AFRC part of cross-border renewable engine supercluster 

The Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) is proud to announce that it is part of a £6.1 million ground breaking cross-border research and innovation ‘supercluster’ in a major four-year research project which aims to ramp up the commercialisation of new products and processes across the renewable energy sector.  

Supported by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) as part of its INTEREG VA programme, the aim of the four-year ‘Renewable Engine’ project is to spearhead innovation in the renewable energy sector by giving companies access to world class facilities and resources through academic partners.  

As an academic partner, the AFRC will help to address the low levels of industry relevant research and innovation within the renewable energy sector and help participating firms become more involved in innovation. It will also provide companies with access to world-class facilities and resources. The four-year project will be implemented across Northern Ireland, the border region of Ireland and Western Scotland and aims to generate almost 60 years’ worth of industry-relevant research developed at PhD level and above.

Speaking at the launch, the AFRC’s Dr Paul Blackwell, Principal Investigator for the Renewable Engine project said:

We are proud to be involved in Renewable Engine.  The AFRC has a lot to offer in terms of technology and expertise.  The term ‘renewables’ covers a broad range of industries and types of manufacture and is found everywhere from domestic households to offshore windfarms, so there is a real potential for overlap in areas such as composites, metal forming and machining – all of which are areas we have expertise in at the AFRC.” 

For more information, please visit www.renewableengine.eu.