The Henry Royce Institute at The University of Sheffield underpins a new advanced materials research tri-party partnership between multinational conglomerate Walsin Lihwa and the National Taiwan University.
Overview
For generations, Sheffield’s mastery of metals has supported industries around the world, from the first crucible steels to the advanced alloys of today. Now, that expertise is at the centre of a new, international advanced manufacturing technologies alliance, bringing together the University of Sheffield, Walsin Lihwa (including local subsidiary, Special Melted Products) and National Taiwan University (NTU).
The tri-party partnership was signed at the University of Sheffield during a site visit by a senior delegation led by Walsin Chairman Yu-Lon Chiao and Professor Mao-Hsiung Chiang of NTU. With a partnership centred on forging and alloy development, Sheffield brings both the current and former Royce Advanced Metals Processing Research Area Leads, Professors Kathy Christofidou and Martin Jackson, as academic leads, merging a concentration of expertise that few institutions could match.
The partnership
The signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishes a new framework for collaboration in advanced materials and manufacturing. The agreement will support collaboration across three key areas: joint research and innovation in advanced materials and manufacturing, including advanced alloys, functional materials and low-carbon technologies; shared access to research facilities and advanced equipment across the partner institutions; and opportunities for researchers, engineers and students to exchange knowledge, develop their skills and help train the next generation of engineers and scientists.
The Virtual Walsin Centre for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
A key part of the agreement is the creation of the Virtual Walsin Centre for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing, jointly hosted by the University of Sheffield and National Taiwan University.
The centre will bring together researchers and industry partners to collaborate on research, innovation, joint experiments and skills development, with Royce at Sheffield providing the research infrastructure and expertise needed to support collaboration in advanced alloys and manufacturing.
Supporting this work, SMP, Walsin Lihwa’s UK industrial hub, will establish a dedicated 25-person R&D centre in Sheffield, close to the University of Sheffield campus. One of its key areas of focus will be strengthening manufacturing capabilities in nickel-based superalloys, helping SMP expand its role as a supply chain partner to global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Royce at Sheffield
The partnership brings together Sheffield’s expertise in advanced metals and manufacturing with Walsin Lihwa’s industrial capabilities and National Taiwan University’s complementary research expertise. At the heart of the University of Sheffield’s contribution is the Henry Royce Institute, including the Royce Discovery and Translational Centres. Vertically integrated metallurgy microfactories that provide the research infrastructure and specialist expertise needed to support the partnership.
For Royce at Sheffield, this represents an opportunity to connect advanced materials research and infrastructure with the challenges faced by industry, supporting the development of next-generation alloys and manufacturing technologies.
Professor Katerina Christofidou, Advanced Metals Processing Research Area Lead at the Henry Royce Institute, said:
“This partnership reflects what’s possible when industry and academia commit to working together with real ambition, and it wouldn’t be possible without the research infrastructure and expertise that Royce brings to the table. It aligns closely with the direction of the National Materials Innovation Strategy, and it’s exactly the kind of collaboration Royce exists to deliver: pooling world-leading research capability with industrial scale to accelerate impact. I’m optimistic about what this alliance will produce for advanced alloys and manufacturing globally, and for the researchers and engineers who will build their careers within it.”
Professor Ash Tiwari, Deputy Vice President for Innovation at the University of Sheffield, said:
“We are excited to launch this strategic collaboration with Walsin Lihwa Group and National Taiwan University, which has an ambitious commitment to set up a Walsin Centre for Advanced Materials & Manufacturing at the University of Sheffield.
“The partnership builds on our world-class research and innovation expertise, provided by the Henry Royce Institute at the University of Sheffield and our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC), in advanced alloys, manufacturing technologies and energy-efficient production.
“This initiative will support economic growth and manufacturing scale-up in the region by working with Sheffield-based manufacturer, Special Melted Products (SMP) – a subsidiary of Walsin, in its ambitious innovation-led growth plan based on supplying world-class industrial products.”
