Tata Steel and the Royal Academy of Engineering are jointly funding a new chair for research into low carbon materials technology at Warwick Manufacturing Group, Warwick University.
The two partners will put £600,000 into the new research position.
The announcement is particularly timely as WMG held an event last week for SMEs to showcase the new research and technical support in low carbon light materials already available free-of-charge to West Midlands smaller companies. It iis hoped this new Chair will lead to the development of even more low carbon materials technology that will benefit manufacturers large and small.
WMG director professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya said: “This announcement not only allows us to create a crucial new Chair to research this vital area, it is also wonderful recognition by the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering and the renowned Tata Steel Group of the significant work WMG is already undertaking in low carbon vehicle technology.
“This research has already produced vital research for major manufacturers and has also helped many SMEs in the West Midlands region.”
Robert Barrett, head of research programmes at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “The Academy strongly supports the effective combination of academia and industry through our prestigious Research Chairs Scheme. This new professorship at the WMG is an example of the Academy’s commitment in supporting areas of strategic importance to the UK economy and we look forward to appointing a world-leading individual to this post.”
Dr Debashish Bhattacharjee, group director for research, development and technology at Tata Steel, also commented: “We are very pleased and honoured that the Royal Academy of Engineering is supporting this Chair. We will be using this to spearhead our strategic work in steel-based low carbon solutions for the automotive and other related sectors to show that steel is very much part of the solution to the environmental challenges facing our society.”
