Funding available for SMART ideas
NAMTEC (the National Metals Technology Centre) is looking to help manufacturers access awards of up to £5,000 for the development of ‘Smart' materials.
‘Smart' materials are those that sense and adapt to stimulus in the environment and NAMTEC is part of a consortium that is promoting the investment into research & development for these types of materials, surfaces and structures.
Iain Fielden, technical specialist at NAMTEC, explains: "This is a major area of materials development and there is funding available to stimulate wealth creation and economic growth relating to smart materials. Our role is to provide expertise in this area, assist with completion of application forms and putting organisations in touch with third parties who can help with onward research and development."
The growth of Smart technology in the UK is being encouraged by SMART.mat, which is part of the UK Materials Knowledge Transfer funded by the DTI that brings together research and UK industry through a consortium comprising the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) and NAMTEC (the National Metals Technology Centre).
For applications to be successful, Smart ideas must address a problem being experienced by a UK business and there must be the availability of a relevant solution provider. Applications must be submitted by May 2008, the procedure is simple and rapid decisions will be made.
