£5.3m aviation sector facility takes off

The £5.3m Virtual Engineering Centre at Daresbury Laboratory is an innovative new facility established to help the region’s £7bn aerospace sector achieve even greater success.

IMAGINE a venue where aerospace manufacturers can use state-of-the-art software to design the prototypes of the future without the need for massive initial investment.

Imagine being able to access leading academic research and getting feedback on your designs before launching production.

It might seem like a dream scenario - but it has now become reality in the Northwest.

Earlier this year, the £5.3m Virtual Engineering Centre (VEC) was officially launched at the Daresbury Laboratory, near Runcorn.

As its name suggests, it specialises in ‘virtual engineering’ which will allow the creation of a new generation of aerospace products using cutting-edge 'interactive simulation and modelling' software.

This is intended to enable the Northwest’s aerospace manufacturers to get their research and development right, save money and simultaneously boost the sector.

The VEC has a remit to stream-line this research and development process through “product and process modelling and the creation of virtual prototypes”’.

Professor Keith Mason, Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which runs the Daresbury Laboratory, said that the centre will drive further growth by enabling aerospace companies to innovate and embrace new technologies to improve efficiency and remain globally competitive.

The STFC is both hosting the centre and providing £220,000 of support through access to its large computational science and engineering machines and to its scientists’ expertise in specialist software development.

Prof Mason said: “Computational science and engineering is becoming an increasingly important tool in solving many of the important challenges facing businesses and society.

“Daresbury has a strong track record in computational science and engineering and this new centre will further build a critical mass that will enable scientists to develop virtualisations which are more detailed, larger and much more useful to researchers and industry.

“The VEC is a welcome addition to the wider Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, exemplifying its philosophy of developing highly skilled scientists and encouraging collaboration and innovation between academics, scientists and industry.”

The facility has been made possible thanks to a public-private sector partnership which has seen the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) provide £1.18m, the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) £2.5m while the University of Liverpool - which will lead research at the centre - contributed £1.4m.

Professor Gareth Padfield, Professor of Aerospace Engineering at Liverpool University and Chief Scientific Officer of the VEC, said that the venue will also allow Northwest companies to tap into cutting-edge research.

Prof Padfield said: “The use of high fidelity virtual prototypes of future aircraft, in synthetic operating and manufacturing environments, is becoming critical to getting designs right first time - a goal that the aerospace industry strives for.

“The VEC regional partnership between academia and industry will act as a catalyst for the supply chain to achieve this goal for the next generation of aviation systems.”

John Flamson, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Development at the University of Liverpool, added: “The Virtual Engineering Centre reflects the university’s commitment to knowledge exchange and the development of strong academic-industry collaborations.

"Together with our partners from the public and private sectors, we have developed a centre which will translate our world-class research in aerospace engineering from the university and into industry.

“The centre will bring tangible impact to prime aerospace companies and to the region’s SME community, demonstrating our ability to produce cutting-edge research which has far-reaching economic and social benefits.”

The North West Aerospace Alliance - along with many of its members including the prime aerospace manufacturers such as BAE Systems - has also committed to providing facilities and resources at the VEC.

Chief Executive Martin Wright and Mark Roberts, Innovation Manager for ASCE 2 (the Aerospace Supply Chain Excellence programme) will sit on its steering group, advising on strategy and future direction.

The NWAA will also organise workshops to bring together companies in the Northwest which can benefit from the facilities.

Mr Wright said: “This centre is a key element in the regional goal of creating a knowledge based, integrated aerospace cluster that will help the region compete in an increasingly global market.”

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, added that the new centre will help the Northwest’s aerospace sector remain the largest in the UK.

Mr Broomhead said: “The region’s aerospace contributes almost £7 billion per annum our economy.

“In order to drive further growth, aerospace companies must continue to innovate and embrace new technologies to improve efficiency and remain globally competitive.

“Adopting virtual engineering technologies can create significant advantages for aerospace companies and the Virtual Engineering Centre will be a catalyst for a cultural shift to ensure that this important technology is exploited to its full potential across the industry.”