Five leading UK academia-industry partnerships, including the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster, are among the finalists for this year’s Bhattacharyya Award, worth £25,000 to the eventual winner, who will be announced at the end of September.
Other shortlisted collaborations include joint ventures that resulted in the first transatlantic flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) on a commercial airplane and extending the lifetime of the UK’s nuclear fleet.
The Bhattacharyya Award is a government-backed annual prize celebrating long-term collaboration between academia and industry, named after Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya CBE FREng FRS, the Regius Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Warwick and founder of the Warwick Manufacturing Group.
This year’s shortlist illustrates how these symbiotic relationships are mutually beneficial, creating a talent pipeline and access to cutting-edge research for industry partners and bringing much-needed financial investment and new ways of problem-solving to the universities involved. Many of the relationships between these companies and academic institutions have been ongoing for decades.
Professor Jeremy Philips from Bristol University, who works closely with EDF, said: “This is all about leaving the ivory tower and working with people on the front line.”
Maria Laine, President of Boeing UK, Ireland and Nordic Region, partnering with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), said: “The importance and significance of the relationship is that it has stood the test of time, it is sustainable, strategic and enduring. It has changed the way we approach research and development. We were so pleased to be able to announce last summer the launch of our single largest research and development collaboration project, in what’s called the Compass project here at the AMRC [in Sheffield].”
The full shortlist of finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
- University of Bristol and EDF Energy
Working together for safe, clean, affordable energy for the UK
Safe, low-carbon, affordable energy is key to a future in which we can collectively thrive. This decades-long collaboration has had major impacts on the UK’s energy sector, directly benefiting the public. It has enabled EDF to transition towards net zero and the University of Bristol to train the next generation of energy researchers in line with the evolving needs of industry.
This collaboration has contributed to many aspects of EDF’s business. Bristol has provided reliable scientific evidence, methods and models which have contributed to the validity of EDF’s safety cases to the Office of Nuclear Regulation, extending the lifetime of the UK’s nuclear fleet and literally helping to keep the lights on in the UK.
- Cardiff University, Swansea University, the Compound Semiconductor Centre, IQE, CSconnected and SPTS (KLA)
The world’s first Compound Semiconductor (CS) Cluster
Cardiff University and Swansea University are key members of CSconnected, the world’s first compound semiconductor luster, based in South Wales.
CSconnected fosters and supports collaboration between academia, industry (including multinationals IQE plc, KLA Corp, Microchip Technology, Vishay Intertechnology and Microlink) and civic stakeholders.
Since its launch in 2015, the Cluster ecosystem has grown to support over 2,660 high-productivity jobs in the region contributing £381M GVA per annum, attracted over £82 million in industrial R&D projects, and spurred over £500 million in regional investment in RD&I infrastructure and manufacturing capacity, positioning South Wales as a global leader in the semiconductor industry.
- Cranfield University and Airbus
Cranfield University and Airbus: 53 years of partnership and counting
Cranfield University and Airbus share a long-standing, deep partnership. Cranfield is a leading aerospace university with a strong track record of research, talent development, and industry collaboration.
In recent years the partnership has delivered over £13 million of activity in research, with future work increasing this to £25 million. Cranfield supplies Airbus with skilled graduates and contributes to delivering technology to Airbus’ aircraft product portfolio and creating production efficiencies.
The partnership spans aeronautics, aviation, space, defence, and security, and Cranfield is the only UK university with this breadth of relationship with Airbus.
- The Heriot-Watt University and Renishaw Strategic Alliance
A long term and highly effective partnership
The Renishaw/Heriot-Watt University Strategic Alliance is an exemplar of real synergy between industry and academia, highlighting the impact that can be achieved from academic and industrial collaboration.
Formed in 2006, it focuses on Research and Development translating innovative research into commercial and societal impact. The long-term commitment from both partners has underpinned the trust and understanding which provides the foundation for innovative research and new products.
The alliance has resulted in 58 R&D projects involving hundreds of undergraduates, 22 doctoral students, 26 academic leads and 19 industrial engineers. It has leveraged £54 million in funding and produced over 50 joint publications, 11 patent families and four key products.
- The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and The Boeing Company
Transforming the regional and national manufacturing innovation landscape
A collaboration between the University of Sheffield and Boeing established the AMRC, which has catalysed translational research between industry and academia, transforming the regional and national manufacturing innovation landscape and unlocked more than £55m of private sector investment for R&D.
The strategic relationship, now spanning 20-plus years, underpinned the business case for Boeing’s first European manufacturing site, created an ongoing talent pipeline, enabled the development of the University of Sheffield’s Energy Innovation Centre supporting Boeing’s commitment to developing sustainable aviation fuels, and led to the AMRC’s largest collaborative R&D programme, totalling £80m, to solve composites manufacturing challenges for aerospace.
Professor Sir Martin Sweeting OBE FREng FRS, Chair of the judging panel for the Bhattacharyya Award, said: “Our task this year was challenging as each candidate was different in topic and scale. We were looking for evidence of sustained industrial collaboration with demonstrated mutual benefit to both academia and industry, alongside a clear contribution to the UK economy. This way of working is fundamental to driving innovation and economic growth in an internationally competitive world. Our five finalists were the most compelling candidates delivering this synergy of academic-industrial collaboration.”
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