A new innovation hub within the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland is being established by the University of Strathclyde to aid the development and deployment of technology supporting decarbonisation.

An agreement with Rolls-Royce will see Strathclyde develop the new facility within the company’s plant in Inchinnan, Renfrewshire, enabling the university to scale-up its collaborative activities with industry partners across sectors like heat, transport, and power electronics.

The facility will see Strathclyde locate equipment and capabilities from its Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC)—an integrated development, manufacture, and test facility—that will help to accelerate and de-risk large-scale decarbonisation technologies and products.

The site will be equipped to include testing of technology specifically designed to support the energy transition. This includes the provision of a hydrogen supply that can support the decarbonisation of the aerospace, rail, and heavy-duty vehicle markets, and the development of hydrogen as a fuel for domestic heating and industrial energy.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “This facility will combine a unique set of engineering, technology, development and test capabilities that will help to establish the supply chain and supporting ecosystem for decarbonisation while building upon existing skills and infrastructure in the region.

“It will be a major addition to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland that brings together our capabilities in electrical systems, power electronics and advanced manufacturing to support new jobs, economic growth and position Scotland and the UK at the forefront of decarbonised transport and heat.”

The new facility will also build on the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) hardware focus in the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre (UTC), which is based at Strathclyde’s Technology & Innovation Centre.

Gordon Hutchieson, manufacturing executive at Rolls-Royce, also said: “We are pleased to sign this agreement, ensuring that this part of our site will continue to be an important resource for advanced engineering and the advancement of net zero solutions.”

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The University of Strathclyde operates one of the largest energy research clusters in Europe, and received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize award in 2019 in recognition of its research in this field.

Its specialisms cover: wind energy technology and its deployment, renewable energy, smart grids and power grid control, and artificial intelligence and data analytics for energy systems, among others.