Tue, 12 December, 2023
We are delighted to announce that TWI successfully held the second, flagship Core Research Programme Annual Symposium on December 7, 2023, at its headquarters in Cambridge, UK. Over 100 representatives from TWI Industrial Member companies attended the event and actively participated in the programme, providing feedback on the projects being undertaken, and discussing some of the challenges faced by industry with TWI technical experts.
The Symposium is organised annually for Industrial Members and this year showcased over 35 Core Research Programme (CRP) projects and 20 CRP project posters, which also included the recently launched 'Dragon's Den' style, short-term projects, as well as five PhD posters by CRP-funded National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) students.
TWI's CRP is available exclusively to Industrial Members, and aims to address technological and industrial challenges that are of critical interest to future operations, spanning the broader subject areas of engineering, manufacturing and materials.
The CRP Annual Symposium, which was opened by Prof Tat-Hean Gan, Core Research Programme Director, and Membership, Innovation and Global Operations Director, TWI, included a series of evaluator pitches followed by interactive panel discussions. Presentations were given by Simon Webster, Chair, TWI Research Board and Dr Jon Blackburn, Group Manager, Strategic Programmes for Growth, TWI. In addition, the audience enjoyed keynote presentations by Richard March, Global Process Lead for Welding and Joining, Rolls-Royce PLC, and Dr Tanya Sabin, Senior Materials Engineer, Thales UK. The talks each discussed in detail the relevance of the CRP to Industrial Members, as well as the impact and value it offers in terms of finding technological solutions for industry.
Keynote Speaker: Richard March, Global Process Lead for Welding and Joining, Rolls-Royce PLC
An accompanying exhibition of technical posters showcased CRP projects under peer review before publication, and projects by NSIRC PhD students funded by the CRP, offering immersive insights into some of the research being undertaken within the projects. In addition, there was a dedicated technology forum where Industrial Members discussed emerging needs, technological priorities, collaborative opportunities, how to become a CRP project mentor and more. There was also time for networking and connecting with fellow Industrial Members and TWI staff.
Keynote Speaker: Dr Tanya Sabin, Senior Materials Engineer, Thales UK
This year’s Symposium concluded with an award ceremony, at which Alice Appleby, NSIRC PhD student with the University of Birmingham, won Best CRP Student Poster for her work on the Development of HIP Consolidation Method for ODS PM2000 Steel project.
A special thank you to Dr Raja Khan (CEng FWeldI FIMMM) and Prof Moataz Attallah for their invaluable guidance and mentorship in Alice’s research as her Industrial and Academic Supervisors respectively.
Prof Tat-Hean Gan, Core Research Programme Director, and Membership, Innovation and Global Operations Director, TWI, said, "It was exciting to see TWI Industrial Members actively interacting with the programme, and the Project Leaders that undertake the research and development (R&D) projects. The event is a great platform that brings together the CRP Research Board, Technical Committees and Industrial Members to explore the value offered by the CRP, understand the depth and breadth of the research that is carried out, and subsequently identify avenues to exploit research outcomes into operational outputs. The feedback provided by Members will be used to ensure that future research stays relevant to them."
Dr Paul Woollin, Core Research Programme Director and TWI Research Director, said, "The CRP Symposium is a great opportunity for our Industrial Member experts to engage with the experts at TWI. These events help us to focus our core research on Member requirements, debate the technical details of individual projects with Members and explore opportunities to collaborate. We received extremely useful feedback from attendees on the day and will be applying this to aligning the future CRP programme with TWI’s Technology Roadmap. This will serve to accelerate the translation of technology into new products, systems and services that benefit TWI’s Industrial Members, providing them with maximum impact and return on investment for their Membership subscriptions.
Simon Webster, Chair Core Research Programme (CRP) Research Board, TWI
Simon Webster, Chair Core Research Programme (CRP) Research Board, TWI, said, "Where else in the industry do you get over 100 industry and professional Members coming together with leading experts in materials and joining, to enthusiastically discuss current and future opportunities and challenges? TWI and the CRP Symposium is unique in making this happen, and this year’s Symposium was no exception!"
Next year, the TWI Core Research Programme Annual Symposium will be held in December 2024 – details to follow in the New Year.
To learn more about the research presented at the 2023 CRP Annual Symposium, simply download the TWI CRP Annual Symposium 2023 digital brochure, and don’t forget to visit CRP Media and Events to stay up–to-date!