The University of Bath is involved in two new research hubs funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to improve the UK’s manufacturing processes.

Each hub will receive £10M from EPSRC plus significant additional investment from partners and industry.

University of Bath researchers are involved in both the EPSRC Future Advanced Metrology Hub and the Future Continuous Manufacturing and Advanced Crystallisation (CMAC) Research Hub.

CMAC will address the UK pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries’ need for science and technology advances to accelerate the adoption of more agile continuous manufacturing processes into those industries. The hub is led from the University of Strathclyde, with partner spokes at University of Bath, Cambridge, Imperial, Leeds, Loughborough, and Sheffield, and very strong industrial partnerships.

The Bath team is led by Professor Chick Wilson in the Department of Chemistry, who said: “I am delighted that the strong, renewed CMAC partnership has secured this substantial new tranche of funding, to allow us to continue our research.

“At Bath we are delighted to be bringing our structural chemistry and crystallisation research to bear on this important and pressing industrial issue, which aims to ensure that the UK manufacturing industries in this sector will be able to adopt continuous manufacturing practices, which have advantages in terms of efficiency, competitiveness, productivity and sustainability, and are well suited to more agile deployment of manufacturing capabilities in the future.

“CMAC provides a large, interdisciplinary, collaborative critical mass effort that reflects our approach to research at Bath, and I am delighted we will have the opportunity to be part of this for at least the next seven years.”

The aim of the EPSRC Future Advanced Metrology Hub will be to address major long-term challenges facing UK manufacturing industries through advancements in precision engineering and metrology. University of Bath researchers will make significant contributions and will be led by Professor Patrick Keogh from the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

It will be led by and based at the University of Huddersfield and will also have the support of the universities of Loughborough and Sheffield and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC’s Chief Executive, said: “Some of these new hubs will build on the solid foundations of earlier Centres for Innovative Manufacturing while some are completely new ventures that have strong links with industry and organisations. EPSRC is pleased to be at the forefront of the drive to keep the UK a prosperous and productive nation.”

In total six new hubs will be established.