The Staffordshire Advanced Manufacturing, Prototyping and Innovation Demonstrator (SAMPID) project supports local manufacturers to develop products, prototypes and improve processes using cutting edge equipment. Each bespoke partnership is fully funded and supported by a student or graduate alongside a dedicated academic expert.
Interested businesses can learn more about getting involved at a free webinar on Thursday 16 February and hear from local employers who have benefitted from the scheme.
SAMPID Programme Manager, Rachel Wood, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to gain the latest expertise and free business support to help your company succeed in the ever-changing world of manufacturing.
“Businesses who sign up will have access to state-of-the-art facilities through our Innovation Enterprise Zone including collaborative robots, metal 3D printers and a brand-new micro gas turbine.
“Innovative products and prototypes that have been produced through the SAMPID programme range from a life-saving medical device to a ballistic vest, and I look forward to seeing what other businesses can achieve!”
The newly installed Micro Gas Turbine (MGT) LAB and Micro Combined Heat and Power (Micro-CHP) demonstrator provides an opportunity for businesses and universities to collaborate with Professor Hamidreza Gohari Darabkhani – an expert in low carbon and renewable energy systems – to investigate how the technology can be adapted to produce clean, sustainable, and low-cost energy for future smart buildings.
Developed by Netherlands-based company Micro Turbine Technology (MTT), Staffordshire University is one of only a few universities worldwide to have acquired the technology for research, development and demonstration purposes.
Professor Gohari Darabkhani explained: “MTT has developed a micro turbine CHP boiler which generates up to 3kW of electricity and 15kW of heat that can cover the base load electricity and the heat requirements of a 3-to-5-bedroom house which is quite amazing.
“Considering the volatile gas and electricity prices, this kind of decentralised heating and power generation unit could help households with bills and also has lower emissions and higher combined efficiencies compared to other fossil fuel technologies.”
Professor Gohari Darabkhani hopes to explore using alternative carbon neutral fuels such as hydrogen or biogas and look at reducing the size and weight of the unit, so that in future it might be a wall-hanging boiler which could be installed in smaller houses in the UK.
He said: “Currently up to 15% of electricity can be lost during transmission from power stations to houses in faraway cities. In a few years, perhaps each house could be a power station generating its own heat and electricity with a micro CHP unit integrated with renewable energy systems, to prevent such transmission losses.
“This is an opportunity for industry to engage in the development of the next generation of this unit and for housing companies who might want to consider this technology for future developments of net zero buildings.”
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire businesses with a maximum of 250 employees and trading B2Bs are eligible to apply to the SAMPID programme. Industries that will especially benefit from the expertise include aero-auto, energy, agri-tech, medical technology, applied materials, transport, and food and drink.
Book a place on the Supporting Staffordshire Manufacturers Through Innovation webinar on Thursday 16 February, 2 – 4pm.
For more information, please contact the Business Engagement team by emailing employers@staffs.ac.uk or calling 0800 169 2148.
*Staffordshire Advanced Manufacturing, Prototyping Innovation Demonstrator (SAMPID) is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020