The core team are members and fellows of major national bodies in the close proximity of manufacturing R&D. Hodzic's public engagements involve being Chair of Meetings Committee of British Composites Society, where she is responsible for organisation/facilitation of BCS events throughout UK. She is also a Committee Member of AMSTAC, Aerospace Division of IMechE, where she organises at least one event in the field of aerospace/automotive manufacturing each year. Also, she organised and co-chaired the past three international conferences in the series of Deformation and Fracture of Composites and Structural Integrity, and an example of such cross-Catapult interaction with the academic base was evident in the excellent feedback from AMRC and NCC jointly led session in April this year. Turner has a prominent position in the manufacturing community, and he attracts a large industrial community to the numerous events at AMRC. Through his organisational engagement, AMRC NAMTEC (National Metals Technology Centre) will be able to distribute all relevant information on the fellowship centre's research progress through relevant and diverse events in the field of manufacturing R&D. Further, this level of exposure and public engagement is also mirrored in all HVMC centres, and the impact will be fully transferred across the relevant fields of research.

The collective membership body of all HVMC centres is enormous and encompasses the whole of UK's (and international) manufacturing base. The seven catapult centres are set up as high manufacturing readiness level research gateways to cross the 'valley of death' between more fundamental R&D and the industrial implementation. However, they have multiple functions, also including the opportunities for direct engagement, integration of the national manufacturing base, acceleration of know-how and impact across the whole pyramid of organisations, and effectively informing public bodies about the industrial needs and the future strategic directions.
All members of HVMC have provided their strong support in the direction of establishing EPSRC HVMC Fellowship Centre.