AWE is investing in up to 10 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in the next decade in partnership with UK universities. Each CoE focuses on delivering strategic and collaborative R&D, aligned to future capability, that supports the company’s mission in national defence and nuclear security – keeping the nation safe.
A Centre of Excellence is a dedicated, collaborative hub that brings together expertise, research and resources to deliver high‑quality outcomes in a specific field, driving research, innovation, strategic thinking, skills development and measurable impact.
AWE has so far launched four Centres of Excellence: Scientific Computing Centre of Excellence (SCCoE), the Future Systems Materials Technologies (FSMT) Centre of Excellence, theQuantum Technologies Centre of Excellence, and the Actinides Centre of Excellence (ACE)
Each centre focuses on capability areas of critical national importance – computing, materials, and emerging quantum technologies – together reinforcing AWE’s leadership and reputation in advanced research.
Collectively, the CoEs demonstrate a sustained commitment to strengthening the UK’s science, engineering and technology, and research and innovation. At the heart of AWE’s academic engagement strategy, the CoEs create collaborative environments where university researchers and AWE experts work together to tackle shared science and engineering challenges and develop their knowledge and expertise.
While distinct in technical focus, all the CoEs are united by a shared commitment to research excellence, nuclear skills development and impact for AWE, the wider defence enterprise and the National Endeavour.
Across all three CoEs, AWE demonstrates a model of collaboration that strengthens national capability; delivers high‑quality research outputs; builds talent pipelines; and enables translation to impact.
Dave Bond, who leads the portfolio of AWE’s Centres of Excellence through the External Technical Partnerships Office, said:
“Together, the SCCoE, FSMT CoE,Quantum CoE and ACE show AWE’s national responsibility to advancing nuclear science and technology and academia-industry partnerships. It also shows the big investments that AWE is making that will help inspire future generations of scientists and engineers.
“Each centre focuses on a different but, crucially, a connected area – computing, materials, and quantum – supporting current needs whilst also ensuring an enduring national capability.
“Overall, they benefit not just AWE, but the wider UK science and industry sector.”
Rosalind Gill, Director of Policy, Analysis and External Affairs at the National Centre for Universities and Business, said:
“AWE’s Centres of Excellence demonstrate the real value of sustained, strategic collaboration between business and universities. Bringing together AWE’s expertise, resources and national priorities with the research strengths of our world-class universities, these partnerships are advancing critical technologies, developing future skills and strengthening UK capability.
“This is university-business collaboration at its best – combining industry and research expertise with targeted investment to address important challenges and deliver lasting impact. Partnerships like this exemplify what can be achieved when universities and business work together. NCUB exists to support and champion exactly these types of initiatives to help realise the full potential of the UK’s research, innovation and skills ecosystem.”
More information about AWE’s Centre of Excellence and other partnerships can be found on its website: https://www.awe.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/awe/
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