A £20 million research programme into advanced materials
at Midlands universities is literally opening doors to the very
latest University lab equipment for high tech Midlands SME
companies.
Advantage West Midlands have invested over £20 Million in
the Birmingham Science City Advanced Materials programme to develop
of a range of new facilities and equipment at the University of
Warwick and Birmingham University in order to create, identify and
develop new materials to meet the challenges we face in health,
engineering, energy and the environment.
However what makes this research programme doubly powerful is
that while it empowers the region's universities to find the new
materials companies could be using in five years times, it
also provides simultaneous direct help to companies seeking to
exploit the new materials available now.
One of the key ways the programme does this is by allowing the
formation of partnerships with local companies to share access to
expensive scientific equipment. The Universities use it to develop
new materials and companies can gain access to the equipment to
test and take forward the materials available now.
The latest example of this comes in partnership between the
University of Warwick's Department of Physics and 3-Cs
Ltd (formerly Coated Conductor Cylinders Limited) in Malvern. The
Birmingham Science City Advanced Materials programme has allowed
the University of Warwick's Department of physics to acquire a
crucial piece of equipment called a "Panalytical X'Pert Pro MRD XRD
unit Materials Research Diffractometer" which will help them
research and create new materials and processes.
The equipment is also ideal for testing thin-film materials
being produced by 3-Cs Ltd at their Malvern site. The company has
now formed a relationship with The University of Warwick' s Physics
Department which gives it access to that equipment and has trained
a 3-Cs staff member (Dr Phil Hirst) in its use. 3-Cs have now
can regular use of the equipment to study "the epitaxial growth of
multilayer thin films" with a view to optimising their
manufacturing processes.
Dr Eamonn Maher, MD, 3-Cs Ltd said: "We have supported the
concept of Birmingham Science City right from the beginning and now
that we have been able to benefit directly from the scheme we have
no hesitation in recommending it to any small business needing
access to the facilities and expertise at the universities of
Birmingham and Warwick. Great care was taken by the Business
Engagement Manager, Richard Simpson, in understanding our business
needs and technical requirements and in making the right
introductions. All this was accomplished in short order, and we
were able to get on with the job and lay the groundwork for
improving our manufacturing processes. It really is a pleasure to
deal with such high- quality people and we look forward to
collaborating more in the future."
Professor Pam Thomas, from the University of Warwick's Physics
dept and also Research Director for Birmingham Science City
said: "The aim of this Birmingham Science City project is to
encourage industrial and academic collaboration and joint research.
It provides an opportunity for businesses and industry to access
the latest thinking, research and equipment in the field. We
are delighted with the opportunities it gives us to research new
materials, but also with the powerful partnerships it is building
between the University researchers and technology pioneers in our
regions high-tech companies."