India’s Tata Steel and Imperial College in London has firmed up a collaboration to set up a Center for Innovation and Sustainable Design enable the development of high performing and sustainable products in the automotive and clean energy industries through new types of steel and other new materials, and steel combined with other materials, a company statement said on Friday, December 15.
Lighter and stronger types of steel, and steel when combined with other materials such as composites, could foster more energy-efficient and affordable vehicles and clean energy generation.
“Drawing on Imperial and Tata Steel's combined expertise, this new centre will work to reduce the environmental impact in steel production and in key sectors that use steel, like the clean energy sector," Professor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) at Imperial College London said.
“To create a zero-pollution future, it's vital that we prioritise systematic transformation of industrial systems. By doing this, the new centre will contribute to the creation of a high tech and economically successful steel industry, both in the UK and across the world," she said.
The center will also incorporate an accelerator programme designed to support the rapid transfer of new insights to the industry, with Imperial researchers working to develop new technologies to early stages of readiness that will become available for further development and commercialisation by Tata Steel.
The Center for Innovation is a part of Tata Steel's larger endeavour to build stronger industry-academia partnerships for driving technological advancement and creating strategic advantages," said T V Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Stee said.
"The center at Imperial provides a strong academic and research platform with an excellent talent pool. Our goal is to synergise research excellence with industry experience to create cutting-edge technology solutions for a greener future. This initiative reaffirms Tata Steel's unwavering commitment to creating a knowledge-intensive organisation," he said.