Links with industry

The University works with a huge range of local, national and global companies in both the public and private sectors. More than 2000 industrial sponsors support and apply our research. Here are a few examples

Rolls-Royce. The University hosts four Rolls-Royce University Technology Centres, designed to help Rolls-Royce enhance its products, improve productivity and reduce cost-of-ownership.

The Boeing Company. Sheffield is one of only three universities in the UK formally engaged with Boeing. This involves long-term research and development work to improve the quality and performance of Boeing´s aerospace products. This work, based at our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, also involves close liaison with other industry leaders such as Messier-Dowty, BAE Systems, Alcoa and Rolls Royce. On a smaller scale the University also works with local aerospace supply chain companies to increase their competitiveness.

Major pharmaceutical companies such as Astra-Zeneca, Pfizer, UCB and GlaxoSmithKline are sponsoring research in the molecular life sciences to develop new drugs and improve drug safety. We are also one of only a few universities to have two GlaxoSmithKline clinician scientists working at the University.

In the public sector the University works with various organisations, including Sheffield and Barnsley Hospitals, South Yorkshire Police, Sheffield City Council and the Environment Agency.

However, the University does not only work with existing companies. It also creates new spin-out companies, exploiting the knowledge generated through University research. Over the last five years the University has created more than 40 new companies. Many of these have gone on to form partnerships with industry to enable their further development.