A new partnership forged between academia and industry will focus on the science of welding in order to train and equip the next generation of engineers.

The Materials Innovation Centre (MatIC) is a long-term strategic partnership between The Welding Institute (TWI) (www.twi-global.com) and the University of Leicester (www.le.ac.uk), looking at materials characterisation, materials modelling and novel materials development.

Senior representatives from the University, TWI and the regional business community marked the start of the partnership with a launch event at the university.

Jonathon Chambers, head of engineering at the university, said that MatIC was a “great fit” with Leicester’s research capabilities in metals and alloys.

“This is a unique bridge between the academic community in the University of Leicester and industry, and I am excited to see how it grows in our department.”

Hongbiao Dong, another professor in the department of engineering, said: “MatIC aims to deliver ‘use-inspired’ research that meets both the current and future needs of metal industry, in the technical areas of advanced metallic materials, materials processing and modelling, physical metallurgy and failure mechanism, structural assessment and mechanical performance.

“We are collaborating with the best people in their fields to achieve maximum benefit for the metal industry.”