Looking to sharpen up your manufacturing? This will help.....

A new competition with a £6M fund is open to boost innovation in manufacturing competencies. 

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are aiming to stimulate innovation in manufacturing by investing up to £6m in collaborative research and development. The competition will invest in the development of technologies that have the potential to support new production processes for a wide range of industrial applications and sectors.

Innovation is a key focus of the investment, particularly in manufacturing capability as it often builds can be a significant driver of economic growth and enhance people's quality of life.  The TSB is looking to support recent technological breakthroughs that have inspired innovation in a context of significant technology risk, or have led to ideas that are yet to find application in a recognised market or business sector.
 
Proposals must be collaborative, led by a business and involve at least one other non-academic partner. The TSB and EPSRC expect to invest between £250k and £500k in each project, although projects outside this range will be considered. They are primarily looking to fund applied research projects attracting up to 50% public funding.

Important Dates

This is a two-stage competition. The deadline for registration is at noon on 22 February 2012.
 
The second stage for invited applicants opens on 19 March 2012 and the deadline for completed applications is at noon on 25 April 2012. 
 
Read More
 
A full brief and details of how to register can be found at the TSB competitions page
Materials KTN funding

Useful Links
 
Link to the TSB group to learn more.
 
Link to the competition briefing paper.
 
Link to our previous introduction to this competition