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| Images: Bond Bryan from the AMRC website |
The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing describes itself as "a world-class centre for advanced machining and materials research for aerospace and other high-value manufacturing sectors." It claims to be "a partnership between industry and academia, which has become
a model for research centres worldwide.".
Membership of the AMRC is open to companies which wish to participate in its research programmes. There are two tiers of membership:
- Tier 1: for a subscription of £200,000 per year, Tier 1 members get a seat on the board and thus an opportunity to influence the direction of future research, to participate in, and obtain the results of all generic projects and an opportunity to specify any number of specific projects which are presented to the board for ranking and approval as funds become available; and
- Tier 2: for a subscription of 30,000, Tier 2 members participate in, and obtain the results of all generic projects, have privileged access to the AMRC’s resources and capabilities and representation on the board by a single board member.
According to David Parkin of the Yorkshire Business Desk, the Centre has recently secured £43 million funding for a state-of-the-art research factory (7 June 2013). Known as "The AMRC Factory 2050", it is said to be "the UK’s first fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research, capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts." Rotherham Business News describes it as "the World's most flexible factory" (6 June 2013).
This new project should provide opportunities for businesses throughout South Yorkshire and beynod. With a member living in Yorkshire we are well placed to advise those businesses on intellectual property, licensing, and joint ventures and to provide representation in negotiations (see "Supporting Yorkshire Business" 22 May 2013 4-5 IP & Tech blog). Those services include the monthly pro bono clinic at Barnsley BIC which you can access by clicking the contact form or by calling us on 01484 599090 or 0113 320 3232.
