PATRICK GRANT, Cookson professor of materials and director of Faraday Advance at the Department of Materials, Oxford University, examines how the worlds of academia and business can happily collide in mid-air.

There is never a moment when development of new technology in the aircraft industry stands still. In response to market trends and consumer demand, aircraft manufacturers are constantly looking to reduce the cost of making, flying and maintaining their aircraft.

This means that there is increasing pressure for scientists and engineers to come up with new innovations and materials that will make aircraft lighter, more fuel efficient and reduce their effect on the environment.

Oxford University is among the world leaders in research into developing lighter materials and composites for airframes and aircraft engine components, and works closely with manufacturers like Airbus UK, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Goodrich and Smiths, on projects such as the new Airbus 380.

Despite the excellent links between the aerospace industry and universities in the UK, there is no doubt there is potential to strengthen and grow these links further.

Indeed, it has become clear that to develop the new technologies that will reduce the environmental impact of the civil aerospace sector, research and development involving universities and companies is required.

These new developments must take place in a framework where safety and cost are paramount.

At the Begbroke Science Park, we aim to help companies in the aerospace and transport sector to work with academics from Oxford University and other universities more effectively.

Collaboration

For example, a small company spun-out of a university may believe it has exciting technology that could help, but if there is no track record of collaboration with the transport industry, it will find it difficult to assess the real potential for its technology.

Also, many companies with requirements for new technology can find the world of university research impenetrable and confusing.

We have a small team of technology translators' based at the Begbroke Science Park to help bring academic and industrial groups together.

Frequently, we build groups involving university researchers, small companies with exciting technology, and larger firms that can be global leaders in their field.

This team is called Faraday Advance and is part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Materials Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN).

One of the most important roles of Faraday Advance is helping established, or newly formed research collaborations to make effective use of funding schemes available for scientific and technological development. For example, the UK research councils provide grants for basic university research, the DTI provides supporting costs for industrial development, and there are a variety of regional development agency and European Union schemes available for product development.

However, for smaller firms it can be difficult to win grants due to limited resources and experience.

Faraday Advance and the Materials KTN can take on much of this management and also helps companies and universities to understand one another's needs, Faraday Advance has secured more than £10m of third party funding for new collaborative research for projects, including cutting levels of heavy metals used in aerospace products, recycling aircraft parts and introducing more efficient electrical hydraulic systems for aeroplanes.

This research and development is focused on industrial needs and problems, so that real impact can be made on future airframe, engine or avionic products.

To collaborate effectively, universities and industry are increasingly establishing centres of excellence and research groups, so expertise is maintained year after year.

This model works well with larger aerospace companies, but increasingly similar arrangements are being established that involve multiple universities and smaller companies.

These structures for collaboration present new challenges for industry and academia alike, but will become more common as experience is gained and effectiveness is demonstrated.

Essential

The generation of new knowledge and technology is not the only area of joint interest between universities and industry collaborations are essential for the effective training and development of tomorrow's engineers and managers.

Graduates based in a university undertaking research into industrially relevant problems, but also spending time in industry and being exposed to company needs, provide an effective, low risk way for firms to identify and recruit candidates suited to an industrial research and development environment.

Since by the end of a collaborative research project, the student and the company know each other well, expectations are realistic and a student employed on graduation usually makes a rapid and positive contribution to the company.

The vibrancy of the UK aerospace sector, coupled with industry's acceptance to achieve improvements in fuel efficiency and reductions in emissions, is providing a myriad of opportunities for collaborative research between industry and academia.

Larger, strategic research and development programmes will increasingly characterise academic-university collaborations in applied sciences, and should ensure UK universities and companies remain at the forefront of the global aerospace industry.