On Tuesday 6th May, ALFED held the first in a series of dedicated events to explore the development of a UK Aluminium Centre of Excellence, hosted in collaboration with Aston University. The event brought together leading voices from across the aluminium industry and academic community, marking an important step towards establishing a national hub for research, innovation, training, and technical support.
The day opened with a keynote address from ALFED CEO Nadine Bloxsome, who outlined the shared ambition behind the initiative: “This is not yet a fixed institution, but the foundations are being laid. The Centre of Excellence is a serious opportunity for long-term competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability in the UK aluminium sector – and we want it to be shaped by the needs and ambitions of our members.”
Held at Conference Aston, the event featured presentations from Innovate UK and Aston academics working across key areas including sustainable manufacturing, decarbonisation, hydrogen integration, digital systems, and industrial strategy. The agenda also included an industry-academia collaboration showcase with input from companies such as Mechatherm, Hydro, Luffy.ai and Innoval Technology Ltd, as well as an afternoon session focused on apprenticeships, skills, and workforce development.
This initiative seeks to bring stakeholders together to advance a national framework for aluminium innovation, net zero leadership, and industrial growth.
The feedback from members and stakeholders has already been extremely positive. ALFED will now review the insights from the day to progress the vision for a Centre that is grounded in industry needs and linked to tangible opportunities in research and innovation.
We look forward to continuing this important conversation at our upcoming Sustainability Strategy Day on 5th June, where further developments will be shared. For more information or to register interest in the Aluminium Centre of Excellence initiative, please contact us at alfed@alfed.org.uk
