Thursday, 13 March 2025
The University of Nottingham, in partnership with East Midlands Freeport, Research England and Loughborough University, has opened the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre (ZCIC).
The centre will deliver innovation in transport technology, green hydrogen production, and power solutions for industry and create jobs for the regional economy.
The ZCIC will deepen the university’s research and development (R&D) and manufacturing partnerships with industry across aerospace, automotive, marine, rail, off-highway and energy sectors. At the centre, partners will benefit from research projects as well as commercially contracted testing and R&D programmes. They will be able to co-locate to the centre to collaborate with researchers and have access to incubator labs and office space.
The launch of the East Midlands Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is a game-changer for businesses looking to develop and scale new technologies. Our five million pounds investment is about more than just funding innovation – it’s about creating a clear pathway for businesses to move from research and development to full-scale operations within the Freeport.
She continued: "With the right infrastructure, incentives, and support, companies can accelerate their growth and take their solutions to market faster. This sends a strong message to global industries: the East Midlands is the place to innovate, scale, and lead in the industries of the future.”
With investments from East Midlands Freeport, Research England’s UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) and match-funding by the two universities, the centre will drive innovation, create high-value jobs, and provide businesses with a clear path to transition from developing new technologies to potentially establishing operations at the Freeport.
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “The launch of the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre marks a major milestone for our region, placing us at the forefront of innovative research and advancements in transport technology and clean energy solutions. This centre will not only drive the development of sustainable, zero-carbon technologies but also create significant economic opportunities – including new jobs and business growth across the region. I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in making this happen, particularly the East Midlands Freeport, whose vision and support are helping establish the East Midlands as a key player in the future of transport and sustainable innovation.”
Pictured (left to right): Professor Chris Gerada, University of Nottingham; Nora Senior CBE DL, East Midlands Freeport; Dr Hannah Pearson, Research England; Professor Dan Parsons, Loughborough University.
Based at Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, and with a site at Loughborough University, the ZCIC brings a range of open access innovation capabilities to the region including electrical machine manufacturing, robotics, digital twinning and green hydrogen generation. A new electrical machine manufacturing line will enable end-to-end manufacturing, allowing flexible reconfiguration for low volume, high value production of advanced machines with state-of-the-art performance and power. This will accelerate technology insertion into manufacturing to support production in region and nationally.
I am pleased to see the East Midlands Freeport take a big step forward in driving growth through innovation in transport, a sector in which this region has long been an industrial leader. The new centre will help secure the East Midlands’ role in the future of green transport, accelerate the government’s Plan for Change mission for growth and help deliver on the UK’s ambition to be a clean energy superpower.”
The digital twinning lab at the ZCIC will enable development of model-based physics simulations, monitoring, prognostics and health management of propulsion powertrains and power generation applications. It will provide an advanced digital twin platform enabling system integration, validation and verification, and will be connected to the megawatt-class physical testing capabilities of the nearby Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC) and the forthcoming Hydrogen Propulsion Systems Lab.
Jane Norman, President and Vice Chancellor at University of Nottingham, said: “We are very excited about this partnership with East Midlands Freeport, Research England and the two universities. Together we are expanding the region’s world-class research and innovation capacity to drive growth locally and decarbonise globally. Heavy transport is known as a very hard to decarbonise sector – a challenge that demands the very best and brightest minds. We want the world to know this is the place where those minds come together to develop zero carbon solutions.”
The centre has been opened on the University of Nottingham's Jubilee campus
Romina Davoudi, Head of Programme Delivery at the Aerospace Technology Institute, said: “The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is set to drive cutting-edge research and development in sustainable transport and energy technologies. Building on years of pioneering aerospace research, much of it funded through the ATI Programme, the ZCIC will play a crucial role in fast-tracking sustainable technologies from research to deployment.
“The ATI is proud to have helped accelerate aerospace innovation in the East Midlands, which can now be applied across multiple sectors to deliver real-world impact through the ZCIC.”
The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre adds to a cutting-edge lineup of zero carbon R&D and manufacturing capabilities on Jubilee Campus at the University of Nottingham. These include the Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), home to one of the world’s largest groups of electrification researchers, as well as Omnifactory®, a national smart manufacturing demonstrator and testbed for smart manufacturing systems. To this will soon be added the Hydrogen Propulsion Systems Lab, funded through £70 million of investments primarily secured with Research England and industry co-investment partners.
At Loughborough University, a novel battery-electrolyser demonstration facility is being created with a manufacturing prototype now developed. Loughborough also has complementary business incubation, commercialisation and scale-up facilities at the Loughborough Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP), with an existing CleanTech cluster of organisations.
The Zero Carbon Innovation Centre is more than just a facility – it is the innovation gateway for industry partners to access the region’s research strengths and deliver innovation. As a region we are now truly leading the way in giving industry partners high-impact, high-value and much-needed zero carbon solutions.”
More information on the Zero Carbon Innovation Centre can be found here.
Story credits
Main image - Pictured (L-R): Professor Henner Wapenhans, University of Nottingham (UoN); Rachel Quinn, East Midlands Institute of Technology; Dan Fung, Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC); Samir Mamun, UoN; Debra Fearnshaw, UoN, Professor Chris Gerada, UoN; Romina Davoudi, Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI); Nora Senior CBE DL, East Midlands Freeport, Michael Gallagher, East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA); Dr Hannah Pearson, Research England; Cllr. Sam Lux, Nottingham City Council; Professor Dan Parsons, Loughborough University; James Naish, MP; Professor Kathryn North, Loughborough University; Chris Dunkley, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC); Professor Al Cairns, UoN; Katie Greenhalgh, East Midlands Freeport; Ben Sumner, UoN.
More information is available from Faith Pring, Media Relations Manager, on faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
Location: University of Nottingham, University Park
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of 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 third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 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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