Future Technologies Workshop

These workshops are part of the activities being held during the Welding, Joining and Manufacturing Exhibition at TWI Ltd.

As part of the Welding, Joining & Manufacturing Exhibition TWI is holding at their headquarters in Cambridge, there will be a number of workshops focussed on our industry-specific activities.

Future Technology – The Impact of Great Research

Key Speakers include:

The session features distinguished external speakers from IOM3, Make UK, and leading industry partners, offering a broad perspective on current and future trends.

Lecture Room 1 - Innovation Lecture Room at Expo – The Impact of Good Research

• The Innovation Lecture Room at the expo is dedicated to exploring "the Impact of Good Research" as its central theme. Distinguished external speakers from IOM3, Make UK, and leading industry partners provide a broad perspective on how high-quality research drives innovation, supports industry transformation, and delivers tangible benefits for society and the economy.

Key topics addressed in the session include:

• Technology Roadmap: An overview of TWI’s strategic investment and development plan, highlighting cross-cutting themes such as automation, robotics, data science, and quality management. The roadmap sets out how TWI and its partners are prioritizing capabilities to meet industry needs over the next decade, with a focus on sustainability, safety, and accelerating the adoption of new technologies.

• The Future of Welding and Joining: Insights into emerging techniques such as friction stir welding, advanced additive manufacturing, and novel joining methods for challenging applications (e.g., hydrogen storage, offshore wind structures). The session explores how these innovations are shaping the future of manufacturing and enabling net zero ambitions.

• TWI’s Greatest Innovations – What’s Next: A deep dive into TWI’s most impactful research and development successes, including case studies from the Core Research Programme and collaborative projects. Presenters discuss how these innovations are being translated into industrial practice and what the next steps are for continued impact.

• The lecture room also provides opportunities for interactive discussion, networking, and one-to-one innovation clinics, ensuring attendees can engage directly with experts and explore collaboration opportunities.

Lecture Room 2 - Innovation Centre Showcase

Purpose: Visibility, Alignment, and Strategic Context

The Innovation Centre Showcase provides a structured introduction to TWI’s Innovation Centre network and its role in driving industry-led, collaborative innovation.

The session opens with a strategic overview on the value of Innovation Centres – how they operate at the interface between industry, academia, and public funding, and how they support organisations in addressing complex technical and societal challenges. This is followed by short, focused introductions from each Innovation Centre, highlighting:

• Core technical capabilities and facilities

• Key research and innovation themes

• Priority industry sectors and application areas

A moderated panel discussion then brings Centre leads together to explore cross-cutting themes (e.g. digitalisation, net zero, materials, manufacturing, sustainability), opportunities for joint working between Centres, and how industry and SMEs can engage – either as project partners, challenge owners, or adopters of innovation.

• Brunel University London

• University of Leicester

• Anglia Ruskin University

• University of Huddersfield

• University of Arts London

• Innovate UK

Brokerage Session

Purpose: Matchmaking, Project Formation, and Funding Readiness

The Brokerage Session is a highly interactive, project-focused forum designed to turn shared interests into fundable collaborations. This session creates structured opportunities for matchmaking between organisations, ideas, and funding routes.

The session begins with an external speaker, such as an Innovate UK National Contact Point (NCP), who provides an overview of the current collaborative funding landscape (both UK and EU – specific focus on Horizon Europe).

This is followed by a series of short project pitches, typically 3–5 minutes each, delivered by IC/VICs, TWI (project leads) or other partners. Pitches focus on clearly defined challenge areas or project concepts, outlining:

• The concept definition

• The targeted funding call

• The type of expertise or partners sought

After the pitches, attendees break into facilitated brokerage discussions, either around specific pitch topics or thematic areas, allowing participants to explore fit, ask questions, and identify concrete next steps.