Priorities set for the advanced ceramics sector in the UK Midlands
The Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group (MICG) creates a framework for delivering next-generation capability.
The Priorities for Action guide will provide the foundation for MICG’s future partnership action plans, and will used to communicate its priorities to government, funders and other stakeholders.
MICG is made up of blue-chip companies, including Rolls-Royce, Morgan Advanced Materials and Foseco, as well as SMEs including CDS, Lucideon, Mantec, PCL and Precision Ceramics - together with the Universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough.
The partnership secured £18.27mln government funding, provided through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund (SIPF), in October 2022.
Actions set out in the paper include a greater focus on promotion, enhancing efficiency and developing a talent pipeline through education and training initiatives, with a focus on industry-wide collaboration.
Dr Gilda Gasparini, of Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group, says, 'It highlights the group’s efforts to position the Midlands as a global hub for advanced ceramics through collaborative research, innovation and industry partnerships. It also looks at key challenges, including high production costs, dependency on overseas materials and the need for a skilled workforce.'
The MICG emphasises the importance of onshoring critical manufacturing and fostering a strong innovation ecosystem.
The Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group (MICG) was established in 2020 to ensure advanced ceramics help drive the competitiveness and success of Midlands advanced manufacturing by tackling key innovation challenges.
Advanced ceramics are vital to fulfil the growing need for high-performance materials in ever-more demanding conditions across a wide variety of manufacturing sectors.
With other investment, the five-year industrial and academic programme will be worth £42.1mln on completion in 2026.
The MICG’ research programme will combine industrial and academic expertise to create a unified process for the development and commercialisation of new and enhanced processes and products. It will drive technological breakthroughs that lead to lower energy and cost routes for functional and structural advanced ceramics.
The wider aims of the MICG are to:
- Make the Midlands the go-to location for the global R&D and production of advanced ceramics
- Increase the competitiveness of the Midlands industrial base
- Enhance industrial ability to develop innovative ceramic technologies with speedy marketplace adoption
- Deliver a multi-sectoral approach with rapid translation of new technologies for the advantage of a whole range of industrial sectors
- Strengthen the UK advanced ceramics supply chain for the benefit of the Midlands advanced manufacturing sector.
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