Meanwhile, the UK aerospace sector is second only to the USA, with a turnover of £20.57 billion and R&D expenditure of £1.83 billion. The aerospace sector is running a £95 million research project developing more environmentally friendly aero engines.

For overseas firms, tapping into this expertise is being made easier. UK Trade & Investment’s R&D Programme tailors packages of help for targeted overseas companies and UK-based companies to come together. Many existing collaborations have grouped together to form technology clusters including Silicon Fen, the Cambridge ICT cluster that persuaded Microsoft to set up its first research centre outside the US; the Wireless Corridor in the west of England encompassing Toshiba and Motorola; and the South East Health Technologies Alliance, containing 5,000 biotechnology, diagnostics, medical device and pharmaceutical companies.

In North West England, a region with total business R&D investment of £1.9 billion a year, international companies operating in the area include Rolls-Royce, which is developing more efficient fan blades for military aircraft.

The north east is particularly active in becoming a centre of materials and automotive research. In Yorkshire a new £4.5 million composite materials research centre has been built in a collaboration between Boeing and the University of Sheffield. The AMRC Composite Centre is dedicated to enabling manufacturers to create products as diverse as aircraft wings, hi-fi speakers and wind turbines, faster, cheaper, easier and greener using composite materials. Large aerospace companies such as Messier-Dowty will use this alongside companies from the medical, gas, and tooling industries.

In the automotive sector the EU has proposed that, from 2012, average carbon dioxide emissions for new private cars in countries including the UK should be 120 g/km. With average emissions from new cars sold in the UK standing at 158 g/km in 2008 and some luxury marques currently emitting more than 300 g/km, current powertrain systems must change.

Nissan are investing more than £200 million over the next five years in a new battery factory in Sunderland. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery plant, Nissan’s European Centre of Excellence for Battery Manufacturing, will help North East England become the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area specialising in ultra-low carbon vehicles.

[The UK] represents the best hub to build a world-class medical device company and
provides us with crucial access to markets such as China.”
Robert Curry, CEO, Sensys Medical

Forming a base in Britain can provide closer relations with markets in the EU and further afield. In the medical sector, US-firm Sensys Medical, creator of non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology that is set to revolutionise the way diabetics monitor and manage their condition, has relocated its global headquarters to Britain. “Moving to the UK is an exciting step for us as a business focused on the global diabetes epidemic,” said Robert Curry, CEO of Sensys Medical. “It represents the best hub to build a world-class medical device company and provides us with crucial access to markets such as China.”

Innovation is key to success in engineering, and of the world’s top 10 universities, the UK holds four places: Cambridge, Oxford, University College London, Imperial College London. All are constantly innovating and producing patents, many of which are carried out in partnership with companies including Boeing, Siemens, Toshiba, Nokia, and Ford. Overseas organisations own 37.5 per cent of patents in the UK, compared with just over 12 per cent in the US and less than four per cent in Japan. Government-supported organisations such as Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Knowledge Transfer Networks help academia and industry work together.

CDT, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemicals and a pioneer in the development of P-OLED display technology has collaborated with Thorn Lighting and the University of Durham with the help of a £1.6 million investment from the Technology Strategy Board, which promotes advanced engineering. With the country punching above its weight in many areas, together with close links to markets in Europe and beyond and a government supported network of research and development partnership opportunities, the advantages of investing in Britain are clear.

UK SECTOR REPORT by Julia Pierce

CONTACTS
A|D|S (aerospace): www.adsgroup.org.uk
AMRC: www.ampwaverley.com
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships: www.ktponline.org.uk
Knowledge Transfer Networks: www.ktnetworks.co.uk
Technology Strategy Board: www.innovateuk.org