Rolls-Royce in partnership with Academia

Presented by Phil Ruffles

Engineering Professors Congress, Cardiff University

6th April 2004

Why do research in academia ?

Industry benefits - Access to high intellectual capability Continuity and independence of thought Cost - partially funded overheads/leverage

Academia benefits – Opportunity to work on technically challenging, real problems across a broad data base

Attractive cross-cultural working environment for University staff and students

Academy - Industry collaboration - Why a better approach was needed

Pre-1990

– >80 Rolls-Royce / university links in the UK (different departments / research teams)

– Largely based on ‘personal’ links, with no security of future funding

– Few with real ‘critical mass’ - staff or investment

– Supporting infrastructure / facilities limited - difficult to argue for priority investment in any one academic group

– Duplication between research teams…inevitable ?

– Additional - but low - level of activity in mainland Europe and USA

(‘critical mass’ taken to mean a minimum of 6 researchers involved in a single field of relevant study preferably co-located)

Strategic Research– Emerging or as yet unproven technologies

– Beyond scope of current business plans

– Often applicable to range of products and services

Applied Research– Development of generic capability

– Product focused research

– Testing of real components

Technology Validation– Validation of integrated packages of technology

– Aims to provide “off-the-shelf” capability

Blended Wing Body

ANTLE Demonstrator

Types of research

Fuel Cells

RESEARCH AND

TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMME

Technology Validation

• Generic• Project Specific

Research and Technology Management

Product Realisation

Full Concept

Definition

NewProduct Planning

ProductionService Support

Disposal

New Capability Realisation

• Facilities• People/skills• Supply Chain• Infrastructure

R&T Strategy Planning

Rolls-Royce Strategic

Intent

UNIVERSITYTECHNOLOGY

CENTRES

AppliedApplied

ResearchResearch

Global Academic Network

StrategicStrategic

ResearchResearch

Rolls-Royce University Technology Centres

Centres of Excellence in specific technology fields– Concentration of activity into fewer, larger centres

– Based around groups with proven track records

– May be a partnership between institutes

5 year rolling contract covering business and technical goals– Security of funding enables recruitment of high quality staff– Formal IPR agreement to meet needs of both RR and UTC – Formal performance review by joint RR / UTC group

Close working enables effective technology transfer– Staff exchanges / secondments / recruitment– UTC staff involved in RR training courses and staff development

activities

“…“…a case study model for the benefits of effective a case study model for the benefits of effective Industry/University collaboration.” – Richard Lambert Industry/University collaboration.” – Richard Lambert

North AmericaNorth America

UTC at PurdueUTC at Purdue

SStrong links to MIT, trong links to MIT, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Stanford, Penn StatePenn State

Developing Canadian Developing Canadian relationshipsrelationships

AsiaAsia

China - NPU, BIAM, China - NPU, BIAM, BUAA, SEDRI, TsinghuaBUAA, SEDRI, Tsinghua

Japan - NALJapan - NAL

Singapore - iHPCSingapore - iHPC

EuropeEurope

20 University Technology 20 University Technology Centres (UTCs) in the UKCentres (UTCs) in the UK

1 UTC in Sweden, other Nordic 1 UTC in Sweden, other Nordic links being developedlinks being developed

1 UTC and 1 Prime 1 UTC and 1 Prime Partnership in GermanyPartnership in Germany

1 UTC in Italy1 UTC in Italy

strong links in other countriesstrong links in other countries

Global research base

What has been necessary to make it work well ?

Central control - policy and direction and budgets– Advisory boards– Annual Conference

Cessation of involvement with some research teams– Breaking of personal links

Acceptance of lead time to get to useful output– Up front agreement on IPR, publication, etc – Establishment of new teams – Industry commitment to fund in advance of results

Flexibility - on both sides– Mutual acceptance that long term research may be deflected - temporarily

- to work on immediate, production issues – Feeds back into research areas

Focus - ensuring research targeted at ‘real’ applications– Validation and production vehicles

University Technology Centres

Imperial CollegeVibration

Imperial CollegeVibration

LoughboroughCombustion Aerodynamics

LoughboroughCombustion Aerodynamics

Cambridge Design Partnership (with BAE)

Materials Partnership University Gas Turbine Partnership (UGTP)

Cambridge Design Partnership (with BAE)

Materials Partnership University Gas Turbine Partnership (UGTP)

CranfieldPerformance

CranfieldPerformance

BirminghamMaterials Partnership

BirminghamMaterials Partnership

SussexAero-Thermal Systems

SussexAero-Thermal Systems

Strathclyde Electrical Power Systems

Strathclyde Electrical Power Systems

YorkSystems & Software Engineering

YorkSystems & Software Engineering

SouthamptonDesign Partnership (with BAE)

Noise

SouthamptonDesign Partnership (with BAE)

Noise

OxfordComputational Fluid Dynamics

Solid MechanicsHeat Transfer and Aerodynamics (Osney lab)

OxfordComputational Fluid Dynamics

Solid MechanicsHeat Transfer and Aerodynamics (Osney lab)

NottinghamManufacturing Technology

Gas Turbine Transmission Systems

NottinghamManufacturing Technology

Gas Turbine Transmission Systems

SurreyThermo-Fluid Systems

SurreyThermo-Fluid Systems

UMIST Electrical Systems for Extreme Environments

UMIST Electrical Systems for Extreme Environments

SheffieldControl & Systems Engineering Materials Damping Technology

Advanced Electrical Machines and DrivesDesign Partnership (with BAE)

SheffieldControl & Systems Engineering Materials Damping Technology

Advanced Electrical Machines and DrivesDesign Partnership (with BAE)

SwanseaMaterials Partnership

SwanseaMaterials Partnership

Purdue, USA High-Mach Propulsion

Purdue, USA High-Mach Propulsion

CottbusTurbomachinery

CottbusTurbomachinery

Chalmers, GothenbergHydrodynamics

Chalmers, GothenbergHydrodynamics

Rolls-Royce Research & Technology funding

UTC Funding today: Rolls-Royce – PV Money guaranteed for a number of years

EPSRC – paid directly to the University

DTI – paid into a holding account and matched approx. 50% by Rolls-Royce

European – 100% funded by EC, paid directly to the University

MoD – paid directly to the University, some contribution from Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce funding geared by 2 or 3 times

Overhead rate similar to Research council levelsGood Value …however

=

Significant increase in overhead rates

DTI move away from sectoral funding

Since 1992 Rolls-Royce R&T expenditure has doubled with all of this increase occurring outside the UK

Future challenges…

University Technology Centres

Cambridge

Cambridge

Cambridge

Sheffield

Sheffield

SheffieldSheffield

Swansea

Swansea

Engineering perspectivesSome specific examples of success…

AU3D model

JSF LiftSystemCombustion technologies

Cambridge

Summary

Rolls-Royce is proud to recognise that the company’s success in the market place today

can be directly linked to our close relationship with academia