Nottingham University secures £70m for low carbon transport

According to Nottingham, the funding will enable it to scale up processes at UKRI’s Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre (DER-IC), sited on the university’s Jubilee Campus. From 2025, DER-IC will be used to demonstrate electrical machines and drives manufacturing for a range of propulsion, traction, and generator applications.

Other technology areas set to benefit include testing of novel powertrains, including cryogenic electrical machines and power electronics, systems fuelled by liquid hydrogen and other green fuels. The funding was secured based on a £14m award from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) and augmented by public and private co-investment.

“This is one of the largest funding injections the East Midlands has ever seen, and the opportunities are clear for new research to enable the UK to take an international lead in powering transport,” said Professor Chris Gerada, Nottingham’s lead for strategic research and innovation initiatives.

“Investment accelerates our shared vision to create world-class facilities, build strategic partnerships with industry, stimulate investments in the UK, and drive economic growth. We’re grateful to UKRPIF and our industry partners for the trust they have put in us.”

The funding builds upon recent investments at Nottingham such as the Power Electronics and Machines Centre (PEMC), the zero carbon innovation centre funded by East Midlands Freeport, as well as previous investments from Driving the Electric Revolution, Research England, EPSRC and D2N2. Many of these facilities are open access, providing industry and researchers with ‘plug and play’ capabilities to test disruptive heavy transport components and sub-systems. 

“Building on the university’s leading capabilities in zero carbon innovation, our open-access facilities will bring together partnerships at regional, national, and international level,” said Professor Tom Rodden, pro-vice-chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Nottingham.

“We’re enabling collaboration with other higher education institutions, ensuring the highest-quality research and maximising academic, industrial and socioeconomic impact.”