Date: 23.03.2021
UK companies across multiple sectors to enjoy a £28.5m investment into cutting-edge equipment to help them power up the electric supply chain to achieve the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.
Investment from Driving the Electric Revolution at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is providing a critical financial boost to nine facilities located across the UK. The £28.5m investment in new equipment will help develop existing centres and fill gaps in the UK’s current capability. The investment will enable a competitive electrification supply chain to be built across sectors, including industrial, transport and energy.
The South West and Wales Industrialisation Centre has been awarded £1.6m by UKRI for a prototype facility for ceramic and copper elements and sub-assemblies for integrated modules.
Led by Newcastle University, this investment will play a vital role in bringing together a UK-wide network of over 30 academic, research and technology organisations. The network gives businesses the opportunity to develop manufacturing process technologies and industrialise the processes needed for Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) scale up, whilst reducing risk by sharing expertise, technical advice and facilities.
Four regional centres in Scotland, the South West & Wales, the North East, and the Midlands will coordinate and build on the UK’s national capability to deliver long term sustainable growth on the road to net zero. Together they will help businesses scale up the use of electric-powered vehicles and machines across a range of industries and transport systems to grow the UK supply chain.
Amar Abid-Ali, Chief Commercial Officer at CSA Catapult said: “This funding is crucial in the development of the South West and Wales Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre capability and in contributing to developing a solid end-to-end PEMD supply chain for multiple sectors including automotive, aerospace, renewable energy, marine, off-highway and industrial. Progressing towards the UK government’s 2050 Net Zero targets is one of the key focus areas for the Catapult and our strong capability puts us at the centre of achieving this.”
Professor Will Drury, Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge Director said: “This investment represents a vital step forward in making the UK a world leader in PEMD. With access to the centres and network open to all, we aim to give all UK businesses and researchers the ability to develop and scale new PEMD technologies and manufacturing processes. Only by investing now in developing PEMD will the UK achieve its net zero ambitions.”
Any business or researcher interested in using a Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre should visit www.der-ic.org.uk.
About CSA Catapult
Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult is focused on bringing compound semiconductor applications to life in three key areas: the road to Net Zero, future telecoms and intelligent sensing.
CSA Catapult is a Not for Profit organisation headquartered in South Wales. It is focused on three technology areas: Power Electronics, RF & Microwave and Photonics. As well as the three technology areas, CSA Catapult is also working in Advanced Packaging for these high-power innovations.
The next wave of emerging applications will have an enormous impact on our lives. Compound semiconductors will enable a host of new and exciting applications in the electrification of transport, clean energy, defence and security and digital communications markets.
CSA Catapult exists to help the UK compound semiconductor industry grow and collaborates across the UK and internationally.
About Compound Semiconductors
Semiconductors are at the heart of almost all modern electronic devices. Silicon semiconductors have widespread commercial applications, but this technology has its limits.
Compound semiconductors combine two or more elements to create capabilities that cannot be achieved with conventional silicon devices, delivering performance improvements in power, speed and signal quality. This makes them ideal to use in areas such as energy efficiency, electrified and autonomous vehicles, mobile applications, new smart-sensing devices for the Internet of Things and 5G applications.
About Catapults
The Catapult network provides world-leading facilities designed to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific areas and help drive future economic growth. Established by Innovate UK, which provides funding and support for business innovation as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Catapults provide access to expert technical capabilities, equipment, and other resources required to take innovative ideas from concept to reality. Catapults are a national asset – no matter where the physical HQ is located they are here to work with businesses and academic institutions around the UK.
For further information and photography please contact:
Lydia Abele, Marketing and Communications Manager, CSA Catapult
m: 07741 626248, e: lydia.abele@csa.catapult.org.uk
