The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) welcomed the head of UK's innovation agency to showcase the best of South Yorkshire’s industrial innovation, research and technologies. 

The two-day visit kicked off earlier this week (June 7) and saw Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK, visit the AMRC’s Factory 2050 facility in Sheffield ahead of the innovation agency’s council meeting that took place yesterday (June 8). Mukerjee was accompanied on a shop floor tour of the flagship applied research facility by Julia Sutcliffe, chief scientific advisor for the Department for Business and Trade, and Tunde Olanrewaju, who is managing partner at McKinsey and Company. 

The visit, which also included stops at the University of Sheffield’s Translational Energy Research Centre and the Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park, played a crucial role in shining a national spotlight on South Yorkshire’s manufacturing, health science and digital assets to recognise the region’s innovative potential and foster a strengthened collaboration between the organisations and Innovate UK. 

Mukerjee also met with South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and key industrial and academic players from the region including the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University. 

Indro Mukerjee, CEO Innovate UK, said: “Innovate UK is building strong regional partnerships across the UK to support local innovation and commercialisation. This visit to South Yorkshire has showcased the region’s innovation prowess. 

"The AMRC, as part of our wider High Value Manufacturing Catapult network, demonstrates how innovation drives industrial impact and collaboration, enabling businesses to become more productive, competitive, sustainable, and resilient creating a diverse and thriving innovation ecosystem.”

The AMRC, which is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult national network of research centres backed by Innovate UK, brings together the latest technologies and innovations to drive industrial impact and collaboration. With more than 1,000 business engagements per year on average, the AMRC supports manufacturers to de-risk innovation and investments to become more productive, competitive, sustainable and resilient. 

Steve Foxley, chief executive officer at the AMRC, said: “Innovation is driving the growth of industries in South Yorkshire and with innovation being at the heart of what we do, the AMRC is playing a key role in bringing the region to the forefront of the UK’s aerospace, automotive and energy sectors. 

“We are proud to show off these UK leading innovation assets here in South Yorkshire. The visit by Indro and the Council of Innovate UK provided us with a great opportunity to show how here in Sheffield and Rotherham we are leading the technology race on multiple fronts whether in hydrogen, AI or digital manufacturing. As we have shown for 20 years, this innovation is the critical ingredient in growth and impact for communities across South Yorkshire and beyond.”