Integration of sustainable
technology development, manufacture and deployment
University of Ulster
The future development of an Institute of Sustainable Technologies at the University of Ulster is possible because of the excellent progress within the Centre for Sustainable Technologies, whose primary focus is that of energy research. This Centre must now build on its recent successful UK Research Assessment Exercise while also considering how to expand into the broader local economy, generating wealth and employment from its position of research leadership.
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The concept of an Institute of Sustainable Technologies has received support from within the University and beyond. It incorporates energy research and development with manufacturing and deployment, creating both horizontal and integral integration of the supply chain across a wide range of emerging sustainable technologies. Therefore the development of new technologies has early stage engagement with manufacturing and installation specialists and relevant stakeholder groups in order to accelerate product development and also ensuring the appropriate workforce skills are in place in specification, design manufacture and implementation to deliver these concepts into local, national and international markets.
Developing a skilled workforce
New integrated educational programmes are proposed between further education colleges and the University of Ulster to provide the necessary specification, design manufacture and implementation underpinning training at the appropriate levels. This will create a flexible skilled workforce able to adapt to the needs to developing rafts of sustainable technologies, their manufacture and deployment.
Integrated thinking with city developers will allow ready markets to be developed in local areas for leading edge products. This will enhance the local region as well as act as a unique demonstrator to showcase these technologies, the technology development model and how vibrant city planning can be incorporated without the loss of heritage or character but still move forward on the energy security of supply and environmental impact agendas.
Much of this activity is based on the excellent and diverse precision engineering base for which Northern Ireland is famous. A major role of the Institute of Sustainable Technologies is to coordinate such activities, allowing this strong engineering base to diversify into indigenously developed sustainable energy technologies.
An example of Northern Ireland’s commitment to this integrated approach is the recently launched Global Wind Alliance supported by Invest Northern Ireland. This network of companies and academia has come together because of the challenges associated with large scale wind turbine deployment, in particular the provision of a complete local maintenance capability and development of innovative solutions to the future challenges of such a large scale deployment.
Thus Sustainable Technologies at Ulster is in the vanguard of technology development and is leading efforts to integrate these throughout the region via technology and knowledge transfer into the local manufacturing base, aiding its access into new markets and providing it with the skills necessary to successfully compete in an already significant area.
 University of Ulster
W: www.cst.ulster.ac.uk
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