Member Article

University welcomes government’s commitment to research and development

The University of Sheffield’s Vice-Chancellor has welcomed a pledge by Prime Minister Theresa May to commit the UK to a £2bn annual fund for industrial research and development.

In a speech to the CBI’s annual conference today (21 November 2016), Mrs May announcement a government investment in research and development worth £2bn a year by 2020 and a new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to back priority technologies, such as robotics and biotechnology.

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield and President of the Science Council, said: “It is encouraging to hear that the Prime Minister recognises the crucial importance of research and development to the UK economy. Our Industrial Strategy urgently needs to make the link between business success and advances in manufacturing, materials and technical innovation if we are to create the wealth and opportunity which are so urgently needed across the country.”

He added: “A commitment of an extra £2bn a year in R&D by the end of this parliament should mean an extra £500 million per year for research which transforms productivity. Aligned with a progressive Industrial Strategy in which government is willing to act on infrastructure, this has the potential to make a real difference to the ability of UK companies to win orders, fund apprentices and create jobs.

“The evidence that this works is already there in the CATAPULT centres for research with industry which are already making a real impact on advanced manufacturing in sectors such as automotive, aerospace and civil nuclear energy. This kind of focused R&D which also offers opportunities to transform manufacturing processes and create the skills of the future is an investment in the economy as a whole and will be essential if Britain is to be genuinely competitive in the future.”

The announcement was also welcomed by the University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, a world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors.

Prof Keith Ridgway, CBE, Executive Dean of the AMRC with Boeing, said: “The Prime Minister was absolutely right to highlight the need to turn research strengths into commercial success.

“We have been working hard to do just that since the AMRC was founded and we know from our experience that industry focused R&D can radically improve manufacturing competitiveness, exports and job creation for companies large and small.

“The new Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund will give further impetus to the benefits UK companies can reap from developing and introducing new techniques and technologies.

“Theresa May also highlighted the fact that overall business and government investment is lower than our competitors.

“We are working across the supply chain and with small, innovative companies in the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors, amongst others and we are seeing the successes they can achieve.

“Industry cannot hold back in challenging times. I know uncertainty discourages investment, but those that don’t invest in developing technology and skills are certain to fail.”

Kerry Featherstone, head of operations at the AMRC Training Centre, seized upon Theresa May’s warning that the UK is not strong enough in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects and her warning that the country’s technical education is inadequate.

She said: “We are working hard at the AMRC Training Centre to redress the balance.

“Since we were launched we have helped to train 750 young people so that they can provide the skills manufacturers need. We are also creating a pathway for those young people to gain a university education and enabling senior staff at a broad range of companies to keep abreast of the latest developments.

“We are delighted to be at the forefront of the skills drive and look forward to further supporting the new industrial strategy Theresa May has unveiled.

We desperately need to train more skilled engineering workers if Britain’s advanced manufacturers are to benefit from this welcome increase in funds for research and development.

“Companies need to raise the skills of their staff from the factory floor to the boardroom and that is just what we are trying to do at the Training Centre.”

Additional information

The University of Sheffield

With almost 27,000 of the brightest students from over 140 countries, learning alongside over 1,200 of the best academics from across the globe, the University of Sheffield is one of the world’s leading universities.

A member of the UK’s prestigious Russell Group of leading research-led institutions, Sheffield offers world-class teaching and research excellence across a wide range of disciplines.

Unified by the power of discovery and understanding, staff and students at the university are committed to finding new ways to transform the world we live in.

Sheffield is the only university to feature in The Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For 2016 and was voted number one university in the UK for Student Satisfaction by Times Higher Education in 2014. In the last decade it has won four Queen’s Anniversary Prizes in recognition of the outstanding contribution to the United Kingdom’s intellectual, economic, cultural and social life.

Sheffield has six Nobel Prize winners among former staff and students and its alumni go on to hold positions of great responsibility and influence all over the world, making significant contributions in their chosen fields.

Global research partners and clients include Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Unilever, AstraZeneca, Glaxo SmithKline, Siemens and Airbus, as well as many UK and overseas government agencies and charitable foundations.

For further information please contact:

Hannah Postles Media Relations Officer University of Sheffield 0114 222 1046

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsty Bowen .