Development of a National Framework for Materials 4.0 - across the UK Materials Innovation and Manufacturing Supply Chain

Tender description

Introduction<br />The UK is entering a pivotal phase in the evolution of its materials science and innovation <br />capabilities. The National Materials Innovation Strategy identifies the development of <br />a digital thread—spanning materials discovery, manufacturing, and reuse (commonly <br />referred to as Materials 4.0)—as a critical pathway to unlocking faster scientific advances <br />and significant economic value across the national materials supply chain.<br />This tender invites proposals for the design and development of an implementation <br />strategy for a national, connected framework that will accelerate the widespread adoption <br />and integration of Materials 4.0 across the UK’s materials innovation ecosystem and <br />industrial supply chain. <br />Alongside the development of the overarching National Materials 4.0 framework there is <br />the dual requirement to propose and instigate two demonstrator projects – the purpose of <br />these will be to:<br />• demonstrate the applicability of the framework to different material sectors <br />• articulate the top-down opportunities which Materials 4.0 offers<br />• provide exemplar case studies to bring the framework ‘alive’<br />(Please note that funding and delivery of these individual projects is outside the scope of <br />this tender, but it is anticipated that the successful organisation would be involved in their <br />management/delivery subject to successful delivery of the framework.)<br /><br />Background<br />Materials 4.0 represents the application of digital technologies—such as artificial <br />intelligence (AI), high-throughput simulation, digital twins, materials passports and data <br />infrastructure—within the full materials lifecycle, from discovery to end-of-life. Crucially <br />it also considers the transfer of process and modelling information along the materials <br />manufacturing supply chain ultimately including the integration of real-time operational <br />data into predicting materials performance. <br />Countries including Germany, the USA, and Japan have already begun to build elements <br />of national frameworks supporting this paradigm shift.<br />The UK possesses significant strengths in materials science, advanced manufacturing, and <br />digital engineering. However, national coordination is needed to identify the opportunities <br />with Materials 4.0 realises, align UK capabilities, de-risk investments, foster collaboration <br />across sectors and realise the tangible benefits afforded from an accelerated path.<br /><br />Objectives<br />The primary objective of this project is to clarify the opportunities and develop a <br />coherent, actionable national framework/structure for embedding Materials 4.0 <br />into the UK’s materials innovation and supply chain. This will include:<br />• Producing an overarching vision of Materials 4.0 with a common lexicon and <br />processes, which has community buy-in.<br />• Mapping the current UK landscape and identifying critical capability gaps with <br />benchmarking to other national frameworks and detailing technical maturity.<br />• Proposing a national policy and coordination model that enables national <br />alignment.<br />• Developing an implementation roadmap with milestones, investment pathways, <br />and stakeholder roles demonstrated through execution of a minimum of three <br />top-down opportunities where digital will address key materials challenges. <br />• Communicate how the roadmap compares and complements related national <br />and international activities.<br />• Recommending mechanisms to connect research, technology development, <br />scale-up, and supply chain resilience