The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has launched a new programme aimed at accelerating deep tech manufacturing by helping high-growth companies transition from innovation to industrial-scale production across defence, aerospace and energy sectors.
AMRC Scale-up is designed to support Series A and later-stage businesses that have already demonstrated market traction and are now preparing to scale deep tech manufacturing capabilities. The initiative comes as governments and investors intensify their focus on advanced manufacturing, resilient supply chains and sovereign capability in strategically important industries.
Across the UK, regions such as South Yorkshire’s Advanced Manufacturing Investment Zone and emerging clusters in Wales are placing renewed emphasis on strengthening deep tech manufacturing at industrial scale.
Matt Farnsworth, Commercial Director at the AMRC, said the programme addresses a long-standing gap in the UK’s innovation ecosystem.
“The UK has never lacked innovation, but the challenge has always been anchoring that brilliance into long-term industrial growth,” he said. “AMRC Scale-up provides the technical runway for the UK’s most promising companies to bridge the gap between prototype and global supply chain, strengthening the UK’s deep tech manufacturing base.”
– Matt Farnsworth, Commercial Director, AMRC.
Unlike traditional accelerators focused on early-stage product validation, AMRC Scale-up targets companies on the cusp of industrialisation, where scaling deep tech manufacturing processes becomes the primary challenge. The programme centres on structured technical sprint engagements, embedding AMRC engineers directly within participating businesses to tackle production scale-up.
Through these engagements, companies will validate manufacturing systems capable of industrial-scale output, strengthen supply chain and certification readiness, and embed manufacturability into growth strategies and investment planning, key factors in successful deep tech manufacturing expansion.
Rushabh Shah, Commercialisation Manager at the AMRC, said scaling production requires a distinct engineering mindset.
“By embedding our AMRC engineers directly into these high-growth companies, we aren’t just giving advice – we are validating production systems and de-risking the leap to industrial volume and capital investment.”
– Rushabh Shah, Commercialisation Manager, AMRC.
As the UK looks to convert innovation into long-term industrial capability, initiatives such as AMRC Scale-up are expected to play a critical role in enabling deep tech manufacturing to scale, compete globally and support future economic resilience.
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