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TECHNOLOGY UK
Industrial evolution
England’s north west combines strength in key industries with a dynamic
technology research base. Berenice Baker reports
THE NORTH WEST of England — a
powerhouse of the industrial revolution
— is now home to a thriving
array of technology-led businesses
and boasts one of the nation’s most
significant engineering research
clusters.
The region’s strengths in major
industries such as energy and
aerospace are underpinned by an
academic sector that is eager to
see its innovations reach the
commercial arena.
One organisation helping technology
transfer in the region is
University of Manchester Intellectual
Property (UMIP), the managing
agent for commercialising innovations
developed at Manchester
University.
UMIP was formed when the
former UMIST merged with Manchester
in 2004, creating one of
Europe’s largest academic institutions
in engineering and technology.
Chief executive Clive Rowland
said the agency identified two main
gaps in the process of bringing
technology to market. It now provides
funding to help spin out companies
through the proof-ofprinciple
and seed-funding stages
of their development.
UMIP funds work that closely
supports the region’s strengths. For
example, the north west employs
50,000 people in energy-related
jobs and is recognised for its expertise
in nuclear power.
Major facilities such as Sellafield
in Cumbria mean 23,000 people are
employed in nuclear in the region
—about half the total jobs of the
UK’s entire nuclear sector. On the
academic front, Manchester University
is home to the Dalton
Research Institute, set up in 2005
with the aim of becoming one of the
world’s leading centres of nuclear
education, training and research.
Alternative energy is also a
key element of the north west’s
‘The Daresbury Synchrotron facility is a
world-class facility dedicated to the
exploitation of synchrotronic radiation’
innovation mix. UMIP is supporting
renewable ventures such as the
Manchester Bobber, which it hopes
will generate wave energy from the
UK’s coastlines in the near future.
Developed by Manchester University
researchers and industrial
partners, the system consists of a
number of platforms, each of which
supports a closely-spaced array of
25 to 50 bobbing floats. The Bobber
is now approaching the commercialisation
stage.
The north west also boasts its
share of success stories in
advanced electronics and communications.
For example, Nano ePrint,
formed in June 2006, owns a suite
of intellectual property related to a
planar nano electronics platform
called Self-Switching Devices. This
technology allows electronic
devices to be fabricated in one-step
lithography or printing, enabling
extremely low-cost manufacturing.
The region has played a key part
in medical history — Liverpool was
one of the first locations for the
manufacture of penicillin by
fermentation — and is now home to
some 230 biomedical companies
employing 25,000 people.
Earlier this year the Manchester:
Integrating Medicine and Innovative
Technology research centre (MIMIT)
was launched to combine the talents
of medics and engineers to
solve clinical problems.
MIMIT’s approach is based on
listening to clinicians’ needs and
building solutions to meet them.
It has already produced a
pioneering anaesthetic delivery
system.
In another example of research
working side by side with business,
Daresbury in Cheshire is home to
the Science and Technology Facilities
Council (STFC) Synchrotron
Radiation Source, a world-class
facility dedicated to the exploitation
of synchrotron radiation. Alongside
is the Daresbury Science and Innovation
Campus, which recently
received £25m of investment with
the potential for up to 1,200 new
jobs. The new development adjoins
the existing Daresbury Innovation
Centre and the Cockcroft Institute
and will host more new technology
and science-related businesses.
As it forges ahead in new areas,
the north west has held onto its
position as a key player in some of
the UK’s longest-established
industrial sectors.
According to the North West
Regional Development Agency, the
region is the nation’s largest
centre of aerospace manufacturing;
Nimrod, Tornado, Airbus wings
and the RB-211 jet engine are all
being developed there. More than
60,000 people work in the sector,
contributing £7bn to the regional
economy.
In the automotive arena, the
region is home to vehicle manufacturers
such as Jaguar/Land Rover,
General Motors/Vauxhall and Bentley.
The sector boasts an annual
turnover of £9bn.
Chemical manufacturing is the
region's largest export industry,
generating £10bn in sales. Sixty per
cent of the world’s top 50 companies
have a base in the north west.
Even the region’s most iconic
19th century industry, the textile
trade, has moved with the times. The
mills may have long gone, but the
north west is now recognised as the
most important advanced flexible
materials centre in Europe.
For technology stories from your
region, visit www.theengineer.
co.uk/techuk
Technology UK
the EnGIneeR 21 APRIL–4 MAY 2008
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