| In the East Midlands, there support for such visionary | | | | design and manufacturing competence. Companies |
| thinking, by encouraging collaborative working and | | | | such as Advanced Composites Group were formed |
| innovative networks that result in a hotbed of | | | | to serve this need. |
| creativity. | | | | As these organisations have grown, spin-off |
| - With a history steeped in advanced engineering and | | | | companies have been started and so the capability |
| manufacturing technologies, pioneering developments | | | | base has grown. |
| are the norm in the region and this sector enjoys | | | | Niche specialisms include: |
| considerable investment and support. | | | | - composite structure production |
| - Advanced materials capability in England's East | | | | - design and production of unsaturated polyester |
| Midlands has evolved from the motorsports industry | | | | resins |
| to become a unique and increasingly important cluster | | | | - reinforcements & ancillaries |
| of companies involved along the whole composite | | | | - design and manufacture of precision composite |
| product lifecycle. | | | | components |
| - Fast growing and supported by UK government, | | | | - development of next-generation materials and |
| nanotechnology in the region is supported through | | | | processes |
| innovation networks designed to encourage close | | | | - manufacture and application of high performance, |
| collaboration between business and universities. | | | | light weight composite structures |
| - The East Midlands leads the way in space | | | | - manufacturers & processors of composites & |
| applications, with a number of exciting initiatives set | | | | carbon fibre Nanotechnology |
| up to support the sector as well being the home of | | | | Nanotechnology is a fast-growing industry which is |
| the National Space Centre Advanced Engineering | | | | being heavily invested in by the UK government. |
| England's East Midlands has a proud heritage of | | | | England's East Midlands is a key player in this thriving |
| industrial and research strengths in design, advanced | | | | sector, with over 40 companies based here who are |
| engineering and manufacturing technologies. It is | | | | involved in micro and nanotechnology. It is a |
| something of a hotbed for advanced engineering: the | | | | multimillion pound industry in the region, employing |
| region is seeing pioneering developments in the | | | | around 105,000 people. |
| automotive, aerospace, rail, motorsport, marine and | | | | England's East Midlands has established a series of |
| space industries; and there is considerable potential | | | | sector-focused innovation support networks, called |
| for application elsewhere, including within healthcare | | | | iNets, which are designed to support relationships |
| and bioscience, and food and drink sectors. | | | | between businesses and universities, and increase |
| The region has a vast pool of skills, resources and | | | | innovation levels in the region. |
| expertise. Of the 45,000 graduates from highly | | | | Space Applications |
| respected institutions, there is a particular strength | | | | In the East Midlands the predominant interest for |
| across all the engineering disciplines, generating the | | | | inward investment is in downstream space |
| UK's largest number of engineering graduates and | | | | applications. Specific opportunities focus on Global |
| postgraduates. The region also has the highest | | | | Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and, to a lesser |
| proportion of employees in high-tech manufacturing in | | | | extent, Earth Observation (EO), with the market for |
| the country. | | | | these in the UK currently around £350 million per |
| Manufacturing accounts for 23.2% of the regional | | | | annum - a figure that is predicted to grow to £16 |
| economy compared to 15.9% for the UK as a whole. | | | | billion by 2015. |
| 19% of the workforce here are employed in | | | | The continued development of GNSS is enabling a |
| manufacturing, (13% UK as a whole); transport | | | | huge downstream market in services and equipment |
| equipment, including rail, generates £1.9bn for the | | | | - 250 billion Euros plus by 2020. Today's main markets |
| East Midlands economy accounting for 13% of | | | | in terms of volume are in GNSS-enabled mobile |
| regional manufacturing as a whole. | | | | phones and Portable Navigation Devices. Earth |
| Advanced Materials | | | | Observation and GMES (Global Monitoring for |
| The UK has a dynamic materials industry, which is at | | | | Environment and Security) is a cornerstone of the |
| the forefront in a wide range of sectors. | | | | EU's Space Policy framework programme, with a |
| Advanced materials are crucial for the development | | | | development budget of 1.4 billion Euros (2007-13) to |
| of new products with improved performance and | | | | support the development and commercialisation of |
| functionality. | | | | opportunities across public and private sector in |
| The UK's world-class expertise in the development of | | | | support of mapping, resource and emergency |
| many metallic systems, coupled with its recognised | | | | management. |
| strengths in composite materials, mean that it leads | | | | The University of Leicester enjoys worldwide |
| the way in the development of new lightweight and | | | | recognition for its international research in space |
| recyclable solutions for many sectors, including | | | | science, planetary exploration and earth observation |
| transportation. | | | | science: the National Space Centre in Leciester is a |
| Examples of the UK's success in this field include the | | | | £60M science visitor centre attracting over 200,000 |
| collaboration between Advanced Composites Group | | | | visitors annually, with over 10,000 students and their |
| and GE Aviation with Swedish sports car | | | | science teachers participating in its Space Academy |
| manufacturer Koenigsegg for composite material and | | | | and other space education programmes. Meanwhile, |
| part production respectively for the CCX and CCR; | | | | the University of Nottingham is a world leader in |
| its dominance in Formula 1 (where 60 per cent of | | | | space-based applications of GNSS. |
| cars are designed and produced in the UK); GKN's | | | | We are proud of our assets in space-related |
| production of the A400m composite spar; and Airbus | | | | technologies. These range from pure space research |
| UK's wing production. | | | | to testing and commercialisation of location-based |
| England's East Midlands is home to much of this | | | | applications, and are based in both commercial and |
| composites capability, initially developed in response | | | | research establishments. With an ever-increasing |
| to the needs of Formula One, which then grew as a | | | | number of applications for space-related technology, |
| result of the drive by larger organisations here, such | | | | England's East Midlands is at the forefront of this |
| as Rolls-Royce Aerospace to develop a composite | | | | sector. |