THE ABSTRACT
A research publication from the Innovation Launchpad Network+
Innovation & Integration
Tranche 2 of the Researcher in Residence scheme takes on AI, Phage Therapy & Climate Displacement + much more!
Innovation LaunchPad Network+
4-5 ILN+ Marketing and communications officer Paul Stimpson kicks off the second issue of The Abstract with a nod to the inspirational Researchers in Residence in the network.
6-7 A gallery from our Induction Event in February 2024.
10-11 Research impact, just what is it we’re talking about here?
Net Zero
20-37 A roundup of the research projects that sit within our Net Zero theme.
22-25 Yes the space industry may be looking into a non-earth habitable planet but should that mean we should continue to harm this one in the meantime? Dr Andrew Wilson explains why the entire space industry needs a radical rethink in terms of sustainability.
14-15 Find out why Dr Libby Duignan’s Phage Therapy presentation caused a stir at a recent ILN+ event.
15-16 Read about Dr Astrid Werkmeister’s project on climate displacement and why it’s is a particularly poignant piece of work.
18-19 A roundup of the research projects that sit within our Healthcare & Wellbeing theme.
Resilience Healthcare & Wellbeing
42-43 Artificial Intelligence is being investigated for a whole range of different use at the moment. The University of Bristol’s Dr James Gopsill reveals how he is tackling the supply chain’s ‘Big Demand’ with his ‘Aiagents’.
44-47 A roundup of the research projects that sit within our Resilience theme.
Editor’s Letter
WELCOME TO THE INNOVATION LAUNCHPAD NETWORK+
Network+ Marketing, Comms and Events officer Paul Stimpson kicks off the second issue of The Abstact
Welcome to the second issue of The Abstract, the journal of the Innovation Launchpad Network+.
As a non-academic, I am routinely inspired and quite frankly, gob smacked at the work that our Researchers in Residence are doing. It feels like there’s a genuine aspiration to instate (or re-instate, depending on how you view our country) the UK as a global hotbed of academic talent.
My role in the Innovation Launchpad Network+ team is to help disseminate these projects and their outcomes in ways that aren’t conventional for academics. We launched a podcast in 2023 called LaunchPod (available on Spotify and YouTube, please check it out!), where we have utilised our resources within the Network+ and beyond to create what I would like to think are very useful tips on topics like impact, writing research applications and intellectual property.
Once our RiRs were up and running, we launched a second podcast, It’s Not Not Rocket Science, where I interview our RiRs about their project and aspirations. I’ve spoken to Dr Andrew Wilson from Glasgow Caledonian University about space and how his project aims to essentially
revolutionise the entire industry in terms of its sustainability practices. I also spoke to Dr Libby Duignan from University of Liverpool who, with support from two Catapults in HVMC (CPI) and Medicines Discovery Catapult is advancing phage therapy in the UK with the aim of reducing excess deaths related to antibiotic resistance. Those two projects couldn’t be further apart from each other, but highlight the diversity in our RiR portfolio.
Those are just two examples of the inspirational work within this network and I hope I can at least attempt to do a decent job in getting the layman (which is me, in these cases) excited about the level of research going on here in the UK.
Another way we can disseminate these RiR projects is in this magazine right here, in your hands. This is just the second issue and it’s full of exceptional science and cutting edge ideas. I am but only one man, though. If you’re reading this, take this magazine with you. Take me back to your office, your lab, your place of work and share the stories told in these 40+ pages. Let’s continue to inspire and innovate.
Paul Stimpson paul.stimpson@amrc.co.uk
THE TEAM
Network+ Director: Pete Osborne - p.osborne@amrc.co.uk
Network+ Manager: Kristina Parry - k.parry@amrc.co.uk
Network+ Marketing, Communications and Events: Paul Stimpsonpaul.stimpson@amrc.co.uk
Network+ Officer: Carlos Brambila - c.brambila@amrc.co.uk
TRANCHE 2 INDUCTION DAY
After a successful first Induction event in Birmingham in 2023, the Innovation Launchpad Network+ hosted an even larger event in Sheffield in February 2024 as successful applicants to the Researcher in Residence scheme descended onto the Steel City.
Tranche 2 RiRs were invited to a two day event to meet fellow academics, the Innovation Launchpad management team and Catapult representatives in person. They were also challenged to create a PechaKucha-style presentation which summarised their research proposal, offering a unique insight into these projects.
Nicola Coxon from the University of Sheffield delivered a session on research impact, whilst the University of Nottingham’s Dr Peter Craigon delivered an enlightening workshop on inclusivity and diversity.
RESEARCHER IN RESIDENCE
The third round of academics for the Innovation Launchpad Network’s Researcher in Residence scheme have been confirmed, with 27 world class projects poised to make a huge impact to industry and to the UK’s strategic goals. Across all three phases of the Researcher in Residence scheme, the ILN+ team have been inundated with enquiries from academics from institutions up and down the UK.
Since launching the Innovation Launchpad Network+ and opening the call for the RiR scheme in October 2022, more than 350 enquires have been sent, 275 Expressions of Interest and eventually, 107 world class research projects spanning three themes: Net Zero, Resilience and Healthcare and Wellbeing. All 9 Catapults from the Innovate UK Catapult Network are represented in a fascinating portfolio of applications.
Following an intensive reviewing process with the ILN+ Investigators reviewers team, the Innovation Launchpad Network+ can reveal the awarded Researcher in Residence proposals on the website here: tinyurl.com/ILNRIRT3
Paul Stimpson, Communications Lead for the Innovation Launchpad Network+, said: “Working with the Innovate UK Catapult Network, EPSRC and some of the UK’s leading universities, we had high hopes for this scheme but our expectations have been exceeded over the last two years.
“The potential impact and the outputs we are already seeing from these projects is game-changing. You will be hearing more about this as our ‘It’s Not Not Rocket Science’ podcast gathers pace.”
Innovationlaunchpad.ac.uk
“Ultimately it’s just the good the research is doing. It’s improvement in society and it’s real-world benefit.”
WHAT IS IMPACT?
At a recent event, University of Sheffield’s Impact Officer Nicola Coxon Nicola ran a session on Impact. Paul Stimpson caught up with Nicola after the event to continue the conversation.
You ran a session for our Researchers in Residence. How did that go?
It was really interesting. It was great to have an opportunity at the end of the session to chat with you a bit and the researchers there who had a few extra questions. I can only talk about Sheffield but there were discussions on effective ways of evidencing impact and if I had any top tips. There isn’t always tips and like everything, there isn’t always a one size fits all when it comes to impact.
Impact is a pretty important word in research. Can you sum up what is it?
Yeah and I think that’s where it gets tricky. I use the word impact a lot, meaning different things. But really it’s just the benefit, just to give a really, really simple definition. It just means the benefits or the real world benefit or change that has happened as a result of research. The key thing is that it’s the benefit outside of academia. It can be a benefit to individuals, groups, different businesses, society but I think the key thing is that it’s demonstrable. You’ve got to be able to demonstrate a measurable change or a benefit that’s happened as a result of research.
What are the types of impact?
Yeah, again it’s very broad. It can be so wide ranging and vast because, understandably, you can have completely different types of impact for different types of research. If you’re in the social sciences, it’s completely different to natural sciences. Generally impacts are grouped. It might be policy, a law change to economic health and wellbeing, societal level or environmental. They’re your key umbrella terms and as well, it’s not an exhaustive list, but more specifically it might be to enhance wellbeing of a certain group of people or a population. In the UK we tend to categorise them into economic impacts. The benefits that are happening is wealth generation, job creation and skills – that’s economic impact. Then there’s societal impact – whether that’s
influencing health or policy or culture. And then environmental impact, which is on the increase and that’s all to do with the benefits and changes to the natural world. It’s a very broad area and it’s a very interesting area because when people think about research, they probably don’t think about impact. They’re probably just thinking about the research side of things. But it’s a hugely important part of it.
Why is it important? And that’s kind of a big question. So I guess the floor is yours!
Yes, it is! And perhaps I’m not qualified to do that. Ultimately it’s just the good the research is doing. It’s improvement and in society and it’s real-world benefit. That’s the sort of baseline. But then if you’re looking at it in more detail for institutions and universities, it has a real impact (!) if you’re looking at university rankings or national – or even international – reputation, I think being able to demonstrate strong impacts on an institution is key. And for the individual researcher, in terms of publicity, engagement and your own career development, again, being able to source evidence that the work that you have done has led to that to strong impact is very important. Obviously we can’t ignore the financial element of it. Most funding applications now…most of the UK research councils and funding bodies really want to see that impact is embedded into a project. It’s a key consideration when reviewing applications.
Thanks Nicola, any final thoughts?
I don’t know the infrastructure for every university but there will be teams and resources available at each institution. Making use of those and just off the top of my head, there’s the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement which has loads of good resources on there like templates and tools.
Scan the QR code to listen to the full interview on YouTube or Spotify.
HEALTHCARE & WELLBEING
“There is so much research into phage therapy in the UK. My work with CPI and MDC we will be paving the way for phage manufacturing and enabling the start of phage therapy clinical trials which are critical to getting them to market.”
As antimicrobial resistance continues to rise, the exploration of alternative therapies becomes increasingly crucial. Bacteriophage (phage) therapy, harnessing viruses to combat bacterial infections, emerges as a promising solution.
Recognising its potential, the UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee initiated an inquiry into the safety and effectiveness of phages. Another person who has recognised its potential is Dr Liberty Duignan from the University of Liverpool who has been awarded a grant from the Innovation Launchpad Network+ to advance her research on this area in collaboration with Medicines Discovery Catapult and High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).
Recent clinical data revealed promising results, with 87% of patients achieving bacterial eradication, prompting countries like Belgium and Australia to adopt phage therapy clinically. However, in the UK, regulatory classification as a biological medicine and lack of a regulatory framework has hindered their manufacture and clinical use, leading to compassionate use cases sourced from overseas. At the University of Liverpool, researchers have been studying well characterised phages targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a priority pathogen according to the World Health Organization. This project, in collaboration with CPI and the Medicines
Discovery Catapult (MDC), aims to overcome manufacturing barriers in the UK by fostering knowledge exchange and expertise.
Currently, the UK lacks a robust phage industry. Through this work, the country could bolster its resilience against antibioticresistant bacteria and pave the way for the emergence of phage-based industries. By establishing expertise and facilities for phage manufacture, the project aims to propel the UK to the forefront of phage therapy research and development.
Libby said of the project: “There is so much research into phage therapy in the UK, against many different bacterial species and within a large number of infection niches, the two things that are holding this extremely useful therapeutic back is the lack of regulatory framework and a manufacturing process to GMP. My work with CPI and MDC, we will be paving the way for phage manufacturing and enabling the start of phage therapy clinical trials which are critical to getting them to market.”
liverpool.ac.uk uk-cpi.com md.catapult.org.uk
Scan the QR code to listen to a full interview with Libby on YouTube or Spotify.
FOR THE LOVE OF PHAGE!
CLIMATE DISPLACEMENT
“By understanding and addressing the factors that drive migration and looking at how these push factors are influenced by climate change, we can help people remain in their communities and build a more resilient future.”
Dr Astrid Werkmeister, a researcher in the Earth Intelligence Observatory at the University of Strathclyde, will conduct a feasibility study into monitoring community resilience from satellites to enable identification of the most vulnerable communities affected by climate change. Satellite Applications Catapult, a world-class research hub based in Harwell (UK), will be hosting Astrid’s activities.
As environmental crises escalate globally, comprehensive analysis and strategic interventions are essential to address these challenges. This project leverages satellite technology to monitor and evaluate environmental changes resulting from extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts.
A unique aspect of this approach involves observing nighttime lighting in affected areas, which is believed to indicate infrastructure damage and recovery speed. By integrating satellite data with resources like the Migration Data Portal, the project aims to uncover the ‘push’ factors behind climate-induced displacement, revealing the intricate relationship between environmental degradation and human migration patterns.
interventions to enhance resilience and mitigate impacts on vulnerable populations.
Ultimately, the goal is to establish links between environmental changes, health, economy, and migration, aligning with the Sustainable Earth mission to catalyse change and foster sustainable futures.
Astrid said: “We are exploring the requirements necessary to develop an innovative satellite data product that combines existing satellite data with other data sources to monitor vulnerable communities. Our goal is to identify and assist these communities early, potentially preventing migration. I strongly believe that the vast majority of people do not want to leave their homes and migrate. By understanding and addressing the factors that drive migration and looking at how these push factors are influenced by climate change, we can help people remain in their communities and build a more resilient future.”
The project will also analyse weather events in regions that did not result in displacement, aiming to identify factors contributing to resilience and recovery. By quantifying the health and economic impacts and examining various challenges faced by affected communities, the project seeks to deepen understanding and identify high-impact
Will White, Sustainable Mission Lead at Satellite Applications Catapult added: “We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Astrid Werkmeister on board as our Researcher in Residence. Her expertise will be an invaluable asset as we tackle this pressing issue of climate displacement. This is not just a research effort; it’s a mission to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time. With Dr. Werkmeister on board, this project is crucial in developing innovative solutions to support those affected by climate change, and we are looking forward to significantly enhancing our capacity to make a meaningful impact.”
strath.ac.uk
sa.catapult.org.uk
Healthcare
Early diagnosis and intervention, advanced personalised therapies and the integration of digital technologies are key enablers of cost-effective healthcare and wellbeing to support a growing and ageing population.
The Catapult Network is energising healthcare and wellbeing through breakthrough capabilities, increasing the flow of innovative medicines, and seeks to do more in diagnostics and digital therapeutics products. Catapults also work strategically with the UK health, wellbeing, social care and regulatory systems to channel UK innovators into a supply chain of new approaches, capabilities and models that can help manage costs and optimise outcomes.
Project title: Building new analytics and formulation capability for the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult’s adeno-associated virus good manufacturing practice platform
This project aims to develop high-value analytical data, predominantly using light scattering technologies, for identifying pathways involved in aggregate formation. From the mechanistic understanding, mathematical models will be proposed to guide manufacturers for developing methods to minimize loss of AAV potency during formulation, fill, packaging, and storage steps. The project is timely and high impact given poor understanding of AAV stability despite the importance of AAV therapies in treating disease.
Robin Curtis University of Manchester Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult
Project roundup
Project title: Pioneering conformalised regression models in downstream pharmaceutical manufacturing
This project seeks to revolutionise the production of biologics by using advanced computational and statistical techniques to optimise a key step in their manufacture, known as downstream purification. The research focuses on optimising the process of chromatography, a key method used in purifying biologics that currently requires extensive time and resources to perfect. By employing computational models that can predict the optimal conditions for chromatography, this project aims to significantly reduce the time and resources required for optimisation.
Project title: Phage therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Overcoming manufacturing barriers in the UK
This project aims to address the manufacturing barriers within the UK through exchange of knowledge and expertise between the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) and University of Liverpool to enable the manufacture and scale-up of high-quality novel phages. Currently, industry associated with phage is limited in the UK. This project will enable the UK to be more resilient in the fight against antibiotic resistant bacteria and potentially support the emergence of phage-based industries by creating expertise and facilities in phage manufacture.
Project title: Decoding climate-induced displacement: A multi-dimensional analysis using satellite technology
The human impacts of climate change, particularly amongst the most vulnerable communities, are the focus of this study. The displacement induced by environmental crises is an escalating global issue, and the intention is to address it through in-depth analysis and strategic interventions. Satellite technology is to be utilised in this project, where the monitoring and evaluation of environmental changes caused by extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts, will be undertaken. A unique method has been incorporated into the approach, involving the observation of night-time lighting in affected areas.
Rui Carvalho Durham University High Value Manufacturing Catapult (CPI)
Libby Duignan University of Liverpool High Value Manufacturing Catapult (CPI)
Astrid Werkmeister University of Strathclyde Satellite Applications Catapult
NET ZERO
GREEN SPACE
In a uniquely paradoxical situation, the UK’s space industry is in need of a dire rethink in terms of sustainability, according to Researcher in Residence Andrew Ross Wilson.
Thanks for joining us Andrew, please introduce yourself!
So, my name is Andrew Wilson. I’m a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University. I recently moved there from the University of Strathclyde. My work really revolves around space sustainability. I’ve been working for the last decade or so, particularly on life cycle assessment and eco-design of space systems, which essentially looks at the environmental footprint of a space mission across its life cycle. From the minute you extract resources from the ground and start designing, through production, testing, transportation, and the launch campaign—even though it’s in space, you still have ground stations, which are energy-intensive. Then, ultimately, the end of life. That’s something I’ve been working on for about a decade now.
At the moment, I lead various working groups, such as the European Space Agency’s Life Cycle Assessment and Eco Design working group. I’m also looking into carbon accounting, which is very similar to life cycle assessment but with slight variations, particularly to understand the space sector’s contribution to global warming or climate change. Often, when you see figures discussing aerospace, you’ll find that the space part itself is actually missing. So, that’s what I do in a nutshell.
What attracted you to that corner of research? It’s fascinating to see how people end up in these niche areas. It actually goes all the way back to my undergraduate days. I was at Glasgow Caledonian
Net Zero
University, so I’ve kind of gone full circle in that sense. The course I was on as an undergraduate is now the one I’m teaching. During my third and fourth years, we had to propose a dissertation topic. One thing that caught my fancy was whether space technology could be used to address climate change, but from a more practical point of view.
Rather than the traditional use of space data to inform our decisions, I wanted to explore whether practical technologies like space sunshades or solar power satellites could be utilised. While doing my research, I found that although those technologies claimed environmental benefits, they couldn’t quantify their own environmental footprint. This wasn’t just limited to the technologies I was looking at—it was a sector-wide problem. My dissertation got a lot of interest, and after I graduated, I worked for the United Nations for a while. But in the background, the dissertation was gathering momentum. Eventually, Alphabet put funding on the table for a PhD to explore the topic further, and that’s what I did. I came back to Glasgow, went over to Strathclyde, did my PhD there, and continued working on it after the PhD concluded.
ozone hole was discovered.
The space industry was actually missed out, despite the fact that rocket launches are the only form of man-made pollution that directly injects ozone-destroying compounds into the stratosphere, where the ozone layer resides. So, it’s been overlooked in that sense. You’re right that there have been key exemptions in various bits of legislation, even at a European level. For example, the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive grants exemptions to the space sector. This has meant that the space sector hasn’t had to care much about sustainability, and as a result, it has fallen – in my opinion - quite far behind other sectors. The space sector only started looking into life cycle assessment recently, around 2009, which is decades behind other sectors.
“When it comes to sustainability in the space sector, there’s just nothing substantial in place.”
How did the space industry get to the point where these considerations were overlooked? I read that there are some exemptions for the space industry. The space sector has been overlooked by a lot of key legislation. You can trace this back to when the Montreal Protocol was implemented to phase out chlorofluorocarbons after the
Even the terminology we use in the space sector is misaligned with other sectors. For instance, the term “high performance clean propellant” essentially means that the propellant is not toxic. It doesn’t mean it’s environmentally friendly or green, as it would in other industries. In fact, the European Space Agency did a comparative analysis in 2018, comparing traditional propellant hydrazine, which they’re trying to phase out, with a highperformance clean propellant. They found that the high-performance green propellant actually performed worse in 13 out of 16 environmental impact categories, except for toxicity. So, even our terminology is misaligned, and the space sector is still trying to find its feet because of how far behind it has fallen due to a lack of legislative oversight.
Net Zero
I suppose it’s becoming more important now with more commercial entities involved. It’s not just NASA—it’s Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and others. This is going to be more important as the years go on.
Yes actually I was in Edinburgh at a meeting this week where we were discussing space sustainability but mostly from a policy context and one of the topics was on space launch. Of course we haven’t had any space launches from the UK yet but there are space ports opening up all over the place. The danger, which I voiced on this panel, is that people are getting too lost in the impact of launch. Don’t get me wrong, the impact of launch is going to be great but if you’re only focusing on reducing emissions from that particular part of the lifecycle, you could potentially have an upwards and shifting effect. Yes you might lower your emissions from the exhaust products that come from the launch event but you might have higher impacts for production of manufacturing, the storage, the decontamination and the general handling.
I think there’s another really interesting concept as we’re seeing a lot more reusability for launches which is of course a good thing, but it’s not as inherently better as you may think.
In order to land the stage again, you need more propellant. The propellant needs to be stored and they can be quite toxic. You then need to go and recover the rocket. Then rebuild it. It’s not the golden solution that everyone thinks it is. The space sector is moving fast, and we’re now in uncharted territory. Last year, for example, we broke the record for the most launches in a calendar year, and we’re on track to break that again this year. This could eventually lead to a situation where the space sector can’t justify the good it’s doing anymore. We call this the “space sustainability paradox,” where the more we try to positively contribute to sustainability through space, the less sustainable we actually become, both on Earth and in orbit.
With all this in mind, can you tell us about your current research project and how it aims to address these issues?
Sure. My current project aims to baseline the carbon footprint of the UK space sector for the first time. The idea is to create a carbon footprint report for specific companies in different clusters across the UK. This is important because, simply put, carbon footprinting hasn’t really been done at a sectoral scale for the
space sector at all. There were some proposals in France that fell through, and a few companies have done it here and there. In Scotland, we’ve done this for a few companies as part of the Scottish Space Sustainability Roadmap, which I was fortunate enough to be the science lead on. The project will involve extracting and extrapolating data to estimate the carbon footprint of the UK space sector and identifying potential areas for decarbonisation. Hopefully, this could inform politicians and possibly influence policy. Right now, we’re concluding the literature review stage, looking into the UK’s Net Zero context and the policy landscape for space. In the UK, it’s complicated because when we’re talking about space, it is a power held by Westminster whereas when we talk about the environment, it’s devolved. One of the biggest findings so far is that while the UK has been good at setting targets for climate change, it’s been bad at implementing the transformative policies needed to meet those targets. When it comes to the space sector, there’s just nothing substantial in place. The next steps will involve reaching out to companies, especially with the help of the Satellite Applications Catapult, to gather interest and project data. The benefit to companies will be a free carbon audit report that tells them about their emissions and provides recommendations on how to decarbonise at low or no cost.
It sounds like you’re quite established in your work. How has the scheme helped you?
The funding has allowed me to continue this project, and the collaboration has been invaluable. It has essentially allowed us to continue what we’ve learnt in Scotland and offer it across the UK. I’ve really enjoyed working with the Satellite Applications Catapult and it has been beneficial, especially in accessing their network. Up here in Scotland, I could probably get enough companies to run a study, but in other parts of the UK, I might not have as many connections. Leveraging their network has been really helpful and also hearing from experts in other areas makes you think about things from a different perspective.
To lighten things up, what is one scientific discovery in the space industry that you wish you’d made?
That’s a difficult one! I wish I’d done the first life cycle assessment (LCA) study in 2009, but that wouldn’t have been possible since I was still in high school at the time! But it would’ve been nice to have done that because now, as one of the first researchers in this field, I’ve become one of the go-to people for it. I remember halfway through my PhD, I wondered if I was specialising in something nobody cared about, but just as I was finishing, there was this explosion of interest, which got me to where I am today.
gcu.ac.uk
sa.catapult.org.uk
Listen to the full interview with Andrew on the It’s Not Not Rocket Science podcast by scanning the QR code below
Net Zero
Each Researcher in Residence awarded by the Network+ will have to align to at least one of the key thematic areas. Those areas are Net Zero, Healthcare and Wellbeing and Resilience.
Meeting the government’s target of Net Zero by 2050 will require transformation across many areas.
The combined capabilities of the Catapults across multiple sectors creates a unique opportunity to enable a ‘whole systems approach’ to energy generation, management, distribution and use to help the UK achieve its clean growth ambitions. As well as driving development of innovative capabilities, the Catapult Network’s decarbonisation strategy looks at geography, building types and urban growth plans, amongst many more.
The second Tranche of RiRs were exceptionally strong in the Net Zero area. Here is the full list of awarded Researcher in Residence projects in alphabetical order.
Project title: Investigation of fuel bunkering and electric vessel charging operations at UK ports
This project aims to study fuel bunkering and electric vessel charging operations at various UK ports. The specific objectives to achieve this by developing two optimisation models focussing on bunkering and vessel charging operations as well as building an agent-based simulation model addressing both operations simultaneously. The models developed would be deployed to UK ports as digital tools which would facilitate the decision-making process and ensure that UK ports better plan their bunkering and vessel charging operations while maximizing the operational efficiency and service level.
Dr Arijit De University of Manchester Connected Places Catapult
Project roundup
Project title: A control centred approach for off-grid green hydrogen production from wind energy
This project will help reduce the levelised cost of green hydrogen by modelling, implementing and demonstrating novel control of green hydrogen systems. The necessary integration of renewable energy with hydrogen electrolysis requires system-wide control solutions to drive down the levelised cost of hydrogen and make it economically viable. The project will create novel models of, and system-wide controllers for, green hydrogen systems that demonstrably improve performance in order to make progress towards cheap green hydrogen to support the UK’s Net Zero ambitions.
Project title: Integrating industry and academic perspectives for advancing hydrogen technology: A roadmapping approach
The project aims to bridge the gap between academic research and industrial application for hydrogen technology development. By integrating industry’s future technology needs (industry ‘pull’) and forthcoming research from universities (academic ‘push’), the project will enhance understanding of expertise and technology gaps in the UK. This will highlight opportunities for public and private investment in hydrogen technology innovation in the UK, helping to grow and strengthen the UK’s hydrogen sector.
Project title: Zero-waste design – rapid physical/digital synchronisation and XR to reduce and remove lifecycle impact during design and prototyping
This project will focus on Immersive Reality (XR) design tools. These tools allow simultaneous interaction with synchronised physical and digital designs. They are highly accessible to diverse personnel, allow tangible interaction and flexible low-cost exploration of early designs, with information overlay to better understand performance. This project will focus these tools on sustainability, creating accessible XR design tools for cross-stakeholder engagement with the environmental cost of their preferences.
Dr Adam Stock Heriot-Watt University Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
Dr Dawei Wu University of Birmingham Connected Places Catapult
Dr Chris Snider University of Bristol High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC)
Net Zero
Project title: Multi-scale energy systems modelling
Energy systems modelling is an important tool in the energy transition process. It can be used for many purposes such as virtual testing of new technologies, grid expansion planning, and designing new policy prescriptions. One of the main challenges in developing energy systems models is the wide range of time scales involved, from micro-seconds to decades. This project will develop an efficient multi-scale model that can study the interactions between the different scales of the energy systems. This will be achieved by using a ‘super cycling’ algorithm. The main novelty is in adapting this algorithm from the field of heat transfer to energy systems modelling.
Project title: Automation enabled scale-up of advanced Li-ion battery cathode coatings
The main activity of this collaboration will be to evaluate and validate a 10 mL lab-scale process from UoL and demonstrate the viability of this process up to 1 litre scale at CPI. This is required to enable testing of the coated active materials focusing on industrial product development. The project will aim to validate that the process parameters optimised within UoL are transferrable to a production scale as well as demonstrate that the process developed is transferrable for a wider range of battery coating chemistries. Finally, the project will evaluate the performance of lithium-ion batteries manufactured using these coated cathode materials.
Project title: (RECYCLENS) Enhancing confidence in the use of recycled polymers and composites via electrical sensing
Recycled materials such as recycled carbon fibres (rCF) plays a crucial role in achieving Net Zero goals. Using recyclates is often hindered by non-visible defects and difficulties in rapid and cost-effective quality inspection during the manufacturing stage. To overcome these challenges, this project aims to enhance confidence in the structural applications of upcycled materials by developing a novel method based on Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT), providing a cost-effective and rapid method to visualise the structural integrity of the components made from recycled composite wastes.
Dr Fadi Kahwash Edinburgh Napier University Energy Systems Catapult
Dr Filipe Braga University of Liverpool High Value Manufacturing Catapult (CPI)
Dr Han Zhang Queen Mary University
High Value Manufacturing Catapult (WMG)
Project roundup
Project title: Towards component-based testing and modelling of power magnetics under power electronics excitation
As fundamental passive components, magnetics exist in almost all power electronic converters. However, the testing and modelling has become the bottleneck for pushing the performance boundaries of converters. This project aims to create a paradigm shift in how power magnetics are tested and modelled towards a higher-level, component-based approach, which accounts for the geometry-related behaviour mechanisms that cannot be accurately predicted just from the material properties.
Project title: Public procurement for a just, Net Zero transition
Following Brexit, new forthcoming procurement legislation provides increasing opportunities for local authorities to access low-cost capital for Net Zero investments, while creating jobs and generating higher level social value for communities. The overarching aim of this project seeks to explore the ways in which innovative public procurement can support a just, Net Zero transition at the local level. Using cross-sector examples (such as electric vehicles and social housing retrofit), it will examine how urban governing bodies are using innovative public procurement practices at the UK’s local level.
Sleepers have been used as part of the railway structure for over 200 years. They are an essential component of ballasted railways, which transfer vertical loads from rails to foundation and maintain rail gauge. However, there are drawbacks associated with using concrete sleepers in railway production as they produce c.10 to 200x more CO2 than timber sleepers. With a firm understanding of the underlying science, this project looks at techniques and advanced understanding of concrete technology to prepare railway sleepers from 100% recycled material.
Dr Jun Wang University of Bristol Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
Dr Katherine Sugar University of Manchester Connected Places Catapult
Project title: Tailor made – 100% recycled Concrete Railway Sleepers (CRS)
Dr Kirthika Subramanian Kala University of Manchester High Value Manufacturing Catapult (MTC)
Net Zero
“BIO-CYCLE is the future of sustainable composites, merging advanced 3D printing with eco-friendly materials and latticing strategies to meet industry standards while championing environmental responsibility.”
In industries like automotive, aerospace and logistics, composites have been widely adopted due to their remarkable strength and lightweight properties. However, their conventional composition brings along environmental concerns, marked by non-sustainability and significant waste generation.
Enter Dr Mahdi Bodaghi (Nottingham Trent University) and the National Composites Centre’s (HVMC) BIO-CYCLE (Bio-Inspired Organic Composites for Yielding Circular Lifecycles through Efficient Manufacturing) project, poised to revolutionise the composite materials landscape with his Researcher in Residence project.
“BIO-CYCLE is the future of sustainable composites, merging advanced 3D printing with ecofriendly materials and latticing strategies to meet industry standards while championing environmental responsibility,” said Mahdi. “At its core, this groundbreaking initiative is focused on crafting Continuous Natural Fiber-Reinforced BioComposites (CNFRC). Leveraging natural reinforcements such as flax fibre and bamboo charcoal/chitosan/wheat/mussel micro particles, they will be seamlessly integrated with a bio-based matrix for 3D printing. The result is an ultra-lightweight and resilient lattice composites poised to redefine industry standards.”
entails harnessing advanced computer modelling techniques to design optimised lattice structures boasting exceptional strength and energy absorption. Additionally, a comprehensive life cycle assessment will quantify the environmental impact, ensuring sustainability is at the forefront. Through robust collaboration with the esteemed National Composite Centre and industrial partners via the Researcher in Residence scheme, this transformative technology will undergo real-world validation across diverse applications. From interior car door modules to impact-absorbing helmet liners and packaging pallet boxes, the potential applications are boundless.
Dr Callum Branfoot, Research Engineer at the National Composites Centre, said:
“This project is an excellent example of how materials and manufacturing innovation can help pave the way to a green economy. Advanced manufacturing techniques, lifecycle analysis, and functional materials—BIO-CYCLE is exactly the sort of industry-focused research that the NCC loves to engage with.”
The project’s objectives are crystal clear: to elevate the mechanical performance of CNFRCs, positioning them as formidable competitors to traditional composites while meeting stringent industry demands for flame-retardancy, durability, and sustainability. Achieving this feat
In perfect alignment with the UK’s sustainability goals, the BIO-CYCLE project will use resource efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting a circular economy. With its sights set on a greener, more sustainable future, BIO-CYCLE paves the way for positive transformation across industries, propelling the UK towards a Net Zero carbon future. Stay tuned as BIO-CYCLE reshapes the landscape of tomorrow’s composites, one innovative step at a time. ntu.ac.uk nccuk.com
ON YOUR BIO-CYCLE!
Net Zero
Project title: Advanced resource efficiency strategies for manufacturing systems
Manufacturing is responsible for more than 30% of UK resource consumption. The need for more efficient, lean, green manufacturing solutions is evident. This project will focus on developing integrated solutions for manufacturing systems on different scales: from the manufacturing process to the supply chain level and will include modules allowing the identification and classification of major hot spots in a manufacturing system, multiscale modelling, and the scenario testing of clean, green, and smart manufacturing solutions.
Project title: Embedding circular economy principles into public procurement of Net Zero solutions
Significant changes in public procurement are underway in the UK to achieve the 2050 Net Zero commitment. From September 2021, prospective suppliers bidding for contracts above £5 million a year are required to commit to the government’s Net Zero target. This proposal explores how local authorities can embed circular economy principles into procurement of Net Zero solutions. Luis’ focus is on the development of an implementation framework that aids local authorities in the East Midlands region to understand and follow circular economy principles to foster industry innovations in the transportation sector.
Project title: Bio-inspired organic composites for yielding circular lifecycles through efficient manufacturing
This project will focus on developing Continuous Natural Fiber-Reinforced Bio-Composites (CNFRC) using natural reinforcements like flax fibre, bamboo charcoal and biomass chitosan. These eco-friendly materials will be combined with a bio-based matrix using 3D printing technology to create ultra-lightweight and resilient lattice structures. The key objectives are to enhance the mechanical performance of CNFRCs to compete with traditional composites and meet industry requirements for flame-retardancy, durability and sustainability.
Dr Konstantinos Salonitis Cranfield University
High Value Manufacturing Catapult (MTC)
Dr Luis Torres-Retamal University of Nottingham Connected Places Catapult
(BIO-CYCLE)
Dr Mahdi Bodaghi Nottingham Trent University
High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NCC)
Project roundup
Project title: Advancing hydrogen maritime confidence
The objective is to disseminate learnings and collect information from all parts of the UK marine sector to develop a portfolio of guidance for industry and government, which will assist the transition for the maritime sector towards sustainable practices and fuels. The work will involve holding a series of workshops, sharing the learning, asking the sector to consider the questions, challenges and opportunities which arise. Information will be collated and used to develop a portfolio of required actions and recommended support mechanisms with a view to supporting the UK high value manufacture and service sector.
Project title: Closed loop manufacturing of large, low cost fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites
The aim of this project is to reduce the need to landfill or burn fibre reinforced polymer composite components by creating a sustainable manufacturing process that reuses the material. The process takes a fibre reinforced thermoplastic (FRTP) sheet material and forms it into a structural composite component. When the component reaches the end of its product life, the process returns it back to its original sheet form so it becomes the feedstock for a next generation FRTP component. Applications include rail vehicle bodysides, automotive floorpans and airplane cargo doors.
Project title: Efficient and cost-effective system to produce and utilise offshore green hydrogen
This project aims to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of a power-to-power system that integrates offshore wind turbines, on-site green hydrogen generation using electrolysers, hydrogen storage, and hydrogen fuel cells. The system incorporates innovative elements, including an efficient and cost-effective method to produce pure water for the electrolysis process and novel flow channels for enhanced fuel cell performance. The project aims to contribute to the UK’s hydrogen production goals, enhance efficiency, and promote green hydrogen as a sustainable energy solution.
Dr Martin Smith University of St Andrews High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NMIS)
Dr Michael Johnson University of Nottingham High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NCC)
Dr Mohammed Ismail University of Hull High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC)
Project title: ChatOSW – A feasibility pilot for natural languagebased decision support in offshore wind
The aim is to gain an understanding of the human factors that need to be considered to establish natural language as an effective medium of AI-expert communication; develop a pilot AI-system (ChatOSW) from domain documents that avoids the dangers of general-purpose models through explicit knowledge representation, and establishes the feasibility of a domain-focused AI for information-access and decisionsupport in OSW; and finally, create a comprehensive framework to gauge the cost-effectiveness of a ChatOSW tool, especially relating to future OSW projects in the UK.
Project title: Core temperature and residual stress measurement using laser ultrasound for sustainable additive manufacturing
This project aims to create a novel non invasive, nondestructive method of measuring Additive Manufacturing parts’ internal temperature and residual stress using laser ultrasound. Currently, this method does not exist for the intended use. Ultrasonic thermometry can be utilised for internal material temperature measurement rather than surface measurement obtainable in existing measurement systems. This will lead to more accurate control of the AM process parameters, reducing material waste and time lost to rework.
Project
title: AI and data in design
In partnership with the AMRC, Saeema and Ji Han propose to develop: 1) A data-driven design framework to support designers in the use of data to design products tailored for the manufacturing sector; 2) A set of requirements for AI tools for manufacturing and; 3) A toolkit encompassing the data-driven framework and requirements for AI tools, translating academic research to industry.
Dr Nina Dethlefs University of Hull Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
Dr Olaide Felix Olabode University of Huddersfield High Value Manufacturing Catapult (MTC)
Prof. Saeema Ahmed-Kristensen University of Exeter High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC)
Project roundup
Project title: An investigation in decarbonising a typical general aviation airfield in the UK
This project involves mapping carbon footprints, exploring carbon reduction measures, analysing pathways, refining Net Zero targets and developing a transition roadmap; followed by delivery and reporting. One of the primary goals is to bring together a cross-functional project team in a number of key areas such as sustainability research, carbon reduction toolkits and digitalisation. The aim is to show that exploiting Science-Based Target initiatives (SBTi) methodology can serve as insight for other small-mediumsized aviation organisations wanting to adopt similar measures.
Project title: Enabling reuse of high value tools for sustainable manufacturing
Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) based tools are vital components in high-value manufacturing, enabling the utilisation of advanced materials such as ceramics and composites across the engineering sector. The synthesis of PCD requires an energy-intensive process. This project aims to develop the technologies for enabling the reuse and refurbishment of high-value PCD tools, demonstrating their techno-economic performance to the wider industrial community and thereby promoting sustainability within the manufacturing sector.
Project title: Energising sustainability: collaborative leap towards energy efficiency using AI and data-driven decisions (Co-LEAD)
Co-LEAD aims to analyse energy consumption patterns and provide personalised, energy-saving recommendations using AI and user-centred design. Central to this project is an innovative platform that optimises energy usage at the individual and household level, significantly supporting the UK’s Net Zero strategy. Instead of disrupting customers’ daily routines, Co-LEAD turns energy efficiency into an achievable goal. It provides a platform for effective energy usage and budget management, without compromising resident comfort.
Dr Soodamani Ramalingam University of Hertfordshire Digital Catapult
Dr Tahsin Opoz Liverpool John Moores University High Value Manufacturing Catapult (MTC)
Dr Yang Lu York St John University Energy Systems Catapult
Net Zero
Dr Yasir Ali Loughborough University
Connected Places Catapult
Project title: Unravelling the barriers to the uptake of shared electric micro-mobility in India
Transport emissions significantly degrade the environment, and this problem exacerbates in low- and middle-income countries like India, where motorised transport is considered a status symbol and used even for short distances.
Electrifying transport modes would mitigate this issue, but its uptake has been slow in these countries, and the reasons for this need to be thoroughly investigated. This project aims to understand the barriers to the uptake of shared electric micro-mobility in India using the well-established ‘Theory of Planned Behaviour’ and the ‘Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology’, which characterise intentional behaviour using Attitude, Subjective Norm, Perceived Behavioural Control, and the use of technology. Leveraging the Connected Places Catapult’s trial in Kolkata, India,
about 1000 road users will be surveyed to understand their willingness to use a shared micro-mobility mode (i.e., two-wheel electric scooters). Survey data will be used to develop two models: a structural equation model, examining the relationships between sociopsychological factors underlying users’ acceptance and/or technological adoption, and a choice model to estimate the willingness to use two-wheel electric scooter micro-mobility modes. The models will be used to unravel the moderating effects of socioeconomic characteristics and psychological factors in accepting and adopting shared electric micro-mobility modes. Through analysis, the project aims to elicit determinants that discourage use of shared two-wheel electric micro-mobility modes for short distance trips, provide guidelines for increasing their uptake, and suggest pathways for scaling up and transferring the findings to other similar cities in India and beyond.
Project roundup
Prof. Yingli Wang
Cardiff University Digital Catapult
Project title: Blockchain-powered digital material/product passport: Accelerating supply chain Net Zero goals
This project aims to leverage blockchain technology, specifically the implementation of a digital material/ product passport (DPP), to drive circular practices and contribute to supply chain Net Zero goals. DPPs, powered by blockchain, provide an immutable record of a product’s lifecycle, enabling verification of authenticity, sustainability, and ethical practices. This fosters trust, responsible practices, and meets consumer expectations. Embracing this technology reshapes supply chain management for a transparent, circular, and sustainable marketplace.
The European Commission’s recent proposal to establish an EU DPP under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation highlights the importance of DPPs. However, DPP adoption in the UK is rather limited, with initiatives
mostly at pilot stages. From a socio-technical perspective, this research tries to understand how to scale up DPP adoption in supply chains via comparative studies. By collaborating with Digital Catapult’s existing projects on critical mineral tracking and industrial partners, the study further explores how the integrative use of blockchain and other digital technologies such as IoTs and AI supports the establishment of a truly end-to-end supply chain digital twin – crucial for lifecycle assessment and supply chain optimisation ultimately leading to reduced environmental impact.
The main outcome would the development of a comprehensive roadmap, guiding organisations in the successful large-scale implementation of DPPs, therefore leading to sustainable social and environmental outcomes.
INNOVATION + INTEGRATION
Net Zero
“It’s not just about innovation; it’s about integration. Our goal is to transition Net Zero from a national policy to a personal mission for every household, making sustainable living both accessible and actionable.”
In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, Dr Yang Lu (York St John University) and Energy Systems Catapult’s CoLEAD Researcher in Residence project aims to revolutionise energy consumption patterns and provide personalised, energy-saving recommendations.
Co-LEAD is a project which will create a transformative platform, optimising energy usage at the individual and household levels whilst playing a pivotal role in supporting the UK’s ambitious Net Zero strategy.
Unlike traditional approaches that disrupt customers’ daily routines, Co-LEAD takes a different path, turning energy efficiency into an achievable goal. By providing a user-friendly platform for effective energy usage and budget management, Co-LEAD ensures that resident comfort remains uncompromised. Embracing collaboration, it brings together a diverse range of stakeholders— including energy consumers, suppliers, government bodies, and local authorities—in a joint pursuit of sustainability and energy efficiency.
both accessible and actionable. By fostering cooperation across a spectrum of stakeholders, from energy suppliers to local governments, CoLEAD will look to set a new standard for how we address energy efficiency and sustainability, underscoring our potential to lead globally in this crucial sector.”
In partnership with the Energy Systems Catapult, Co-LEAD will leverage a vast network of smart homes to test and refine its AI-driven platform. Beyond being a practical tool for managing energy consumption, Co-LEAD will transform distant governmental objectives into personalised missions for every UK household, whilst stimulating new business opportunities in the digital economy and fostering enhanced interactions between energy providers and consumers.
“At the heart of the Co-LEAD initiative, in collaboration with Energy Systems Catapult, is our commitment to redefine how energy is consumed and managed in the UK,” said Yang. “Our aim is not just about innovation; it’s about integration—integrating advanced AI technology within a network of smart homes to personalise and optimise energy use, without disrupting daily lives. Our goal is to transition Net Zero from a national policy to a personal mission for every household, making sustainable living
Jon Saltmarsh, Chief Technology Officer at Energy Systems Catapult added: “We’re delighted to be able to draw on our Living Lab network of over 4000 homes to support Yang Lu on this exciting RiR project. People are at the heart of the energy transition, and we need to make it easy and desirable for them to decarbonise their homes if we are to accelerate the journey to Net Zero.”
In summary, Co-LEAD represents an innovative solution to reduce carbon emissions, manage energy costs, and boost energy-saving literacy. As a vital contribution to the UK’s sustainability journey, Co-LEAD holds the potential to set global standards, demonstrating how AI and user-centred design can effectively pave the way for a more sustainable future.
yorksj.ac.uk es.catapult.org.uk
RESILIENCE
AI goes
BIG
Bristol University’s Dr James Gopsill checks in as his Researcher in Residence project with the Digital Catapult attempts to negotiate Big Demand
The emergence of Big Demand, characterised by a surge in the variety, volume, velocity, veracity and value of items across production, spare parts management, and recycling, has necessitated innovative solutions, such as AI, to address complex supply chain challenges. In response to this phenomenon, the University of Bristol’s Dr James Gopsill is collaborating with the Digital Catapult to pioneer the use of an AI agent (‘AIagent’) to tackle Big Demand. Driven by a convergence of global events such as market fragility, masscustomisation, supply chain uncertainty, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability, Big Demand presents a multifaceted challenge that traditional supply chain approaches struggle to address efficiently. AIagents offer a revolutionary solution by enabling rapid negotiation across a multitude of suppliers in a decentralised peer-to-peer manner, uniting supply chains to effectively meet Big Demand.
Through physical and digital demonstrations of AIagent supply chain networks, James’ project will showcase proof-of-concept solutions at Catapult events, workshops, and interaction studies. These demonstrations will provide insights into adoption challenges, value propositions, and opportunities for integrating AIagent technology into supply chain operations.
James said of the project: “The Researcher in Residence is an exciting opportunity to pull-through our blue-skies numerical modelling and laboratory experiments through to industry innovation. Working closely with the Digital Supply Chain Hub within the Digital Catapult is the perfect place to identify and overcome the challenges of adopting AIagents for Supply Chain negotiations.”
bristol.ac.uk digicatapult.org.uk
Watch a demo of James’ AIagents by scanning the QR code below
Resilience
Within an increasingly interconnected, complex and rapidly changing world, resilience is a measure of robustness to environmental, political, societal and technical impacts. A high level of resilience affords a nation with ‘freedom of independent action’ and increased security against these challenges, which has been highlighted by recent events and current affairs.
Increasing national and global resilience is both necessary and offers tremendous opportunities to capitalise on changing global conditions. The combination of expertise in UK academia and the Catapult Network can be used to drive the UK towards the required advances to ensure a secure, resilient future.
Through this opportunity, we are looking to support academics to explore their research ideas and develop the beginning of a pipeline through to impact in emergent and rapidly developing new science areas, ultimately decreasing the timescales between discovery research and delivery of economic impact and social prosperity.
Project title: Improved models for the impact of floods on transport infrastructure assets
The project aims at developing novel methods for quantifying the vulnerability of transport infrastructure to floods. Roads, bridges, culverts, and retaining walls are critical assets required for the functioning of transport infrastructure. There is an urgent need to identify the assets that are likely to fail due to floods and whose failure has the most severe consequences for the functioning of transport networks and other interdependent networks. The project aims to answer this need through the development of fragility models to quantify the probability of failure of transport assets given the intensity of the flood event.
Dr Enrico Tubaldi University of Strathclyde Connected Places Catapult
Project roundup
Project title: Improving the reliability and resilience of train fleet maintenance (TFM) – virtual maintenance depot and operations optimisation
Hassna will integrate the tools created at the University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR) and AMRC to create a process that can optimise TFM operations considering depot resources, depot capacity, train movements, and component degradation over time. The main objective is to reduce maintenance cost while maximising the system reliability and components’ life span. The aim is to establish a long-term collaboration between the IRR and AMRC through the joint development of innovative tools.
Project title: Accelerating software development and Improving test quality using Gamification
In this project, Jose will leverage his experience to develop a gamification approach to integrate effective unit testing practice into the modern, fast-paced software development workflows of the Digital Catapult. The project will have a positive impact on developer productivity and will accelerate product development at the host Catapult. The resulting gamification framework will be tailored to the software development practice of the Catapult yet configurable enough for reuse within different workflows.
Project title: A deep learning approach to adaptive digital information structures for enhanced product life cycles
The manufacturing world is filled with constraining uncertainties, distortion, and unknowns, yet functional digitisation can benefit product life cycles. This proposal addresses this issue by adopting an alternative worldview of manufacturing, where information is structured to be relatable by quantity, and where recently discovered rules make it possible to relate smaller packets of information to larger packets.
Dr Hassna Louadah University of Huddersfield High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC)
Dr José Miguel Rojas Siles University of Sheffield Digital Catapult
Dr Keith Davey University of Manchester High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NMIS)
Resilience
Project title: Scientific machine learning analytics for resilient additive manufacturing
Quality control in Additive Manufacturing (AM) continues to pose significant operational challenges to the adoption of the technology with adverse effects on the resilience of the manufacturing sector. Online Artificial Intelligence (AI) is fast and scalable but variable performance on detecting defective parts. This project aims to advance AI performance by introducing agile physics-constrained modules in the data processing pipeline to enable better detection and classification of the defects.
Project title: Supply chain resilience: A resilience model for responsive additive manufacturing systems
In recent times spare parts supply chains have been hampered by disruptions, hindering their ability to deliver spare parts on time and in the right quantity to their customers. Additive manufacturing (AM), an emerging production technology, has the potential to enhance the organisation’s ability to respond flexibly. The aim of this project is to translate and advance the research from the Responsive Additive Manufacturing to Overcome Natural and Attack based disruption with the Digital Catapult spare parts supply chain testbed.
Project title: Automated integration of external metrology for enhanced industrial robotic performance in manufacturing environments
The proposed idea aims to develop a framework for automated connection between robotic cells and shared laser trackers, streamlining measurement efficiency and accuracy. The framework leverages the advantages of the robot-cell-reference, establishing a unified coordinate system that aligns with the metrology equipment and the workpiece under scrutiny. This alignment ensures precise and accurate measurement of workpiece features, facilitating seamless communication between the robot and the metrology devices.
Dr Nick Polydorides University of Edinburgh
High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NMIS)
Dr Philip Davies University of Bristol Digital Catapult
Dr Seemal Asif Cranfield University
High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC)
Project roundup
Project title: Robust connectivity for robotic swarms and satellite constellations
Modern and future wireless communication standards, such as 5G/6G and Non-Terrestrial Networks are realised mainly as point-to-point, high data rate links, often in a star topology. Implementing mesh networks on top of these technologies can offer improved performance and adaptability for these communication systems and their users. This project will lay the foundations for such mesh networks by collaborating with Satellite Applications Catapult staff and using their hardware and software facilities to work on design and prototype activities. These will focus on exploring the relevant differences between satellites and drones.
Project title: On-machine surface measurement for ultraprecision 5-axis machines
The integration of On-Machine Surface Measurement (OMSM) with ultra-precision 5-axis machines is a huge challenge due to the complexity of data synchronisation and processing. This project aims to develop a comprehensive solution comprising: 1) hardware for synchronising sensor measurement data and machine coordinate data; 2) software algorithms for data acquisition, scanning path planning, surface reconstruction and characterization; 3) strategies for calibration and error map generation. The outcomes of this project will enhance the resilience of UK high value manufacturing and its associated industry sectors.
Project title: VIM: Towards a vision-based system for inventory management with deep learning
This Researchers in Residence project will work on developing and demonstrating vision based inventory management with deep learning. The first step will be to design deep learning models for object detection and the associated model compression methods. The next step is to build an image dataset with category labels with Digital Catapult and learn these models with the images. Then, the learned models will be evaluated on test images and deployed onto the edge platform for validation. If successful, this project will contribute to the adoption of computer vision for inventory management and beyond in commercial supply chains.
Dr Viktor Doychinov University of Bradford Satellite Applications Catapult
Dr Wenbin Zhong University of Huddersfield High Value Manufacturing Catapult (NMIS)
Dr Zhixiang Chen University of Sheffield Digital Catapult
