DER Industrialisation Centres

What DER Industrialisation Centres does

DER-IC is a UK government-funded research and innovation network established in 2020 by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge, with operational management anchored at Newcastle University. It coordinates open-access expertise and manufacturing, test, and validation infrastructure for Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) — the underpinning technologies for electrification across sectors including aerospace, automotive, energy, marine, rail, and industrial applications. The network spans four regional centres (North East, Midlands, South West & Wales, Scotland) and comprises over 30 university and Research and Technology Organisation partners, anchored by deep research clusters such as the University of Nottingham's Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group (PEMC) with 170+ active researchers and the University of Warwick's WMG, WMG Winding Centre of Excellence, and Power Electronics Reliability and Failure Analysis Facility (PEATER).

Core infrastructure includes Power Electronics Assembly Lines, Electrical Machines Assembly Lines, the UK's first open-access Rotor Spin Test Facility (University of Sheffield AMRC), a Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Industrial Pilot Line (Swansea University CISM, £5m investment), a Recycled Sintered Magnets Production Line (University of Birmingham, Tyseley Energy Park), and MW-scale electric propulsion and powertrain validation infrastructure (University of Strathclyde PNDC with 1 MW dynamometers and 1 MVA 4-quadrant power supply). Collaborative R&D programmes include H2GEAR (£54m total with GKN Aerospace and the Aerospace Technology Institute for hydrogen-electric aviation propulsion) and UK-Alumotor (£2.85m for sustainable magnet-free electric motors), with the Power Electronics Reliable Manufacturing In-process Testing (PERMIT) facility at WMG supporting de-risking of new EV power electronics technology.

DER-IC's revenue model is grant-based, anchored by an initial £72m+ UKRI allocation (£33m for the four centres, £33m+ for collaborative industry-led innovation, £6m for skills) supplemented by programme-specific grants from the Aerospace Technology Institute, Transport Scotland, and other funders. Commercial engagement occurs through direct contracts for equipment access, SME advisory services, the Electric Revolution Skills Hub (delivered with Coventry University), and a national online portal enabling partners to highlight PEMD capability and promote business-to-business collaboration. Customers and partners span enterprise (GKN Aerospace, Cummins, Ricardo, Aeristech, Intelligent Energy, WMG), government (Transport Scotland), and academia, with go-to-market executed via four regional centre contacts and a small core team.

Name

DER Industrialisation Centres

Legal name

Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centres

Website

https://der-ic.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DER-IC is a UK government-funded research network established by UKRI in 2020, coordinating 30+ university and RTO partners across four regional centres to provide open-access PEMD manufacturing, testing, and validation equipment to UK industry and SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Power Electronics, Machines and Drives Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

DER Management Systems (DERMS) & Virtual Power Plants (VPP) (EUADAPAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

DER Compliance, Certification & Testing (Commissioning, Ride-Through) (EUADALAN)

Keywords

• Power electronics manufacturing
• Electrification research facilities
• Machines and drives testing
• PEMD prototyping services
• Manufacturing scale-up

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunderland/North East

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. UK Government Funding: DER-IC is a UK government-funded initiative backed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). £33 million was invested for four national centres, over £33 million for collaborative innovation funding, and £6 million for talent and skills development. Direct commercial contract access to equipment is also offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DER-IC operates a UK-wide open-access network of PEMD manufacturing, test, and validation equipment delivered through four regional centres (North East, Midlands, South West & Wales, Scotland). It engages with industry through collaborative R&D projects funded by UKRI, Innovate UK and regional programmes, offers direct commercial contract access to equipment, provides SME advice and regional support, and runs an online portal for partners to promote PEMD capability and enable business-to-business collaboration.

Product overview

The Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre (DER-IC) is a UK-wide network of over 30 university and Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) partners providing open access to expertise and state-of-the-art manufacturing, test and validation equipment in Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD). The network encompasses regional centres in North East, Midlands, South West & Wales, and Scotland. Core facilities include Power Electronics Assembly Lines, Electrical Machines Assembly Lines, the Rotor Spin Test Facility, Winding Centre of Excellence, Power Electronics Reliability and Failure Analysis Facility, Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Pilot Line, Recycled Sintered Magnets Production Line, and the High Power Integrated Electric Propulsion Accelerator. Additional offerings include collaborative R&D projects such as H2GEAR and UK-Alumotor, and skills development programmes through the Electric Revolution Skills Hub. The network supports manufacturing process development, prototyping, testing, and scale-up across sectors including aerospace, automotive, energy, marine, rail, and industrial.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Power Electronics Assembly Line A cleanroom-based flexible manufacturing platform at DER-IC North East (Newcastle University) enabling custom packaging of silicon die, devices and circuitry, and surface mount circuit board manufacture and inspection with specialist inspection and diagnostic equipment for PEMD customers.
• Electrical Machines Assembly Line An end-to-end platform at DER-IC North East for electrical machine manufacturing process development featuring flexible automated assembly, test and measurement equipment.
• Rotor Spin Test Facility The UK's first open-access facility at University of Sheffield AMRC for high-speed and destructive testing of rotating components including spin balancing, radial growth measurement, fatigue testing, and burst testing with a high-speed camera up to 160,000 frames per second.
• Winding Centre of Excellence A facility at WMG, University of Warwick, for UK supply chain companies to manufacture discrete and continuous hairpin machines to production quality, equipped for distributed winding, concentrated windings for radial and axial flux machines, laser welding and insertion robots.
• Power Electronics Reliability and Failure Analysis Facility Equipment at University of Warwick focused on improving reliability and robustness of Wide Band Gap power electronic modules, including scanning acoustic microscope, environmental chamber, power cycling facility and thermal camera.
• Wide Bandgap Power Electronics Component Industrial Pilot Line A facility at Swansea University's Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) creating a sovereign Wide Band Gap power electronics supply chain, with advanced lithography, etch, deposition, and backend processing capabilities housed in ISO 5 and 6 cleanrooms.
• Recycled Sintered Magnets Production Line A facility at University of Birmingham for a more secure UK end-to-end supply chain of recycled rare earth magnets from processed oxides, including hydrogen reactor over 2000 litres, powder processing and magnetic aligning presses.
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult Prototype Facility A facility at CSA Catapult in Newport for prototyping ceramic and copper elements and sub-assemblies within highly integrated power electronics modules, including ceramic and metal 3D printing and metrology tools.
• High Power Integrated Electric Propulsion and Powertrains Accelerator MW-scale propulsion and powertrain systems validation capability at PNDC, University of Strathclyde with 1 MW-rated dynamometers, 1 MVA 4-quadrant power supply and power hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure for the energy, marine, aerospace, rail and off-highway sectors.
• Power Electronics Reliable Manufacturing In-process Testing (PERMIT) A flexible semi-automated production line at WMG for assembling prototype power electronics assemblies such as inverters, on-board chargers and DC to DC converters, with in-process testing, data acquisition, and end-of-line test systems for defect analysis and manufacturing validation.
• H2GEAR Programme A £54m collaborative programme developing a cryogenically enhanced propulsion system for sustainable aviation, converting liquid hydrogen to electricity via fuel cells for zero-emission flight, led by GKN Aerospace and Newcastle University within DER-IC.
• UK-Alumotor Project A collaborative project developing sustainable electric motors suitable for volume production, creating a magnet-free motor design that displaces scarce material resources for mass electrification adoption, partnered with Ricardo and WMG.

Quantifiable outcome

• £54m total investment in H2GEAR programme expected to create 3,000+ jobs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Newcastle UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in DER-IC North East with Electrical Power Research Group focusing on high-efficiency, power-dense electrical machines, drives and power converters. Houses Power Electronics Assembly Line and Electrical Machines Assembly Line.
• Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) - University of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped UK's first open-access Rotor Spin Test Facility for testing electrical machine rotors and rotating components with high-speed and destructive testing capabilities.
• University of Nottingham - Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group (PEMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the largest PEMD research groups worldwide with over 170 researchers. Houses UK-EAPF and Future Factory for High Performance Electrical Machines. Home to DER-IC Midlands.
• University of Warwick - School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to PEATER Group for power electronics research and Power Electronics Reliability and Failure Analysis Facility focusing on Wide Band Gap devices.
• Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh Value Manufacturing Catapult leading on Net Zero Mobility. Houses Winding Centre of Excellence and Advanced Propulsion Research Laboratory. Lead for DER-IC Midlands.
• University of Birmingham - Magnetic Materials GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnly UK research group focused on processing and recycling of permanent rare earth magnetic materials. Houses Large Scale Recycling and Production Facility for REPM at Tyseley Energy Park.
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead for DER-IC South West and Wales. Advanced packaging prototype facility with ceramic 3D printing, metal 3D printing, and metrology tools for power electronics innovation.
• Swansea University - Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived £5m investment from DER for wide bandgap power electronics component industrial pilot line. Part of CSconnected compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.
• University of Bristol - Electrical Energy Management GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partnership with industry for power electronics and machine drives research and development, supporting TRL 1-5 research and skills training.
• CPI (Centre for Process Innovation)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Accelerates development, scale-up and commercialisation of deep tech and sustainable manufacturing solutions including magnetic materials and sensors.
• CSconnectedsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective brand for compound semiconductor activities in Wales. £43m total project value (£25m UKRI funds) through Strength in Places Fund supporting research and innovation programs.
• Coventry University - Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver £20m invested in facilities for battery, supercapacitor, hydrogen fuel-cells, e-motors and drives research. Houses 5 powertrain test cells and EMC chamber. Delivery partner for Electric Revolution Skills Hub.
• University of Edinburgh - Electrical Power Conversion GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong track record in electrical power technologies for renewable energy including designing, modelling and testing electrical machines and power converters for offshore renewable energy.
• University of Glasgow - James Watt Nanofabrication CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner1400m2 cleanroom with £35m+ equipment for micro and nanofabrication. Focus on gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor device research. Supported 170 companies from 23 countries.
• Loughborough UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational leader in HVM research with electronics manufacturing central to PEMD portfolio. Electronics Manufacturing Research Group develops Advanced Interconnect Materials (AIMs).
• University of Manchester - eTransport ResearchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFocused on electrification of land, air and sea transport. Develops solutions for more efficient, higher power density systems using advanced materials and improved manufacturing processes.
• Manchester Innovation Activities Hub (MIAH)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrialisation and electrification skills training centre opening 2024. Provides access to fabrication equipment, prototyping support, and workforce upskilling for SMEs.
• Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of High Value Manufacturing Catapult. Focuses on design for X, process development, equipment design, factory design, and supply chain development for net zero technologies.
• Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc (MSIP)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between Dundee City Council, Michelin, and Scottish Enterprise. 32-hectare site focused on sustainable mobility and decarbonisation with LOCATE facility for zero emission drivetrain testing.
• National Composites Centre (NCC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's centre of excellence for composite materials. Provides solutions beyond lightweighting including customizable electromagnetic properties and extreme temperature resistance.
• National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperated by University of Strathclyde. Includes Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) and National Advanced Semiconductor Packaging Centre (NASPC). Part of HVM Catapult.
• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's National Metrology Institute providing measurement capability. 600+ scientists based in Teddington with regional bases including University of Strathclyde.
• GKN AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in H2GEAR programme with Newcastle University. £27m ATI funding matched by GKN and partners for total £54m investment in hydrogen-electric propulsion for aviation.
• Northumbria UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner contributing to DER-IC ecosystem.
• University of St AndrewssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner providing hydrogen platforms capability complementing DER-IC Scotland facilities.
• University of SouthamptonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner contributing to DER-IC ecosystem.
• Teesside UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner contributing to DER-IC ecosystem.
• University College LondonsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner contributing to DER-IC ecosystem.
• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner contributing to DER-IC ecosystem for renewable energy applications.
• National Composites Centre (NCC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner for composite materials expertise in DER-IC.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE Catapult): DER-IC network partner and fellow UK Catapult. Provides large-scale testing for offshore wind, marine, and energy PEMD applications, comparable in funding model and facility-access approach.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM): Germany's leading applied R&D network with similar industrialisation, pilot-line, and process-development capabilities. Closest European analogue to DER-IC's distributed open-access RTO model, though operating on contract research rather than UK grant funding.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): US Department of Energy national lab with deep renewable energy and power electronics test/validation capabilities. Comparable scale, government funding model, and PEMD-adjacent testing infrastructure to DER-IC.
• Manufacturing USA: US network of public-private manufacturing innovation institutes. Closest international structural analogue to DER-IC, providing shared open-access manufacturing R&D infrastructure via government co-investment.
• Centre for Process Innovation (CPI): High Value Manufacturing Catapult member and DER-IC partner. Scales deep-tech and sustainable manufacturing including magnetic materials and sensors, mirroring DER-IC's industrialisation focus areas.

Direct peers

• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult): UK Catapult network member and explicit DER-IC lead for the South West & Wales region. Provides advanced packaging, 3D printing, and metrology for power electronics, directly overlapping with DER-IC's PEMD prototyping and scale-up capabilities.
• Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC): High Value Manufacturing Catapult member and DER-IC network partner. Provides design-for-X, process development, equipment and factory design for net-zero technologies, closely matching DER-IC's industrialisation mandate.
• Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG): DER-IC Midlands lead and High Value Manufacturing Catapult member. Operates Winding Centre of Excellence, PERMIT, and Advanced Propulsion Research Laboratory — directly comparable PEMD manufacturing R&D capabilities serving automotive and aerospace.
• Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC): DER-IC Scotland anchor at University of Strathclyde. Provides MW-scale hardware-in-the-loop and grid integration testing, directly overlapping with DER-IC's High Power Integrated Electric Propulsion and Powertrains Accelerator.
• National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS): DER-IC Scotland lead operated by University of Strathclyde. Houses AFRC and the National Advanced Semiconductor Packaging Centre (NASPC), with overlapping PEMD and advanced packaging capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/driving-the-electric-revolution-industrialisation-centres

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DER Industrialisation Centres