Event Objective

To bring together leading UK Manufacturing Academics and Researchers, Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), Catapult Centres, Industry, and Research Councils to:

• Explore opportunities for jointly shaping the future of UK manufacturing research and innovation, meet UK Industrial Strategy priorities, particularly the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan.
• Identify shared national challenges and opportunities where coordinated action across the ecosystem can accelerate impact.
• Strengthen collaboration pathways across Universities, RTOs and Catapults, and into industry supply chains.
• Provide clarity on funding, translation mechanisms, and cross‑organisational programmes that support collaboration from foundational research to industrial deployment. 

Why this matters

The UK manufacturing landscape relies on effective collaboration between universities, RTOs, Catapult centres, and industry partners. By creating a shared understanding of priorities, capabilities, and opportunities, the Forum aims to:

• Improve the flow of ideas, people, and technologies across the innovation system.
• Reduce gaps between research, demonstrator scale‑up, and industrial adoption.
• Co-ordinate national strengths to respond to global competition and emerging technologies.
• Ensure the community is aligned with current and future government priorities for manufacturing and productivity.

This Forum provides a neutral space to align perspectives, share best practices, and identify where collective effort can have the greatest impact.

Agenda

09:30 – 09:40 | Welcome and Context Setting

• Introduction from the organisers
• Overview of shared national objectives for UK manufacturing
• Summary of major challenges/​opportunities across research, innovation, and industrial delivery

09:50 – 10:20 | Keynote: Academic & Research Landscape

• Future directions from UK universities
• Emerging manufacturing research domains (AI‑manufacturing, sustainable production, materials, automation)
• Barriers and enablers for collaboration with RTOs and industry

10:20 – 11:00 | Future Manufacturing Research Hubs

• Overview of network of hubs
• 5 minute highlight presentations from recent hub awards

11:00 – 11:30 | Tea, Coffee, Refreshments

11:30 ‑12:45 | Breakout Workshop 1: UK Manufacturing Ecosystem Mapping

• 9 UK Manufacturing Technology Capability Stations, based on known Industry Needs
• Participants rotate to:
  • Map complementary capabilities
  • Identify gaps and overlaps
  • Locate opportunities for joint programmes to address Industry Needs

12:45 – 13:45 | Lunch & Networking

13:45 – 14:15 | Research Council Spotlight

• EPSRC, BBSRC, Innovate UK
• Funding opportunities and multi‑stakeholder programme design

14:15 – 15:30 | Breakout Workshops – Consultation & discussions

• Collaborative Pathways from Research to Application
  • Research to Innovations, Scaling, Validating and Translating
  • How universities, RTOs, and Catapults can share infrastructure and expertise
• Skills, Talent, and Mobility Across the Ecosystem
  • Joint PhDs
  • Mobility schemes
  • Training for emerging manufacturing technologies
• Designing Joint Demonstrators and Flagship Programmes
  • Identifying key national challenges ripe for co‑development

• • How to build cross‑organisation demonstrators

15:30 – 16:15 | Reflections and Closing Remarks

• Collated insights from round‑robin and workshops 
• Identifying national priorities where the ecosystem can act together