A consortium led by ERA Technology, part of the Cobham Avionics and Surveillance Division of Cobham plc, has received an investment of £1.9M from the Technology Strategy Board towards a major £3.4m collaborative R&D project. The investment was awarded under the Technology Strategy Board’s Collaborative Research and Development Programme in the category ”Design Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing” for leading-edge research into new aerospace antenna technologies. The project is also funded by a significant PV R&D investment from ERA Technology and the industrial partners, namely Vector Fields and National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

The project, named AMULET (Advanced Materials for Ubiquitous Leading-edge Electromagnetic Technologies), will undertake research into novel artificial materials and their application in the design and manufacture of next generation broadband, multifunctional, adaptive and conformal antennas for aerospace communication and navigation systems. This technology aims to reduce RF interference, weight, aerodynamic drag, cost and system complexity. These innovations should also enable future aircraft to take full advantage of advances in software defined radio as part of multistandard / multiband communication systems. There is a large and growing civil aerospace market for such antennas, as well as potential for numerous commercial and military applications.

	Research new, practical artificial materials, suitable for use in advanced antenna systems;
	Develop advanced CAD tools to model these materials more accurately and efficiently;
	Apply new manufacturing methods to fabricate artificial materials and to validate the benefits offered by new design processes;
	Research and apply state-of-the-art measurement techniques to characterise novel artificial materials, and integrated multifunctional and conformal antenna systems;
	Research new design techniques for wideband communication and satellite navigation antenna systems.

Dr Robert Pearson, Director of Antenna and Electronic Systems at ERA, said: “This is another example of co-operation among leading UK research organisations, underpinned by UK Government funding. The research we are embarking on is truly world-class and will enhance UK plc’s leadership as a provider of aerospace technologies and in the integration of advanced systems”.

Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, commented: "The aim of the Technology Strategy Board is to support the research, development and exploitation of technology for the benefit of the UK economy. We are therefore delighted to invest in this important project, which will help to maintain the UK as a world leader in aerospace technologies."

Background Information:
The Technology Strategy Board is an executive body established by the Government to drive innovation. It promotes and invests in research, development and the exploitation of science, technology and new ideas for the benefit of business - increasing sustainable economic growth in the UK and improving quality of life. For more information, please visit: www.innovateuk.org

ERA Technology has built an international reputation for leading-edge innovation. The company was founded in 1920 and today provides specialist, high value-added, technology-based services including design and development, testing, assessment and expert advice. ERA’s services reduce technical and commercial risk, improve the operational performance of engineering infrastructure assets, and enhance the competitiveness of products and systems.

ERA Technology is a part of the Cobham Avionics and Surveillance Division of Cobham plc. For more information please visit: www.era.co.uk

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK’s National Measurement Institute and is a world-leading centre of excellence in developing and applying the most accurate measurement standards, science and technology available to man. For more than a century NPL has developed and maintained the nation’s primary measurement standards. These standards underpin an infrastructure of traceability throughout the UK and the world that ensures accuracy and consistency of measurement. For more information, please visit: www.npl.co.uk

Queen Mary, University of London is one of the UK's leading research-focused higher education institutions with some 13,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. Queen Mary’s 2,800 staff deliver world class degree programmes and research across 21 academic departments and institutes, within three sectors: Science and Engineering; Humanities, Social Sciences and Laws; and the School of Medicine and Dentistry. Queen Mary has an annual turnover of £200 million, research income worth £43 million, and generates employment and output worth £500 million to the UK economy each year. For more information, please visit: www.qmul.ac.uk

Vector Fields, a business unit of ERA Technology, is the leading supplier of electromagnetic analysis and design software to industry, universities and research establishments throughout the world. Vector Fields offers a complete range of two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) electromagnetic design, modelling, analysis and simulation software. For more information, please visit: www.vectorfields.com

For more information, please contact: marketing@era.co.uk