Themes - Hubs & Spokes

CONFIRM Centre Research is designed around a HUB and SPOKE research model.  The HUB research programme, wherein SMART 4.0 resides, consists of 3 interrelated areas of smart manufacturing.  The HUB is aimed at low technology readiness level, bottom‐up research in smart manufacturing, where new ideas will be nurtured to become the next generation of industrially impactful technologies in the medium term. 

The HUB research feeds industry‐targeted SPOKE projects, which are co‐funded and co‐led with our industry‐academia network, and where the research from the HUB will find its applications. At the interface of the HUB and SPOKE research programmes is our test‐bed hub where the research ideas will be demonstrated to industry.

SMART 4.0 is perfectly placed to contribute to the HUB research programme, as it will be a bottom‐up programme where international talent will create the next wave of manufacturing technologies to a point where they can be demonstrated, direct to industry. Intersectoral secondment will allow academic work generated in the HUB to transfer to SPOKE research, and its end-use applications.