NATEP enabling 28 new technology projects
Established by the Aerospace Growth Partnership, NATEP is a transformational collaboration between industry and Government. The £40m programme, is supported by £23m of funding from the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.
Projects that have already received NATEP funding and are currently underway include:
• A project to facilitate a step-change in the production of metallic aero structures, reducing the cost and environmental impact of manufacture.
• The development of a new software tool that will optimise inventory levels, including data visualisation and inventory planning to improve operational efficiency.
• A project to investigate the optimisation of production methods for machined aerospace parts to improve UK supply chain competitiveness.
• The development of a new hearing protection and communications headset that will accelerate several innovative technologies for use in high noise environments in rotary wing and fixed wing platforms.
NATEP was set up to help small and medium sized companies win new business with customers all over the world through technology innovation. To date, £3.5m of funding has been awarded to help supply chain companies develop new technologies. An additional 44 projects are currently going through the application process and two further calls for applications will close in December 2014 and May 2015.
Business Minister Matthew Hancock said: “The Government is committed to working in partnership with our world beating aerospace sector to create long term growth and skilled jobs for the nation. We set out our plans in the joint Government and industry Aerospace Industrial Strategy published last March. Companies of all sizes across the supply chain are engaged in this work, from large global corporations to smaller local suppliers.
“The NATEP scheme is specifically designed to help smaller businesses grow by encouraging and supporting innovation. As a result the participating firms will be better prepared to exploit market opportunities and retain high value manufacturing work in the UK.”
NATEP Programme Director, Jeff Taylor commented: “It is estimated that many tens of thousands of new aircraft will be required by 2032 to meet increased global demand. This presents an opportunity for the UK’s world-leading aerospace sector, but it is important that companies continue to invest in innovation and new technology to stay ahead of international competition. NATEP has an important role to play in making sure that this innovation takes place across the supply chain, including in small and medium sized businesses, and that the resulting technology delivers a tangible benefit.
“We are already seeing significant success from the Programme and we are well on the way to meeting our ambition to support more than 100 projects by 2017. In doing so, we expect to be able to strengthen the technology development capabilities of 250 UK supply chain companies and create or sustain 1,200 high value jobs.”
The programme encourages the supply chain to work directly with Primes and potential customers to deliver technological solutions that meet an end-user requirement. This unique mentoring approach, combined with collaboration across industry and academia, maximises the financial investment of up to £150,000 per project.