EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training Secure Renewed Funding

Published: 26th November 2013

The EPSRC CDT in Advanced Composites for Innovation and Science (ACCIS CDT) and the EPSRC Industrial Doctorate Centre (IDC) in Composites Manufacture have secured renewed funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The ACCIS CDT, led by Professor Paul Weaver, addresses EPSRC’s target area Materials Technologies, and is embedded within the Advanced Composites Centre for Innovation and Science at the University of Bristol.

The ACCIS CDT is highly complementary to the more specialised and industrially oriented IDC in Composites Manufacture (EPSRC target area Lightweight Systems), which forms part of the University of Nottingham led EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturingin Composites. The IDC in Composites Manufacture, led by Professor Ivana Partridge at the University of Bristol, represents a collaboration of four universities (Universities of Bristol, Cranfield, Manchester and Nottingham) and has its home at the National Composites Centre (NCC).

Industry based IDC Research Engineers pursue applied Engineering Doctorate (EngD) projects on manufacturing at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3+, whereas the ACCIS CDT runs a much broader materials and structures oriented PhD programme, based at the University of Bristol and with students working on PhD projects at TRL 1-3.

The ACCIS CDT’s vision is to develop the next generation of technical leaders in advanced composites by stimulating adventurous interdisciplinary research, which bridges the length scales, connects to and interfaces between the disciplines of engineering, chemistry, physics and life sciences, and bestows enhanced and added functionality to composite materials.

The IDC in Composites Manufacture’s vision is to develop a greater number of Research Engineers equipped with the necessary advanced technical and leadership skills required for effective adoption of new knowledge and technologies in composites manufacture that will provide a step change in the commercial attractiveness of polymer matrix composites.

With funding secured to continue the training of outstanding graduates until 2022, the ACCIS CDT and IDC in Composites Manufacture are now tasked to build on and develop their excellence in research training of 90 new technical experts and future leaders of the composites world.