Lancaster University has opened an Engineering Design Academy that will use the research expertise in its engineering department to support businesses, with a particular focus on advanced manufacturing. The investment in the academy was made by the European Regional Development Fund, Lancaster University itself and private-sector partners.
Allan Rennie, head of the product development unit within the university’s engineering department, said: “The academy provides a great opportunity for businesses to work with the outstanding engineering talent at Lancaster University. Our students and academics possess a wide range of both technical and non-technical skills, providing the region’s SMEs with the necessary support to realise growth.”
Businesses can benefit from the academy in a number of ways, such as accessing students, graduates, engineers, as well as facilities and equipment. It is a resource available for SMEs that have received under 200,000 euros of public funding in the last three financial years and are based in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester
or Lancashire. For more information, visit the Web site: (
www.engineering.lancs.ac.uk).