Manufacturing business support powered by the University of Sheffield AMRC
Turn your concepts into commercial reality. The University of Sheffield AMRC supports manufacturing businesses across the entire innovation lifecycle through Make. Scale. Grow. - delivering the expertise, advanced facilities and industry networks needed to drive long-term economic impact.
Whether you are an entrepreneur exploring a brand-new idea, an ambitious business preparing to scale production, or an established manufacturer improving operational efficiency, our lifecycle-driven framework connects you to the right support at the right time.
Why work with the AMRC?
As a world-leading research organisation, we bridge the gap between academic innovation and industrial application. Partnering with us through Make. Scale. Grow. gives your business a distinct competitive advantage:
- End-to-end lifecycle support: Access a seamless, repeatable framework designed to guide you from early-stage concept validation to long-term operational growth.
- World-class facilities and R&D: De-risk your investments by utilising our cutting-edge manufacturing equipment, industrial testbeds and research expertise.
- Powerful industrial networks: Connect with corporate sponsors, strategic investors, tier-one manufacturers and national grant funders.
- Strategic policy alignment: Benefit from support that directly aligns with the language and priorities of the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy, Innovate UK, UK Research and Innovation and regional economic development initiatives.
Our manufacturing innovation pillars
The Make. Scale. Grow. framework simplifies how you interact with our capabilities.
Select the pillar that best matches your business maturity, technical needs and strategic goals.
Innovation pillars
Purpose: Supporting early-stage engineering concepts as they develop into investable, scalable market opportunities.
This is designed for start-ups, spin-outs, entrepreneurs and early innovators who need to validate a new technology or product concept. We help you de-risk early choices through technical insight and physical validation before heavy capital investment.
Best for: Developing pre-revenue ideas, initial prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs).
Key offerings:
- Early-stage ideas and concept development.
- Prototyping and test-before-invest verification.
- Early-stage research and technical feasibility studies.
- Access to specialised pre-acceleration programmes.
Purpose: Helping high-growth companies transition from early commercial traction to high rate production
This supports ambitious, revenue-generating (£5m+) scale-ups and high-growth (10-20% YoY for 3 years) SMEs in setting up manufacturing capacity in 18-24 months. SMEs might be operating in complex, regulated and asset-heavy sectors like aerospace, defence and energy. We assist technical teams in planning robust supply chains, achieving industry certifications and preparing for structured delivery with major industrial partners.
Best for: Younger, high-growth SMEs needing short-term operational support to scale products and enter new markets.
Key offerings:
- Dedicated acceleration programmes connecting to Industrial Strategy Zones and Human capital.
- Industry connections and rapid pilot opportunities to test technologies in sandbox environments.
- Direct pathways to national grant funders, regional funders and corporate sponsors aligning to the government's Modern Industrial Strategy.
- Option to incubate for a year while the new factories get commissioned.
Purpose: Supporting established manufacturers and firms to drive sustainable productivity gains.
This focuses on established mid-sized businesses and microbusinesses looking to secure their future market competitiveness. Through long-term strategic collaborations spanning multiple projects, we help you modernise existing factory environments, improve manufacturing margins and embed regional economic resilience.
Best for: Established SMEs (typically 10–250 employees) seeking long-term strategic, productivity and regional impact support.
Key offerings:
- SME productivity, operational efficiency and competitiveness support.
- Targeted manufacturing technology adoption and digital innovation diffusion.
- Long-term industry collaboration and strategic research partnerships.
- Place-based economic development, regional funding alignment and national policy engagement.
Find the right support for your business. Tell us where you are on your manufacturing journey, and our business development team will connect you with the ideal Make. Scale. Grow. initiative.
The past decade has been defined by repeated disruption to global supply chains. At the AMRC, we’re using our unique position within the UK manufacturing landscape to build capability, strengthen industry and create more resilient supply chains here in the UK.
By connecting UK businesses and bringing together expertise from across the supply chain, we can help our industrial partners build greater resilience, respond to changing demand, navigate supply constraints and overcome logistical challenges.
Increasing the number of components and products manufactured in the UK can also drive economic growth across regions, strengthen industrial capability and reduce reliance on global supply chains. Ultimately, our ambition is to help build more resilient, competitive and sustainable supply chains supporting the transition towards a zero-carbon future.