The Henry Royce Institute (Royce) is supporting closer collaboration between the UK and the Netherlands in advanced materials, aerospace and advanced manufacturing as part of a major Dutch economic mission to North West England.
On Tuesday 3 November Royce colleagues Prof. David Knowles, Lisa Hearty and Cathy Bell represented Royce at the Dutch Economic Mission in Liverpool, strengthening links and exploring opportunities for collaboration across the UK and Dutch materials communities. The visit was supported by Judith Heikoop who has recently joined the Royce Technology Translation Board and is playing an important role in facilitating wider discussions with the Dutch materials innovation ecosystem. Later that evening, David Knowles and Cathy Bell attended a reception at Liverpool Town Hall, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool in the presence of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
Following this important day in Liverpool, Royce was then delighted to welcome the Netherlands-UK Aviation Trade Delegation to the Royce Hub Building at The University of Manchester, showcasing the Hub’s national capability to Netherlands businesses.
The programme gave visitors first-hand insight into Royce capabilities spanning Sustainable Materials, Advanced Metals Processing, Materials Systems for Demanding Environments, Advanced Coatings and Chemical Materials Design. Delegates also met Royce colleagues to explore technology platforms and potential routes for UK-Netherlands research and industrial collaboration.
Professor David Knowles, CEO of the Henry Royce Institute, who opened the event at the Hub said:
“Advanced materials will be fundamental to the next generation of aviation, from lightweight structures and more efficient manufacturing to materials capable of performing in increasingly demanding environments.
“The UK and the Netherlands have complementary strengths in advanced materials and manufacturing and this Mission has highlighted the real potential to bring those strengths together. By building stronger links between our research and innovation communities across industry and academia, we can accelerate innovation, strengthen critical supply chains and create new commercial partnerships capable of competing in global markets.
“We were delighted to welcome the Netherlands-UK Aviation Trade Delegation to Royce and to demonstrate some of the UK’s advanced materials capability first-hand. What is particularly exciting is what comes next – turning the connections made this week into lasting partnerships that translate innovation into industrial and economic growth.”
Economic Mission
The wider Economic Mission has been designed to bring together almost 55 leading companies and organisations from the aerospace and maritime manufacturing sectors in order to deepen Dutch-British cooperation in advanced manufacturing.
The mission was organised in part by the Netherlands Business Support Office (NBSO) Manchester, the Dutch government’s trade office in the North West. With a permanent presence in the region NBSO will continue to support UK-Netherlands collaboration in aerospace, maritime, and advanced manufacturing.
The mission highlighted the North West’s importance as a centre for high-tech manufacturing and research, identifying particular opportunities around advanced materials, composites, 3D printing and digital manufacturing for aviation.
In his foreword to the Mission, Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, highlights the strength of the economic relationship between the two countries, noting that the Netherlands and UK are each other’s third most important trading partners. He described the mission as an opportunity for Dutch and British companies to form new partnerships and access new markets.
The Minister added: “I am confident that this mission will allow Dutch and British companies to strengthen their collaboration, forge new partnerships and access new markets in these strategic sectors.”
