£22m to establish UK as global leader in emissions-cutting composites

Composites are materials that have been engineered from two or different materials that when combined create lightweight, super strength products. The Government believe they not only have the potential to help us lower our carbon emissions, but by producing and developing them here, could boost the UK's position in the global market place.

The new UK Composite Strategy, launched on Wednesday, estimates that the composite market is currently worth about £1 billion to the British economy and that the UK offshore composite wind turbine blade and aerospace wing market alone could potentially be worth £22 billion by 2020.

To this end, the Government is investing £16 million in a new National Composites Centre in the Bristol area and £5million in a new ‘Grand Challenge’ competition, to develop new composites manufacturing techniques.

Launching the Composite Strategy, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson said: “Today’s new strategy will help us to exploit the potential of composite materials which could help us lower carbon emissions, make cost savings by making things which last longer and boost our position globally making the UK the place to produce and develop composites.

"Government has an irreplaceable role in ensuring that the right conditions are in place to support long term growth. This means investing in the country’s high-tech low carbon future including supporting and investing composites.”

The Composite Strategy spells out how the Government plans to support British firms that manufacture, utilise and export composites. A main aim of the strategy is to try and transfer the use of composites to sectors that to date have not use them. “Up to now activity has been too sector specific, which has limited the development of a cohesive composites industry and the transfer of technology to the manufacture of other products in other sectors which could be built using composites," the Government said in a statement.

The Grand Challenge competition, which to be managed by the Technology Strategy Board, will try to stimulate the development of innovative, manufacturing techniques and create an opportunity for British companies to become world leaders in this industry.

Funding will be provided for feasibility studies, and the best of those will be invited to develop and test their concept before the winning proposal is awarded the £5 million prize.

Dr John Morlidge, Lead Technologist for Advanced Materials at the Technology Strategy Board, said: “Advanced manufacturing, which uses technologically-complex products and processes, is increasingly aiming to exploit the benefits of advanced materials, such as fibre-reinforced polymer matrix composites. It is important that UK industry capitalises on the unique properties of advanced composites and seizes the opportunities from a growing global market. Aircraft wings and wind turbine blades are just two examples of the kind of advanced products that could benefit from more affordable advanced manufacturing techniques.”

Morlidge says the lack of cost-effective and rapid manufacturing processes is a major barrier to the commercial exploitation of composites across all sectors. "This Grand Challenge will enable a range of innovative approaches to be explored and shared across UK industry, offering British companies the chance to become world leaders in this area,” he said.

To qualify for the challenge, initial ideas must be submitted to the Technology Strategy Board by December 18.