National Composites Centre

NCC aims ‘To be an independent, open-access national centre that delivers world-class innovation in the design and rapid manufacture of composites and facilitates their widespread industrial exploitation.’

In November 2009 the Government launched the UK Composites Strategy. This highlights the importance of composites to the future of UK manufacturing and the Government’s plans for ensuring that the UK has the means to succeed in intensely competitive global markets.

A key part of this strategy is the establishment of the National Composites Centre (NCC), which will bring together dynamic companies and enterprising academics to develop new technologies for the design and rapid manufacture of high-quality composite products. The combination of academic and business strengths will speed progress from laboratory to design to factory and into products.

The 8500m² state-of-the-art NCC was formally opened on November 24th 2011 by the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

Situated on one of the UK’s biggest science parks – Bristol and Bath Science Park, a hub for innovation and high-tech research.The Bristol city-region is already at the forefront of composites development, both as a research hub and as a manufacturing base, and the NCC will capitalise and build on this.

The NCC will:

• Provide manufacturing facilities at an industrial scale and rapid manufacturing processes capable of building prototypes to validate design concepts
• Be the hub of the UK’s effort to develop and implement rapid composite manufacturing technologies and systems
• Lead the co-ordination of a strengthened network of regional centres of composites excellence
• Provide direction and focus for fundamental research and collaborative links with UK universities
• Help to develop and co-ordinate training to support the skills base necessary for applying advanced and specialist composite technologies