Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (ASTUTE 2020+)

ASTUTE 2020+ is designed to stimulate growth in West Wales and the Valleys by applying advanced engineering technologies to manufacturing challenges, driving cutting-edge research development and innovation.

ASTUTE 2020+ (Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies) is a £14.7m business support operation led by Swansea University in partnership with Cardiff University, Aberystwyth University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. It supports applied industrial research, development and innovation through world-class academics and a team of highly qualified technical experts and project managers.

Collaborating since 2010 on the ASTUTE project (2010-2015) focusing on technologies related to manufacturing, the four partners offer highly qualified project officers and renowned academic expertise. They enabled transformational and sustainable growth in the manufacturing industry of West Wales and the Valleys by facilitating the adoption of advanced technologies, increasing competitiveness and future proofing.

Cardiff University elements

This five-year initiative formally began in July 2015 and aims to enable the manufacturing industry (with a particular focus on SMEs) in West Wales and the Valleys to grow by adopting more advanced technologies and improved business processes, while at the same time improving its long-term environmental and social sustainability.

The Cardiff University elements are led by Professor Rossi Setchi, Head of the Mechanics, Materials and Advanced Manufacturing team and Director of Research at Cardiff University School of Engineering, together with Professor Mohamed Naim, Director of CAMSAC at Cardiff Business School and Professor Ian Weeks, Pro-Vice Chancellor, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences.

ASTUTE 2020+ operates through a series of collaborative research and development projects with industry partners with the aim of assisting these firms to achieve long term sustainability and competitiveness. This will be achieved through improvements including:

• improved business and technical processes
• accelerated research and development
• enhanced growth prospects
• new product developments.

Project features

The projects are:

• led by industry demand
• a collaboration, so that the companies and the universities share the inputs, outputs, and risks
• designed to bring economic benefit to West Wales and the Valleys and East Wales
• based on a Research Challenge in our three key areas: Advanced Materials Technology, Computational Engineering Modelling or Manufacturing Systems Engineering

For more information, please contact Andrew Hopkins, ASTUTE 2020+ Strategic Technology Manager.

Funder

The seven-year operation (2015-2022) has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and the participating Higher Education Institutions.