Advanced manufacturing

Case studies

Medical Device Manufacturing Centre, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh University, Glasgow University, Robert Gordon University and University of Dundee

The Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) provides developers and manufacturers with the advice, technical expertise and facilities essential for companies that are seeking to translate medical device concepts to commercial products.

The centre opened in 2020 with a simple idea – to remove the practical barriers that often stop Scottish med-tech ideas from reaching patients. Headquartered at Heriot-Watt University, the centre is a partnership between five Scottish universities: Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt and Robert Gordon. Backed by Scottish Enterprise, the centre offers companies fully funded access to 67 manufacturing processes, regulatory insight, clinician links and a range of services that previously existed only in silos.

By combining academic research, industrial pace and NHS realism over the past five years, the centre has rapidly grown, proving the model works as a national launchpad for safer, greener medical technology. Successes include shortening the gap between concept and clinical adoption, growing Scotland’s med-tech economy and embedding sustainability into device design.

More recently, the centre has delivered 39 industry projects (+45% year-on-year), helped firms secure £7.5 million in new investment and created 42 high-value jobs by working with 170 Scottish companies. 

Support for Scottish companies is provided via 24 open-access webinars, CPD courses and an annual conference. The centre has 20 specialists across Scotland, at Heriot-Watt, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Robert Gordon Universities and NHS partner sites, uniting to create a virtual team.

CISM: Driving the UK’s semiconductor skills agenda, Swansea University

The Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) is an initiative to bring together semiconductor and advanced materials platforms to research and develop new technologies and products at Swansea University.

As part of the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster, the university is delivering education, skills and outreach programmes for talent pipeline development for the rapid-growth, strategically vital semiconductor sector.

This includes the flagship Royce Cleanroom Skills Course, providing students with practical hands-on experience in semiconductor fabrication, making real compound semiconductor chips in the £60M CISM fabrication facility during a five-day residential course. This programme equips students with vital technical skills and safety knowledge essential for semiconductor industries.

Supported by Innovate UK and EPSRC PBIAA, Swansea is also pioneering immersive outreach, deploying VR and AI-powered experiences that allow students to virtually explore semiconductor labs and cleanroom environments. Over 10,000 participants have engaged with these tools to date, showcasing the power of digital engagement in STEM education.

Swansea has also engaged over 100 secondary schools in semiconductor-focused outreach activities combining sport, science and industry awareness. Such innovative partnerships include Dragons Rugby and Vishay, while collaborations with Careers Wales and the Engineering Education Scheme Wales help raise awareness of semiconductor careers from a young age. Together, these initiatives reach thousands of learners annually.

AeroSolar: A new approach to solar power, Queen Mary University of London

AeroSolar are taking perovskite solar from concept to reality. The Queen Mary University of London spinout is developing a scalable method for manufacturing perovskite solar films – a lightweight, flexible and efficient alternative to silicon. Perovskite can be installed on surfaces that cannot support heavy panels, unlocking sites previously unsuitable for solar power.

Almost 30% of commercial rooftops worldwide cannot bear silicon’s weight, and only 2% of buildings generate solar. Silicon production also has a high carbon footprint and concentrated overseas supply chains. However, turning to alternative materials to scale has proven difficult, with perovskite manufacturing notoriously difficult.

To address these barriers, Queen Mary’s Professor Joe Briscoe developed an aerosol-assisted solvent treatment to improve manufacturing speed, quality and consistency while lowering costs. With £50,000 Innovate UK funding, AeroSolar is building a large-scale reactor to move towards commercial production.

Solar start-up and industry partner of QMUL, Power Roll, estimates 12 billion square metres of UK rooftops could host perovskite, generating electricity at less than a quarter of current grid costs, representing a £250 billion market.

This will offer extraordinary possibilities for cheap, flexible solar cells in a range of applications.

NCC: Transforming today’s industries and creating tomorrow’s, University of Bristol

Part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the University of Bristol, NCC is a world-leading innovation organisation that transforms cutting-edge research and technology into industrial impact.

Bridging the gap between research and industry, NCC supports 300 businesses annually, enhances around 50 products and services, creates and sustains 800 jobs, and generates £59m in direct GVA. It brings together over 400 engineers, over 1,400 learners, over 30 graduates and apprentices and 14 years of manufacturing data at the £300m innovation facility, enabling businesses to de-risk and validate technologies from concept development to end-of-life solutions. In July 2025, it powered up Isambard-AI, the UK’s most powerful supercomputer, developed in collaboration with the University of Bristol.

NCC works with sectors from aerospace to energy, pushing technological boundaries while supporting companies to develop the skills their future workforce will need.

Advanced Research Engineer Dr Konstantina Kanari, an alumna of the Bristol Composites Institute, develops advanced material technologies for aerospace and space. She has contributed to the European Space Agency’s Harmonisation Technical Dossier on Composite Materials, supporting a space economy projected to grow from £270bn in 2019 to £490bn by 2030. As space exploration advances, harmonising advanced materials is key to enabling the UK’s role in the global space sector.