World’s largest metals research consortium to be established with €1bn funding
September 3, 2014
The world’s largest research consortium in the field of metals research and manufacturing is to be created by European industry in the form of Metallurgy Europe.
The R&D programme has recently been selected as a new Eureka Cluster and will bring together over 170 companies and laboratories from across 20 countries. Funding for the project has been stated as €1bn over seven years.
The European Powder Metallurgy Association and a number of other European organisations such as the European Space Agency (ESA), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Institut Laue-Langevin and the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy are reported to be providing their expertise and innovation to this initiative.
A number of Europe’s largest engineering and manufacturing companies are participating, including Airbus Group, BP, Siemens, Daimler, Rolls-Royce, BMW, Thales, AvioAero, PSA Group, BAE Systems, Philips, Ruag, Sener, Bombardier, OHB Systems, Linde Group, ESI, Rolex, Richemont, ArcelorMittal, Sandvik, Bruker, SKF, Johnson Matthey, Tata Steel, GKN, Boston Scientific, ThyssenKrupp, Outokumpu, Haldor Topsøe and Fiat, to name just a few.
“This new programme allows us to enter the high-tech metals age. The top management of industry have come together for the first time on this important topic, and there is a confident feeling that Metallurgy Europe will deliver many unique, exciting and profitable technologies,” stated Professor David Jarvis, Chairman of Metallurgy Europe and head of strategic and emerging technologies at ESA.
The team believes that the programme has the potential to create over 100,000 new jobs in the materials, manufacturing and engineering sectors.
