Written evidence submitted by the University
of Sheffield and University of Sheffield's AMRC with Boeing (TIC
40)
SUMMARY
The University of Sheffield welcomes the opportunity
to present evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology
Committee. Our submission is based on the experience of over a
decade of pioneering a very successful engineering translational
research centre, the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing, which could well form one
model for the proposed Technology Innovation Centres (TIC).
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The University of Sheffield is a research intensive
university with research income of circa £100m per annum
from a broad portfolio of sources, including research councils,
charities, government departments, industry and EU Framework programmes.
The University's AMRC with Boeing is a £60million partnership,
which builds on the shared scientific excellence, expertise and
technological innovation of the world's leading aerospace company,
Boeing, and world-class research within the University of Sheffield's
Faculty of Engineering. It develops innovative and advanced technology
solutions for materials forming, metal working and castings. It
also has internationally acknowledged research in the field of
composite materials, an area crucial to the development of Boeing's
new generation planes.
2.0 RESPONSE TO
THE INQUIRY
2.1 Applicability of the Fraunhofer
Model to the UK
2.1.1 The attractiveness of the application of the
Fraunhofer model to the UK is the market pull as opposed to technology
push driving the research undertaken, as it could be argued, that
Fraunhofer institutes represent the co-location of R&D departments
of a group of companies within a given supply chain.
2.1.2 However, the status of Fraunhofer Institutes
as legally separate entities from the Universities could be seen,
in the UK context, as inhibiting the free flow of knowledge, expertise
and know-how between industrial researchers and the fundamental
research base, which in the UK is located largely in the Universities.
UK Universities are already highly successful in interacting directly
with industry, and it is important that this aspect of the UK
innovation system is strengthened by the introduction of Technology
Innovation Centres, rather than being inadvertently weakened.
2.1.3 The typical Fraunhofer funding model of being
1/3rd core state funding, 1/3rd sponsored research grants, and
1/3rd industrial membership, is very different to the UK research
funding landscape, which emphasises time-limited project based
funding. The Fraunhofer funding model, through an explicit component
of core funding shared between the private sector and the state,
does assure long-term sustainability.
2.1.4 A perceived strength of the Fraunhofer
type model is the flexibility in governance and constitution as
a legal entity in order to best serve the interests of the participating
organisations, as it is our understanding is that not all Fraunhofer
institutes are constituted in the same way.
2.1.5 A perceived drawback of the Fraunhofer
model is its separate legal entity status and geographical proximity
to the participating University, which could mean that the University
is competing for research income and business partnerships with
Fraunhofer institutes.
2.1.6 A Technology Innovation Centre that is
fully incorporated within a University with a strong University
base is likely to benefit from technology transfer from the research
base and, in return, favourably affect the research culture of
the University in question. However, this arrangement potentially
exposes the University to financial risk. It is likely that the
University would need to underwrite the establishment and running
costs, putting downward pressure on already constrained resources.
This risk would be mitigated if the balance of funding were to
shift from an emphasis entirely on project based funding with
recovery of full economic costs to one with a larger element of
core funding.
2.2 The AMRC with Boeing: Example of an existing
Fraunhofer-type institute
2.2.1 In our experience, The
University of Sheffield's AMRC with Boeing represents an example
of an existing and successful Fraunhofer-type institute operating
in the UK, in terms of the nature of its research and its interactions
with industry. The AMRC identifies, researches and solves advanced
manufacturing problems. Researchers work with individual companies
on specific projects, and collaborate on generic projects for
the benefit of all members. R&D topics at the AMRC are determined
by the board of industrial partners. This ensures that work is
focused on industrial commercial requirements, and provides lasting
value to members. However, unlike the Fraunhofer Institutes, the
University of Sheffield AMRC with Boeing is an integral part of
the University with no separate legal status.
2.2.2 The University of Sheffield's AMRC with Boeing
now employs around 150 highly qualified researchers and engineers
from around the globe. It works with businesses, from global aerospace
giants to local SMEs, on a consortium basis.
2.2.3 Consortium members pay an annual fee to access
the resources and expertise of the centre. Tier One members (currently
about 20 which includes Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Siemens and BAE Systems)
collaboratively determine the R&D agenda. Around 45 Tier Two
members pay a lower fee and have access to all the AMRC's generic
research projects.
2.2.4 Members and non-members can also work with
the AMRC on individually sponsored research projects.
2.2.5 Further examples of Fraunhofer-type institutes,
i.e. those that focus on a specific technology where there is
a large global market and significant UK capability, include the
Siemens core competence centers for wind turbine R&D in Sheffield
(UK), Keele (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark), Aachen (Germany), Delft
(Netherlands) Boulder, Colorado (USA).
2.2.6 The Sheffield-Siemens Wind Power Research Centre
(S²WP), located at the University's Kroto Innovation Centre
directly employs 20 people and focuses on developing the most
reliable, innovative and efficient wind turbine generators that
will be at the forefront of future onshore and offshore wind power
systems.
2.2.7 The University of Sheffield-Siemens partnership
to develop next generation wind turbine technologies will not
only help the company, and its connecting businesses to serve
the global market more competitively but also enable wind power
to make a major contribution to the UK's energy needs.
2.2.8 The University of Sheffield was chosen following
Siemens' long-term partnership with the University's Department
of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, which includes the Electrical
Machines and Drives Group. Headed-up by Professor Qiang Zhu, the
group undertakes world-leading research on technologies that are
vital to future developments in electrical power engineering.
A fundamental element of the collaboration is access to the group's
70 academic and research personnel, as well as the University's
state-of-the-art facilities.
2.3 Central Co-Ordinating Role for a UK-Wide
Network of Innovation Centres
2.3.1 The Technology Strategy Board would seem to
be the most appropriate federal body to oversee a network of innovation
centres. The structure for governance overseen by the TSB should
include a Board of decision-makers with representatives from the
TICs.
2.3.2 Individual TICs should have a high degree
of autonomy in matters of research direction, which should be
strongly driven by the University-business partnership.
2.3.3 The role of the TSB should encourage and facilitate
the sustained funding from industry for the TICs. It is important
that public investment is not seen to displace private sector
support.
2.4 Effect of the introduction of Fraunhofer-type
institutes on the work of Public Sector Research Establishments
and other existing research centres that undertake Government
sponsored research
2.4.1 If Fraunhofer-type institutes were established
to operate in the same science and innovation space as existing
Government funded research centres, there would be considerable
competition between the centres, which in itself, is likely to
detract somewhat from translational speed to market which the
TICs could make possible.
3.0 CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
3.1 In order to introduce the proposed TICs in a
timely and effective way, the following recommendations are made:
3.2
- TICs should be established on the basis of existing
strong business-University partnerships.
- Care should be taken to ensure that the University
hosts for TICs are not competing internally for the same research
and innovation markets.
- Consideration should be given to the balance
between core and project-based funding in order to assure the
long-term sustainability and stability of the centres.
- Recognition and support should be given to universities
and companies that have already established partnerships that
facilitate market pull for technical R&D.
- Financial support from companies for existing
Fraunhofer-type institutes should be encouraged by TSB.
By presenting the above evidence The University wishes
to draw the Committee's attention to the considerable strengths
the UK already has in translational research. In doing this we
would like to ensure that the Government and particularly TSB
continue to recognise and support this role and indeed enhance
their provision for doing so through the introduction of TICs.
University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield's AMRC with Boeing
November 2010
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