The AMSCI has been set up by the UK government to help existing UK supply chains grow and achieve world class standards, and to encourage major new suppliers to come and manufacture in England.
The Composites Innovation Cluster (CiC) will deliver 13 projects over a 3-year period across 25 partners from the first quarter of 2013 and will aim to deliver a holistic supply chain model which will extend throughout the composites community.
The CiC Project is led by Cytec Industrial Materials, based in Heanor, UK, and partnered by Axillium Research and the UK composites industry trade association Composites UK.
Factors which challenge the wider adoption of composites in the UK are:
|
The CiC brings academics, suppliers and primes together with the endorsement of the National Composites Centre.
The aim is to support the delivery of a nationally-connected network of composite knowledge and technology providers to address the market failures facing composites for high value manufacturing applications in the UK.
Under the leadership of the partners, the collaborative cluster project will be delivered by materials specialists, manufacturing and process businesses, and tooling & systems providers, all working with academic support from experts in the field.
£22 million of joint funding from AMSCI and industry will support the creation and safeguarding of over 200 jobs and create £190 million growth by addressing market failures which challenge the wider adoption of composites in the UK.