The Manufacturing and the Circular Economy theme at EPSRC invest in high-quality research to support a sustainable, resilient, thriving and productive future for the UK-wide manufacturing sector and a truly circular economy.
To enable this, our mission is to work in partnership with stakeholders across and beyond UKRI to:
- support high-impact, interdisciplinary research that is co-created with users and broader stakeholders
- actively manage an environmentally sustainable portfolio to accelerate translation and implementation of fundamental research to deliver real-world impacts (economic, social and environmental), enhancing the UK manufacturing base and realising a more circular economy
- embed consideration of and design for manufacturing and the circular economy, in research and training across the EPS landscape and throughout the research and innovation lifecycle
EPSRC manufacturing research spans:
- underpinning science
- simulation and design
- production
- fabrication
- systems and services in manufacturing
This research helps to drive the innovation in high-value manufacturing that is necessary for a competitive manufacturing sector.
The circular economy is crucial to achieving net zero carbon emission targets, as well as reducing waste and pollution harmful to biodiversity, and enhancing resource security. It supports:
- reducing consumption
- keeping resources in use for as long as possible
- extracting the maximum value from them while in use
- recovering products, materials and feedstocks after use
Achieving the promise of a more circular economy requires research and innovation across the engineering and physical sciences landscape.
Key engagement activities
We regularly engage with the Manufacturing and the Circular Economy Strategic Advisory Team to support the development and implementation of strategic activities. They provide timely thematic advice, drawing on a range of perspectives from across our remit. The team members include a range of stakeholders within the research and innovation community.
The Early career forum in manufacturing research has been active since 2012 with refreshes of membership occurring every 18 months. Forum members have a strong focus on advancing the UK’s international reputation in manufacturing research, are open to developing interdisciplinary research agendas, and have an interest in participating in research policy development.
Related research priorities
Support for world-leading, high-impact manufacturing and circular economy research across and beyond the remit of EPSRC is essential to deliver on national and global priorities.
In the near term we have identified five more targeted research priorities and two which apply across a broader portfolio for the area. These priority areas will evolve as the national context and research landscape change.
They do not encompass everything we will support in the area, but detail near-term priorities we’ll be looking to drive forwards through targeted activities and which applicants should consider when developing applications.
Manufacture the next generation
We need to find new ways to manufacture the next generation: things we do not yet know how to make but will be vital to future technologies, and more sustainable, resilient and productive ways to manufacture those we already do. We need to drive forward truly innovative manufacturing keeping the UK at the forefront of the area.
Advancing recycling capability
Recognising that recycling is not the first choice in a circular economy, we need research into advancing recycling capability, from enabling technologies like product passports to sorting and new recycling technologies. We want to support new technologies and improve existing ones, making them more sustainable and more economic.
Materials for a sustainable future
We want to support materials for a sustainable future through the development of more sustainable materials and more sustainable methods of manufacture. We aim to embed sustainability and circular economy considerations throughout the materials lifecycle from design to manufacture and into use.
Realising the transformational impact of digital technologies
This research priority is essential to accelerate the uptake of state-of-the-art digital technologies, to advance manufacturing and enable a circular economy. The potential benefits are significant, from the utilisation of data to underpin a circular economy, the automation of manufacturing to increase productivity, through to the use of modelling to accelerate and reduce the cost of development.
With effective consideration of the environmental impacts of more digital or data-driven approaches, we aim to accelerate the translation of digital technologies to realise their transformative potential .
Maximising value from existing resources and systems
This is an important and often overlooked aspect of the circular economy. We want to support innovative technologies focusing on:
- extending the life of existing structures, products, components and materials
- prioritising reuse and remanufacturing over recycling at the end of first life
This will significantly reduce the environmental impact and increase the sustainability of the associated systems.
Embed design for sustainability and drive a systems approach
The need for these two priorities is embedded across the whole research portfolio.
To truly realise a sustainable future and a circular economy, the principles of sustainability (social, environmental and economic) must be embedded through design from the very start of the innovation process.
Products, processes and systems need to be designed to be low carbon and low pollution in use and manufacture, to be durable and repairable, and at the end of a long life to enable recovery and recycling.
Alongside this we need to consider the social impacts of the research. Where possible researchers should go further and use regenerative design with minimal environmental impact, to create products which repair the damage done to the planet.
A whole systems approach encourages solutions and innovations with greater impact, while minimising and mitigating unintended consequences.
It is a discovery process combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to understand and manage technological systems while considering broader economic, environmental, social, political and behavioural factors, at the same time taking into account complex interactions.
Cross-cutting principles
To deliver the long-term impact we want for the portfolio, EPSRC also aims to follow the following cross-cutting principles throughout the portfolio:
- driving active engagement with stakeholders
- interdisciplinary co-creation
- developing people
- embedding environmental sustainability
