Warwick: £20M programme gives companies access to university technology

A £20 million research programme into advanced materials at Warwick and its neighbouring university in Birmingham, is opening doors to the very latest lab equipment for high-tech SME companies in the region.

The regional development agency Advantage West Midlands has invested over £20 million in the Birmingham Science City Advanced Materials programme to develop new facilities and equipment for generating, identifying and developing new materials for a range of applications.

The research programme is developing new materials that could be applied in five years time, as well as providing direct help to companies seeking to exploit the new materials that are available now.

One of the key channels for this is through the formation of partnerships with local companies to share access to expensive scientific equipment, which the two universities are using to develop new materials.

The latest example is a partnership between Warwick’s Department of Physics and 3-Cs Ltd.  The programme has allowed the physics department to acquire a diffractometer, a crucial piece of equipment in researching and creating new materials and processes. The equipment is also used to test thin-film materials being produced by 3-Cs Ltd. 

Eamonn Maher, managing director of 3-Cs Ltd said he would recommend the scheme to any small business needing access to the facilities and expertise at Birmingham and Warwick. “Great care was taken by the Business Engagement Manager, Richard Simpson, in understanding our business needs and technical requirements and in making the right introductions.  All this was accomplished in short order, and we were able to get on with the job and lay the groundwork for improving our manufacturing processes.”