Our research

Cranfield is one of the top five research-intensive universities in the UK.  Our excellence in applied research has enabled us to make significant contributions to the world around us for over 60 years.  

Examples of our work

  • Unique cabin evacuation research which focuses on factors which influence survival in air accidents
  • ‘The Blended Wing Body’ (BWB), a radical new aircraft design that results in enhanced fuel efficiency
  • ‘Dragon’ – the next generation of safer anti-landmine devices, developed by Cranfield and Disarmco
  • The BoX® ultra-precise machine tool to create large mirror for ground based telescopes
  • The first major study on carbon losses from soil in the world
  • The six-inch Micro Air Vehicle, inspired by insect flight, for military use
  • New welding processes for high-strength pipelines, increasing productivity by 400%, for use on the proposed Trans-Alaska Gas Pipeline.

These are just a few of our exciting and challenging projects.  Throughout all our areas of expertise – Aerospace, Automotive, Energy, Environment, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Security and Defence - our students are working with our industrial partners to solve the challenges of today to deliver the benefits of tomorrow.