Power electronics sector shows the way forward
1 min read
Too often in the past, electronics industry initiatives have been announced only for them to wither away through lack of further support. So it's good to see action following the establishment earlier this year of PowerelectronicsUK.
The organisation was set up in response to the Government's Strategy for Power Electronics, published in October 2011. This determined the sector offered UK companies a 'huge commercial opportunity' and pointed to an already strong position.
Now, EPSRC is putting an initial £12million, with another £6m to follow, into the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence for power electronics. The money will support four programmes over six years - devices, components, converters and drives - with each programme involving leading UK universities.
New Electronics hopes the recommendations made within the ESCO Report get a similar reception. ESCO is all about the industry getting together, thinking strategically and moving forward. Jamie Urquhart, who chaired the ESCO Report steering committee, says he has seen more engagement within the electronics industry over the last couple of years, with more passion from companies and a desire to reach out.
The ESCO report calls for UK industry to develop a global outlook and for it to develop companies 'of scale', 'smart skills' and 'smart partnerships'. PowerelectronicsUK shows that it is possible to develop smart partnerships; let's hope our industry can move on to achieve some of the other goals.