Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Infrastructure

The University is part of UKCRIC, a nationwide group of 14 universities working to improve our understanding of critical infrastructure systems and their role in underpinning urban resilience.

A new multi-million pound antenna, radar and wireless communications facility will help businesses in the region test and develop new radio frequency products, with expected applications in aerospace, healthcare, space and mobile telecommunications.

A new national centre for the research of waste derived fuels from the environment sector will be established with a £500,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation. The National Environment Sector Decarbonisation Accelerator (NESDA) test facility will be the first of its kind dedicated to developing synthetic fuels and zero carbon fuels from waste.

Education

Education, research and practice are linked to support entrepreneurship in the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship. The Centre also acts as the Entrepreneurial Hub for Cranfield University, working closely with the Research and Innovation Office to provide entrepreneurship support to all students, faculty and staff.

The Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Centre focuses on transforming manufacturing for a low carbon economy. They are creating new models of best practice to help businesses think green, smart and (c)lean and offer courses in this area.

Research and outreach

Much of our research contributes to this SDG. You can find out more on this web page.

The following are just a few of examples of research into impact and outreach from 2022/23:

• UAV-RADAR for soil moisture assessment - this project aims to test the efficacy of a drone-mounted synthetic aperture radar to measure soil moisture.
• LiSTAR - helping to develop a new generation of battery technologies needed for a future of sustainable electric transport. The work on lithium-sulfur batteries is part of a major new £29 million UK research programme into energy storage funded by the Faraday Institution.
• Project ReSChape analyses recent social, economic and environmental changes and disruptions, including the Covid-19 pandemic, and evaluates their impact on supply chains.
• Six Cranfield University projects, working with UK businesses, ranging from green hydrogen production to electric vehicle range extension, have been awarded funding from the Accelerated Knowledge Transfer to Innovate scheme from Innovate UK.
• Several new KTP awards were secured in events sustainability, electric vehicles, digital twins and explosive ordinance disposal. You can view our current portfolio here. KTPs at Cranfield

Cranfield School of Management students were finalists in the 2023 Global Hult Prize Challenge for their innovative biodegradable packaging for the fashion industry. Their company, InnoviousEco, was also selected as one of the 40 start-ups to attend the Impact-G20X start-up showcase in New Delhi which was part of the G20 Global Leaders' Summit.

The Cranfield-Colworth Innovation Challenge took place for the fifth year running, culminating in a final round where Cranfield students pitched their sustainability solutions to industry executives and academics.

In 2023, the SHAKE partnership was shortlisted by the Charity Times Awards for the Charity Collaboration of the Year Award. SHAKE is unique in the UK as the sole research-led seed investment programme for agritech start-ups with a positive impact on climate change.

Supporting businesses

Businesses in Central Bedfordshire can now access a range of free programmes to help them grow and decarbonise their operations. The new scheme from Cranfield University and Central Bedfordshire Council is part of a £2 million package for the area funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).

Cranfield University is one of eight research intensive universities in the Midlands to establish a new investment company, Midlands Mindforge Limited, to accelerate the commercialisation of university spinouts and early-stage IP rich businesses in the region. 

In March 2023, the first six successful applicants to Cranfield’s Green Future Investments Ltd (GFIL) Technology Accelerator Fund were announced. The programme supports technical and prototype developments of innovative technologies that address climate change challenges. Later in the year, some of these companies helped launch our Green Week with a debate on how entrepreneurship can help drive sustainability.

In recognition of its wide-ranging support for small businesses, outstanding student entrepreneurship provision and dedicated work with small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to support growth in the local community, Cranfield School of Management has achieved the Small Business Charter Award.

Infrastructure

In 2021/22, all new builds were confirmed as needing to be to Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) excellent standard. New builds also consider energy efficiency, climate resilience, sustainable transport, biodiversity.

The University is part of UKCRIC, a nationwide group of 14 universities working to improve our understanding of critical infrastructure systems and their role in underpinning urban resilience. In 2021/22, the George Solt Building was officially opened as part of this project. The facility features dedicated laboratories to support the development of advanced sensors and point-of-use water treatment technologies as well as a Breakthrough Innovation Hub.

Education

Education, research and practice are linked to support entrepreneurship in the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship. The Centre also acts as the Entrepreneurial Hub for Cranfield University, working closely with the Research and Innovation Office to provide entrepreneurship support to all students, faculty and staff.

The Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Centre focuses on transforming manufacturing for a low carbon economy. They are creating new models of best practice to help businesses think green, smart and (c)lean and offer courses in this area.

Research and outreach

Much of our research contributes to this SDG. You can find out more on this web page.

The following are just a couple of examples of research into outreach from 2021/22:

• Cutting-edge hydrogen research was on show at Cranfield in September 2022. Investment in hydrogen technologies is an essential part of navigating to a carbon-free future. This was the key theme from the Cranfield Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Showcase event which saw more than 250 delegates, including leaders from industry and science, gather for a series of expert talks and demonstrations. Visitors had the chance to see Cranfield Aerospace’s Britten-Norman BN2 Islander plane, which was being converted into a hydrogen fuelled aircraft.
• In another step towards green aviation, the first ever cross-Channel hybrid electric flight landed at Cranfield. The demonstrator aircraft flew from Calais in northern France to Cranfield’s airport and used electric propulsion for its take-off and landing.
• In Formula 1, the Halo device – tested extensively at Cranfield University – is reported to have saved a driver’s life.

Supporting businesses

In 2021/22, the Ready for Net Growth programme supported local businesses.

Luton-based small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) working in or supplying the aviation sector were eligible for free coaching and support to grow their business.

Luton Council funded 30 places on the University’s Ready for Scale aviation programme for ambitious business leaders looking to take the next step in growing their business.

In 2021/22, Cranfield partnered with Green Future Investments Limited (GFIL) to deliver financial, technical and business support to innovators and entrepreneurs. Find out more on our GFIL pages.

A real-life Dragons' Den was undertaken with the fourth Unilever-Cranfield Innovation Accelerator programme, which culminated in nine student teams pitching their solutions, focused on improving sustainability, to senior executives and academics.

Cranfield hosted our second annual Climate Hackathon in collaboration with NatWest.

An environmentally-conscious coffee brand started by a Cranfield School of Management alumnus during the UK's first coronavirus lockdown has grown into an award-winning business that has captured the attention of one of the investors from BBC's Dragons' Den.

Evidence provided for the Times Higher Impact Ranking included reporting the number of spin-off companies and the size of our research in STEM subjects and business.

Our Research and Innovation Office (RIO) supports researchers in working together to achieve excellence with impact in delivering the University’s vision for research and innovation. RIO works closely with the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship to support businesses, delivering, for example, start-up-weekend, venture day, speaker series, pitch competitions and support for new, aspiring entrepreneurs through to small companies wanting to scale up. The Bettany Centre offers several scholarship programmes, including one for Northamptonshire focusing on the journey to Net Zero.

Our active alumni community supports the next generation of entrepreneurs through the Cranfield 50 network.

In 2021 we continued to support businesses through our Eagle Lab partnership with Barclays and AVIATE+, part of a new UK Aviation Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship cluster.

The Innovative Mast for Greener Electrification (IMAGE) project, funded as part of the Government’s £9 million support for First of a Kind railway innovation, aims to reduce the financial costs and energy used in production and installation of rail masts for electrification. The built-in sensors will also provide data directly to infrastructure owners, enabling maintenance to be better targeted and reducing the need for line-side manual checks.