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It has been selected as the ‘spoke’ for internal combustion engine thermal efficiency by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), formed in 2013 from a commitment between the government and automotive industry to bring together those with good ideas and those who can bring them to market.

The APC’s aim is to position the UK, through the Automotive Council, as a global centre of excellence for low carbon powertrain development and production.

The University of Brighton was selected following an assessment process undertaken by independent industry experts.

Chief Executive of the APC, Ian Constance, said: “The APC has already invested in programmes worth more than £174 million which will secure or create at least 4,500 UK jobs across business and academia from the first three rounds of competition funding. The APC Spoke network connects the communities of expertise with the opportunities available over the next decade for the development and production of low carbon propulsion technology.”

Professor Morgan Heikal

The Advanced Engineering Centre at the University of Brighton

Morgan Heikal, Professor of Thermofluids at the University of Brighton’s School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, said: “The APC-Internal Combustion Engine Thermal Efficiency Spoke is all about collaboration and co-operation and we at the University of Brighton have always enjoyed working in partnership and collaborating with many universities and industrial organisations.

“The spoke gives us a great opportunity to develop and co-ordinate more teams to meet the need of the UK automotive industry and to enhance its standing.

“We are very lucky in the UK to have so many excellent automotive research and development teams. The collaboration of these teams through the spoke will bring together these talents and give the UK automotive industry a distinct advantage and help to realise the potential of its expertise.”

The University of Brighton is seen as a centre of excellence in the field of automotive research and last month Brighton and Hove City Council’s Planning Committee gave approval for the university to build a £14m Advanced Engineering Centre (AEC) on its Moulsecoomb campus.

Work is expected to start in the next few weeks and is scheduled for completion in December next year.

The AEC will allow the university to establish world-class specialist teaching facilities alongside state-of-the-art research laboratories with its long term partners.

The AEC will support the further expansion and enhancement of the partnership between the automotive industry and the university to advance the design and development of novel low-carbon internal combustion systems, with the wider objectives of advancing technological knowledge and supporting the advanced training needs of the next generation of engineers for the region.

Professor Andrew Lloyd, Dean of the university’s College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, said: “These are very exciting times for the university and its researchers and we are delighted to have been selected as spoke for the APC.

“This is in no small way recognition of the hard work, skills and professionalism of Professor Heikal and his team.”

Brighton’s was one of two spoke appointments, the second going to the University of Bath.

Business Minister Anna Soubry said: “This is great news for the universities of Bath and Brighton and another step forward for the Advanced Propulsion Centre.

“The automotive sector and its supply chain are a vital part of the UK economy and these new spokes will bring together the communities to ensure we have the skills we need for the future. By harnessing new technologies and getting ahead of the game in research and development, the UK will be in the driving seat to develop the vehicles of tomorrow.”