Cranfield University and King’s College London have confirmed that they will merge on 1 August 2027. Following the merger Cranfield will become King’s tenth faculty: the Cranfield Institute of Technology. This was the University’s name in 1969, when it was granted degree-awarding powers, and so preserves its history and heritage.
Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor and President of King’s College London, who toured Royce at Cranfield’s facilities in late October, emphasises the opportunity this merger creates to “expand areas of research central to national missions and industrial strategy”. This ambition mirrors the work of the Royce at Cranfield within Cranfield’s Centre for Materials, which turns advanced materials research into practical industry solutions in clean energy, advanced manufacturing and defence (three of the eight priority sectors in the UK’s Industrial Strategy).
Professor David Knowles, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute said:
“We congratulate Cranfield University and King’s College London on this announcement. Royce at Cranfield is a valued partner in the Institute, and we look forward to continuing to work together to advance UK materials research and innovation across industry and academia.”
Royce at Cranfield will become part of the Cranfield Institute of Technology within King’s, with an unchanged mission to advance materials research for demanding environments and to work with industry to turn that research into practical solutions.
Dr Luis Isern Arrom, Technology Platform Lead for Coatings for Extreme Environments at Royce at Cranfield commented: “Coatings that perform in extreme environments solve problems that cut across disciplines. Becoming part of King’s opens up opportunities to work in new applications with new partners and bring our coatings expertise to a wider set of industry challenges.”
Until the merger completes on 1 August 2027, Cranfield and King’s remain separate institutions. Full integration will be phased over a longer period after 1 August 2027 so that service quality is not affected. Royce at Cranfield remains an associate partner of the Henry Royce Institute, the UK’s national institute for advanced materials research and innovation.
Edith Rogers, Operations Lead, Royce at Cranfield, said: “Today’s confirmation gives clarity to everyone who works with us. Royce at Cranfield will continue to provide its facilities and support to researchers and industry, and we will keep our users informed as integration planning progresses.”
