Cranfield's AIRC will help companies ‘navigate the valley of death'

Cranfield University’s Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) will help steer new ideas through ‘the valley of death’ between research and commercialisation, according to the centre’s head Tim Mackley.

“We’re working on stages 4 and 5,” he said, speaking during a tour as part of Capstone MBA Conference. “Stage 3 is where the universities generally let go of a piece of research, and stage 6 is where companies pick it up. There’s often that area where it just falls.”

That's the stage which is known as the valley of death in entrepreneurial circles - the stage in a product's development where the funding dries up because the scientific breakthroughs have been accomplished, but the innovation isn't a viable product yet.

With funding from the Aerospace Technology Institute, Mackley hopes that the AIRC can bring those ideas to market by providing a place for further experiments to be done.

The new centre is due to officially open in September, but has been in limited operation since January. It was funded with a £35m investment from Cranfield, HEFCE and Rolls-Royce to encourage collaboration between academia and industry. “We’re a neutral ground for experimentation,” explained Mackley.

There is ongoing work at the centre on collaborative robots and drones as well as planes. There are virtual wind tunnels and simulators for testing designs. “Simulation is really key. The concept here is applying the research and plugging it into simulators that see as the aircraft moves how it affects the experience,” said Mackley.

Planes can also be tested in the real world, as Cranfield is the only university in the country with its own airport, which is immediately adjacent to the AIRC.