The University of Bath’s pioneering car-of-the-future research centre, due to open in 2020, has appointed its first programme director.
Gavin Edwards, pictured, joined the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) this week from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), an academic department at the University of Warwick providing research, education and knowledge transfer in engineering, manufacturing and technology.
As programme director, Gavin will oversee all aspects of IAAPS, which will be a world-beating automotive research centre and will help develop the next generation of ultra-low emission vehicles.
Construction work on the £60m centre, pictured below, at the Bristol and Bath Science Park will start this summer.
The centre will exploit the university’s existing engineering expertise for the benefit of the UK automotive industry, stimulating more than £67m in additional automotive research investment by 2025, creating an additional turnover of £800m for the UK automotive sector and supporting nearly 1,900 new highly productive jobs.
It will also help create an innovative automotive industry cluster in the South West by providing access to its state-of-the art facilities to regional start-ups and small to medium-sized companies.
Gavin will be responsible for delivering IAAPS, including the building itself and equipment and facilities, ensuring it leads the way in developing the next generation of ultra-low emission vehicles and continues to work with commercial partners.
He will work closely with the university’s Faculty of Engineering & Design and other teams to help realise the university’s ambition of developing a global centre of excellence capable of transformational research and innovation.
He will also work with the university’s Department of Estates on the physical aspects of IAAPS to deliver a world-class facility.
Gavin has a strong background in project and programme management and extensive experience in leading multimillion-pound automotive research projects.
In his current position, he has overseen the inception and development of the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) and Advanced Propulsion Research Laboratory (APRL) at the University of Warwick and was a key member of the bid team securing £30m of government funding for NAIC & APRL.
He said: “IAAPS will be both a national and regional asset, helping to ensure the UK maintains and expands its global position within the automotive sector whilst supporting the development of a much larger and more competitive automotive business cluster in the South West.
“With construction due to start this summer, there is much to be done and I am looking forward to begin working alongside colleagues and ensure IAAPS meets its objectives.”
Vice-president (implementation) Prof Steve Egan added: “We are thrilled to have secured Gavin’s services to lead IAAPS in the next stages of development. His experience and familiarity in overseeing significant capital projects in the automotive industry made him an ideal candidate for this critical role.”
The IAAPS will work with global companies such as McLaren, Ford and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as local businesses such as additive manufacturing pioneer HiETA Technologies, also based on the Bristol & Bath Science Park.
The centre has received capital investment of £28.9m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s (HEFCE) UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) as well as £10m from the West of England Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership.
