The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global engineering company Ricardo.

As global specialists in transport, security, energy, scarce resources and waste, Ricardo has extensive experience of working within a variety of ground transportation sectors, such as automotive, commercial and industrial vehicles, motorsport, motorcycles and rail.

The AMRC aims to develop innovative products and manufacturing methods for the automotive and vehicle production industry that will increase capacity, capability and competitiveness for UK companies. The group's longer term goal is to maintain the UK automotive industry as a world leader in advanced low emission powertrain and vehicle production.

The MoU builds on a relationship between the AMRC and Ricardo, which started with Ricardo sponsoring a programme of doctoral students supported by the University of Sheffield's Faculty of Engineering and AMRC. These studentships are jointly investigating electric motor design and manufacture.

The MoU was signed at the AMRC Factory of the Future on 29 September 2016 and will bring about a more comprehensive period of collaboration to cover joint research and development projects.

The AMRC's Automotive Sector Lead, Ben Kitcher, said: "A primary theme of this collaboration will be powertrain electrification, which is a key driver of the automotive industry and shall be addressed by Ricardo and the AMRC jointly. This will be alongside the development of motors, batteries and power electronics with cutting edge functional design as well as manufacturability."

"This agreement represents a significant milestone in the development of Ricardo's research collaboration with the AMRC," commented Ricardo plc chief operating officer Mark Garrett. "Our collaborations such as this with some of the UK's leading academic research groups, allows us to leverage both our collective intellectual capital and the investment of Ricardo in advance R&D, in order to bring forward advanced technologies that can help deliver a lower carbon and more sustainable future for transportation."

Professor Keith Ridgway CBE, Executive Chairman of the AMRC Group, said: "I am delighted that the initial collaboration with Ricardo has developed to this stage and look forward to collaboration and a wide range of automotive projects. It is important for the Sheffield City Region and UK as a whole that the AMRC develops in this direction."