The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME — www.ame.co.uk), a collaboration between Coventry University and Unipart Manufacturing, has been awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize.

Celebrating excellence, innovation and public benefit in work carried out by colleges and universities, this prestigious accolade is the highest national honour in UK further and higher education and is awarded every two years.

AME, which is known as the UK’s first ‘Faculty on the Factory Floor’, is located on Unipart’s site in Coventry and is committed to developing industry-ready graduates by giving them access to real-life engineering projects.

Based in a purpose-built 1,700m² hub, over 200 students have completed — or are working towards — their degrees using the latest robotics, automation and welding technology.

In addition to taking a new approach to education, AME also has a team of technology specialists and professors working together to develop new powertrain and energy transfer solutions for the automotive, aerospace and renewable-energy sectors.

This has already led to Unipart developing a new fuel rail project for the Ford Fox engine and a lightweight exhaust system for Aston Martin.

AME director Carl Perrin said: “Unipart Manufacturing Group and Coventry University share the same passion for developing young people, so that they can have an immediate impact in industry.

“When we came up with the concept of AME, it was something completely different.

“We have proved that academia and manufacturing can work together by understanding each other’s strengths and the mutual benefits that can be achieved by combining the best of both worlds.”