Fired-up performance from The AMRICC Centre in milestone year

A strong set of performance figures from its first year of operations reveal The AMRICC Centre located in Stone, Staffordshire is already playing a pivotal role to support the UK’s standing within the multi-billion pound global advanced ceramics sector.

An audit of the UK’s Centre of Excellence for advanced ceramic technologies reports a growing case load of high impact commercial projects, undertaken across the defence, aerospace, energy, space, and healthcare sectors.

Opened in February 2024, the £10 million development stands as the physical outcome from the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group’s (MICG) £18.27 million research programme, funded by Government under UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.

It is the UK’s only advanced ceramics pilot-scale facility, providing the ability to rapidly solve materials development and production challenges, and therefore accelerate products to market.

Dr Cathryn Hickey, CEO of AMRICC, said: “The AMRICC Centre has now transitioned from commissioning to commercial delivery, with a great deal of positive early momentum and increasing recognition as a successful representation of a public/private partnership.

“With an equipment suite of over 350 items of high-value technology and an open-access structure that enables product and process development to be carried out at an industrially relevant scale, it provides a unique resource.

“The facility has already successfully delivered 150 projects in critical sectors, including nuclear, ceramic matrix composite (CMC) development, energy transition technologies, and traditional ceramics, and attracted 22 new companies.

“Many of these organisations have already returned for more engagement demonstrating early trust in its capabilities.

“The AMRICC Centre is also driving an increase in engagement, seeing footfall rising in the form of customer visits, demonstrations, and hosted meetings, while equipment utilisation has also been strong, showing clear evidence of the growing demand.

“Together, this demonstrates the value and impact of The AMRICC Centre as a national and international asset in the materials development space, and with infrastructure, technical expertise, partnerships, and momentum firmly in place, it is set for continued growth as it expands its commercial footprint.”

Overall financial sponsor Lucideon, a founding partner of the MICG, hosts and manages The AMRICC Centre, investing millions of pounds in the Centre itself and providing access to industry expertise.

Tony Kinsella, CEO of Lucideon, said: “The work undertaken in its first year underscores the significance of The AMRICC Centre as a place uniquely positioned to bring together sectors, places, and systems, at local, national, and global scale.

“The development has already pumped around £4 million into the local economy for equipment, services and material supply.

“The projects being undertaken boost productivity, support innovation, and strengthen the UK’s industrial base.

“By 2030, the projected global market size for advanced ceramics is forecast at $147.34 billion, with a 4.2% compound annual growth rate.

“The UK market specifically is expected to grow by up to £8 billion, with a predicted compound annual growth rate of 12.8%.

“Of major significance is the fact that this growth represents an expectation for advanced ceramics to drive productivity and competitiveness across a wide range of advanced manufacturing industries.

“As an exemplar of a successful public/private funding partnership, The AMRICC Centre ensures the UK is centre-stage in this critical, high-value environment.”

Other highlights of The AMRICC Centre’s first year of operations include the launch in April of an educational hub.

The AMRICC Academy gives scientists and engineers the future skills needed to grasp opportunities in the sector, providing next-generation training and development programmes that address emerging industry challenges and tackle a skills gap in both traditional and advanced ceramics.

The AMRICC Centre has produced an annual review of its 2025 performance, which can be viewed at www.amricc.com/YIR