A decade of delivery: Celebrating 10 years of the High-Temperature Research Centre

The University of Birmingham's unique partnership with Rolls-Royce spans over three decades of innovation and collaboration. Focused on the science of advanced metallic alloys, it has led to the production of increasingly efficient, safe, and reliable aero engines.

One of the most striking and critical aspects of this partnership is its unique innovation assets, including the University Technology Centre (UTC), Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and High Temperature Research Centre (HTRC), which recently marked 10 years of operations with a celebratory event and reflection on the numerous achievements of the centre and the partnership at it's heart.

The HTRC capitalises on Birmingham's long-standing expertise in materials science and chemical engineering, enabling world-leading collaborative research to yield scientific understanding at scale. It has protected UK manufacturing jobs, and continues to champion diversity in the field, shifting the dial on equality in an historically male-dominated field.

Activities at the HTRC focus on the research and development of manufacturing technologies for superalloy single-crystal aero engine components, such as high-pressure turbine blades, and the development of enabling manufacturing technologies. The operating environment of such components is amongst the most arduous for engineering materials. It is a highly complex and closely guarded proprietary technology, the foundations of which make the HTRC ideally positioned for future developments in aerospace, whether in hybrid electric or hydrogen applications. This continued, shoulder-to-shoulder co-located collaboration underpins the rapid translation of research outputs into engineering advances, driving process efficiency alongside product performance.

Plans for the Centre, co-located at Ansty Park near Coventry and the University of Birmingham's Edgbaston campus, were announced in 2012 with an investment of £40m by Rolls-Royce, matched by a £20m government grant through the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF). The announcement of such major public and private capital investment promised significant economic stimulus for the UK, as well as the creation of new, highly skilled jobs, both of which have been delivered by the facility in its first decade of operation. Today, over 100 members of staff, comprising academics, designers, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, engineers, technicians and support functions, are employed at the facility. Furthermore, the location of HTRC at Ansty Park in Coventry, next to the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), has strengthened the existing relationship between the two centres and has provided ample opportunities for collaboration and manufacturing in the region.

Professor Nick Green, Director of the High Temperature Research Centre, said: "It is a privilege to be part of the team at the High Temperature Research Centre researching one of Rolls-Royce's crown jewel technologies. Alongside world-class facilities, our really distinguishing characteristic lies in the people who work here. Through their openness and willingness to share knowledge, we create better outcomes across all research projects. Collectively, the substantial advances in aero engine performance that we are all working toward will help deliver aerospace industry commitments to FlightPath 2050 and the ambitions of Destination 2050."

The HTRC's tenth anniversary year coincides with the University's 125th Anniversary year, with celebrations scheduled throughout 2025, including the signing of the Birmingham Civic Agreement, Community Festival and Concert, and annual Founders Awards, which honour excellence in research, teaching, and innovation. The University's partnership with Rolls-Royce and the 2024 Queen's Anniversary Prize has also enabled support for Birmingham Hospice and their 'Bulls in the City' art trail, taking place across Birmingham this summer.