Tue, 20 June, 2023
Following a reimagining for 2023, the annual TWI Innovation Network (TWIIN) Convention returned bigger and better than ever, with a crystal clear focus on collaborative innovation, and a deep dive into practical, actionable and effective steps that companies and research and technology organisations (RTOs) can take to accelerate their businesses.
This year’s Convention was all about pushing the boundaries of innovation and making a difference to industry, economies, the environment and society – through access to resources including complementary skills and expertise, grant funding and relevant knowledge – to unlock engineering technologies research and development (R&D) that can lead to new products, processes and systems.
James Foden, Section Manager, Technology Innovation Management at TWI, and Convention Chair, welcomed delegates to the Convention, following which Simone Boekelaar, Head of Horizon Scanning at Innovate UK, took to the floor, setting the scene for the day with her presentation ‘Perfect storms: Seeking solutions from emerging technologies’.
TWI Industrial Member company representatives Sozon Tsopanos, Head of Additive Manufacturing at The Weir Group PLC, Fabio Esposito, R&D Manager for TEC Eurolab Srl, and Phil Carr, Director and Samuil Hoque, R&D Specialist, both of Carrs Welding Technologies, each gave a presentation choc-full of case studies explaining how their respective companies have, and continue to, harness collaborative R&D to break new ground, working with TWI and other like-minded partners.
TWI Innovation Network Subscriber company representatives also delivered valuable examples of collaborative R&D, including how to capitalise on opportunities to bid for grant funding, through presentations by Sophie Cozien-Cazuc, Technical Manager, Far-UK, who spoke about materials and processes projects targeted at the automotive industry, and Marzuk Kamal, CEO and Chief Data Scientist, Aeonx.AI, who looked at artificial intelligence (AI) and data security tools for the materials science and manufacturing industries.
The crucial, and hot, topic of ‘net zero’ was looked at from different, but synergistic, angles in talks by several speakers who, together, provided a holistic view of this multi-faceted subject. Michael Short, Professor of Control Engineering and Systems Informatics, and Academic Lead for the Centre for Sustainable Engineering, Teesside University, representing the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre, considered the application of engineering R&D for enabling green digital economies facilitated by smart cities, social science, and commitment to health and wellbeing.
Peter Kelly, Professor and Director of the Advanced Materials and Surface Engineering Research Centre, Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), representing the Advanced Materials and Digitalisation Innovation Centre, provided technical insights into the development of sustainable food packaging, economically impactful catalysts components for green hydrogen technologies, such as fuel cells and electrolysers, Internet of Things (IoT) for smarter cities, and more.
Presenting on behalf of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Julian Gibbs, Partnership Development Manager, and Minna Lammi, Associate Professor in Sustainable Enterprise, described how the University is boosting university and industry collaboration via initiatives such as ‘Enabling Net Zero Innovation’, which is stimulating vital knowledge exchange and harnessing UK-based R&D collaboration to support SMEs with their transition to net zero carbon operations.
Neil Witten was the second Innovate UK (IUK) speaker of the day, in his capacity of Innovation Lead for Advanced Materials at IUK. Neil looked at the bigger picture of the UK’s innovation direction for advanced manufacturing and materials, including the challenges to overcome in reducing emissions, strengthening supply chain resilience, and applying advanced technologies and novel business models. Sadik Omairey, Senior Research Fellow and Team Leader, Brunel Composites Centre (BCC)’s talk shone a spotlight on two highly successful collaborative, grant funded projects for the aerospace industry – TAPACO: Thermally assisted piercing of acoustic liners, and PADICTON: Distortion prediction and design optimisation of aerospace-grade additively manufactured parts.
The guest speakers were supported by TWI speakers Sally Shi on ‘Upcoming UK and EU Grant/Public Funding Opportunities’, Irmak Kockan on TWIIN Innovation Consultancy options and Chris Milligan, also on the ‘Enabling Net Zero Innovation’ project with ARU and partners.
Last to speak, and bringing the TWIIN Convention to a fitting close, was Michael Evans, CEO of Cambridge Carbon Capture Ltd (CCC). Michael introduced CCC’s proprietary CO2LOC technology, the aim of which is to contribute to the development of 10Mt carbon capture and mineralisation capacity by 2035, providing permanent, low energy and low cost carbon storage with no zero-carbon by-products.
The TWIIN Convention 2023 was deemed to be a great success, and of genuine value, by those who attended, and the event was summed up perfectly by speaker Fabio Esposito, R&D Manager, TEC Eurolab Srl, who said “Attending this year’s TWIIN Convention was truly inspiring, with a diverse range of industry professionals coming together to exchange insights and explore collaborative opportunities. The event provided a valuable space for fostering connections, sparking new ideas, and driving impactful innovation in our field. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a dynamic and forward-thinking community.”