Birmingham to Host £34.6M National Hub for Robotics-Enabled Sustainable Manufacturing
By Anushka Malhotra
1 minute 31 seconds
Investment
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Quick Read: £34.6M funding secured to establish RESCu-M2 hub in Birmingham, driving sustainable manufacturing through robotics and automation.
A significant step towards sustainable manufacturing has been taken with the announcement of the establishment of a national research hub at the University of Birmingham. The hub, named the EPSRC Manufacturing Research Hub in Robotics, Automation & Smart Machine Enabled Sustainable Circular Manufacturing & Materials (RESCu-M2), is part of UK Research and Innovation’s ‘Manufacturing research hubs for a sustainable future’ programme. It will receive £34.6M (£11M from EPSRC and £23.6M from project partners) in funding over the next 7 years.
The RESCu-M2 hub aims to address two grand challenges: transforming the sustainable use of critical materials and improving the productivity of ‘Re-X’ manufacturing processes. These processes, including reuse, repurpose, repair, remanufacture, and recycle, are currently labor-intensive, leading to significant material wastage. However, businesses could save up to £23 bn per year by making low- or no-cost improvements.
Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani OBE, Director of the Birmingham Robotics Institute, emphasised the need for radical approaches in manufacturing.
"Instead of focusing on producing new products and disposing of them, we should be prolonging the useful life of products, particularly those containing critical materials such as rare earth elements," she said.
The RESCu-M2 hub will harness advances in AI and intelligent automation to create a new manufacturing ecosystem that promotes cost-effective circular resource use. Partnerships include various universities, research centres, and regional authorities, with a focus on developing 'spokes' from the hub to attract further investment opportunities.
Researchers will investigate smart processes for disassembly, remanufacturing, separation, and recovery of critical products and components, as well as circular Re-X business models.
Professor Adam Tickell, Vice Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, expressed optimism about the hub's potential impact.
"The aim of RESCu-M2 is to find and help implement integrated solutions that will drastically reduce the environmental impact of high-value products and make significant savings in CO2 emissions annually," he said.
Mike Wright, Independent Chair of the West Midlands Innovation Board, welcomed the initiative, noting its alignment with the West Midland’s Plan for Growth.
"By bringing these activities together, recognising the strong base of regional R&D and businesses, we have a real opportunity to catalyse growth for the region," he added.
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