Electronics Weekly Electronics Design & Components Tech News
Professor Mike Capaldi, dean of innovation and business at Newcastle University, is to be the Chair of UK power, electronics, machines and drives (PEMD) manufacturing network DER-IC.
Funded by Innovate UK, the network offers access to equipment, facilities and expertise from the PEMD manufacturing supply chain.
Capaldi is returning to the network having lead the initial funding application and development of DER-IC in 2019, alongside its former chair Professor Matt Boyle.
In the interval he has been involved with the Electrification Process Innovation Centre (EPIC), Zero Carbon Futures, the North East Battery Alliance, and the Newcastle University’s Institute of Electrification and Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing (IESAM).
Prior to Newcastle University, Capaldi worked in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, then joined the University of Edinburgh as director of innovation in 2010.
“Since its inception,” he said, “DER-IC has supported industry, against a backdrop of multiple lockdowns and geopolitical disruption. The project’s overall mission remains intact [and] it’s now more pertinent than ever that we ensure the highest levels of resilience within our supply chains and seek out new growth opportunities. This necessitates harnessing new technologies and innovative ways of working. Alongside this, the integration of PEMD technologies is essential to supporting the government in decarbonising the UK manufacturing sector. Electrification is a key component of delivering on net zero.”
