The Henry Royce Institute welcomes the appointment of Professor Michael Shaver to The Vita Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Sustainable Automotive Polymers.
Established through an important new Strategic Partnership between The University of Manchester and The Vita Group, the new Chair will combine Manchester’s research strengths with Vita’s industrial expertise to address the design, manufacture and end-of-life recovery of polyurethane foams used in transport.
Jointly supported by The Vita Group and the Royal Academy of Engineering the three-year programme will examine how recycled content, bio-based and carbon-negative polymers, improved material separation and emerging chemical recycling methods could contribute to more circular automotive foam systems. It will also develop life cycle assessment methods to test whether potential solutions are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.
The appointment builds on Professor Shaver’s work as Director of the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub (SMI Hub), a partnership between The University of Manchester and Royce. The project will deploy capabilities located on the 6th floor of the Royce Hub Building,
The initiative is expected to establish Manchester as a centre of excellence for sustainable polymer engineering while supporting the automotive industry’s broader transition towards circular material solutions.
Professor Michael Shaver said:
“Sustainability challenges require collaboration across industry and academia. This partnership creates a unique opportunity to combine leading research with real-world product development, helping to generate practical solutions that can accelerate the transition towards more circular materials and manufacturing systems.”
The collaboration strengthens Manchester’s growing capability in sustainable polymer engineering and demonstrates how long-term partnerships between researchers and industry can move promising materials innovation towards practical use.
