Monday, 17 May 2021
The UK Electrification of Aerospace Propulsion Facility to be catalyst for green economic recovery in the aerospace sector
The University of Nottingham has been awarded £7.6million by the D2N2 LEP towards the development of the £16.8M UK Electrification of Aerospace Propulsion Facility (UKEAPF).
The UKEAPF is one of ten projects across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, and Nottinghamshire which has received funding from D2N2’s £44 million share of the government’s £900 million Getting Building Fund.
Hosted within the new Power Electronics and Electrical Machines Centre at the University of Nottingham, the facility will support the East Midlands vision to be the world’s foremost location for low carbon aerospace innovation.
The facility will accelerate the development of new electrical machines and drive systems required for the greening of aviation through extensive test and validation equipment.
It will rapidly stimulate economic activity through the development of a new generation of aerospace electrification industrial technologies and manufacturing processes co-created with local industrial partners, and create new opportunities for the regions business base supporting new jobs.
By March 2024, it is estimated that £140 million worth of industrial work aligned with this facility will be undertaken, creating 300 new jobs and 150 new learners by 2025.
At a national level, UKEAPF will support the government’s target of raising research and development investment and contribute to the Governments 10 point green plan by supporting increased decarbonisation in a key sector.
Elizabeth Fagan, Chair of D2N2 LEP Board said: "UKEAPF will accelerate the green recovery and growth for the UK aerospace industry, ensuring the East Midlands remains the world's foremost location for aerospace innovation unlocking investment, creating new jobs and protecting the aerospace supply-chain jobs in the region."
The University’s global research programme has a well-deserved reputation for supporting a more sustainable planet and solving global problems. This exciting investment demonstrates a commitment to world-leading discovery, with Nottingham at the forefront of increasingly important research into greener, cleaner aviation globally.
She added: “The fusion of the region’s industrial capability together with the University’s research expertise will offer unparalleled opportunities to realise a net zero carbon ambition for the aerospace industry.”
Chris Gerada, Professor of Electrical Machines at the University of Nottingham said: “This project will exploit the University’s expertise in Power Electronics and Electrical Machines by working closely with industrial partners in this new facility to develop next generation products, helping to deliver aviation’s net zero commitments.
The investment will reinforce the UK’s and the East Midlands’ reputation as the go-to place for the development of Electrification Technologies for future Aerospace Platforms.”
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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