Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Aerospace
  • /
  • BAE Systems welcomes Nottingham University as strategic academic partner

Aerospace Defence

BAE Systems welcomes Nottingham University as strategic academic partner

The University of Nottingham and BAE Systems have formalised a strategic partnership which will see the organisations collaborate on developing new and innovative digital manufacturing technologies.

Above: The additive manufacturing facility at University of Nottingham.
Courtesy BAE Systems

A recognised leader in Industry 4.0 technologies, the University has extensive capabilities including additive layer manufacturing, lightweight materials, metrology and digital approaches to design and manufacture, as well as sustainable energy and power management systems.
 
Professor Andy Schofield, Programme & Technology Integration Director, within BAE Systems’ Air Sector, said: “We’ve had a strong partnership with the University of Nottingham for a number of years, with our teams working closely together to jointly develop next generation manufacturing capabilities that will transform the future of aircraft production.
 
“We look forward to deepening our relationship and exploring how the University’s world-class Industry 4.0 knowledge and research capabilities can be applied to other areas of our business.”

Advertisement
Teledyne

Professor Svetan Ratchev, Cripps Professor of Production Engineering and Director of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Nottingham, said: “Formalising our strategic partnership will allow us to translate the latest research results into industrial applications, develop new technologies and deliver major societal, environmental and economic impact. It will also provide our students with more exciting opportunities to gain valuable industrial experience, enhance their knowledge and develop their future careers.”

Confirmation of the formal partnership follows a sustained period of successful collaboration in key technological areas such as ‘cobotics’, which enables people and robots to work in co-operation on complex tasks. This was born from the Integrated Autonomous Assembly Demonstrator, which prototyped robotic assembly of aircraft structures and used data from digital designs to optimise manufacturing processes. The University of Nottingham led this work with input from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre.
 
Nottingham and the Company's other strategic university partners are also active in research into sustainability, particularly in energy management. This is of great importance to BAE Systems, with the business setting a target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions operations across its operations by 2030 and will also support the development of sustainable technologies for its customers.
 
BAE Systems continues to develop its UK university partnerships, with Nottingham becoming the Company’s sixth strategic university partner. This builds on existing partnerships with Cranfield University, the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, the University of Southampton and the University of Strathclyde.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT

 

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

Aerospace Defence Security

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

3 July 2025

Airframe Designs has aligned its material systems with the US National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) which works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners to support its existing testing processes.

Cranfield partners with CirculAIRity

Aerospace

Cranfield partners with CirculAIRity

3 July 2025

Cranfield has begun the first of multiple projects with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) specialists CirculAIRity, a scale-up focusing on the use of SAF in aviation.

Siemens and NVIDIA team to drive AI in advanced manufacturing

Aerospace Defence Security

Siemens and NVIDIA team to drive AI in advanced manufacturing

2 July 2025

Siemens and NVIDIA are expanding their partnership to accelerate the next era of industrial AI and digitalisation, towards enabling the factory of the future.

Marshall completes sale of Slingsby Advanced Composites to Mangohojden AB

Aerospace Defence

Marshall completes sale of Slingsby Advanced Composites to Mangohojden AB

2 July 2025

Marshall has announced the completion of the sale of its subsidiary, Slingsby Advanced Composites Ltd., to Mangohojden AB, formerly known as Goldcup 101485 AB, a privately held Swedish company seeking to develop a group of specialist aerospace and defence businesses.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
Manchester Airport to Mumbai route set to provide economic boost

Aerospace

Manchester Airport to Mumbai route set to provide economic boost

2 July 2025

A new route between Manchester Airport and Mumbai – India’s financial capital – will deliver an economic boost worth hundreds of millions to the North over the next three years, research out today reveals.

Aircraft order backlog hits record 16,073

Aerospace

Aircraft order backlog hits record 16,073

2 July 2025

Commercial aircraft orders increased by almost 900% in May 2025 compared to May 2024, pushing the total aircraft backlog to a record 16,073 – the first time it has ever exceeded 16,000, according to ADS.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT