Southampton Share in Initiative to Advance Manufacturing

The University of Southampton which has a share of £20 million of funding to advance the UK’s manufacturing capability, will lead two of ten new research projects announced in December today by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The Chalcogenide Advanced Manufacturing partnership (ChAMP) is a collaborative initiative between the University’s   Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) and the Universities of Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge and Heriot-Watt, along with 15 industrial partners. Southampton will receive £3.1 million to revolutionise the manufacture and use of specialised glass, called chalcogenides, in a range of products from optical fibre and infrared lenses to electronic devices, including logic and memory.

The University’s recently opened Composite Material Facility, unique to the UK, will also help to develop and manufacture radically new and advanced materials.

The other project ‘Novel manufacturing methods for functional electronic textiles’ will receive £2.8 million to develop novel manufacturing methods for wearable technology. It will also involve Nottingham Trent University and a number of industry partners.

(Photo credit: Paul Bastock)