Innovation Centre
Innovation Centre
Overview
At 33,000m2, NAIC is one of the largest research facilities of its kind in Europe. It houses specialist labs and teams enabling innovations in smart, connected and electrified vehicles.
NAIC houses office and design space for its partner organisations, as well as:
The Advanced Propulsion Research Laboratory (APRL)
Focused on the need to improve air quality and reduce CO2 emissions. Enabled through a £14.5m investment from the UKRPIF, with co-funding from JLR, it is an open access facility enabling development and implementation of world-leading propulsion.
WMG’s Supply Chain Innovation Hub
WMG's Supply Chain Research Group (SCRG) develops and applies innovative strategies and practical solutions to boost resilience, productivity, sustainability, and digital transformation in manufacturing supply chains. Through industry-driven research, we address real-world challenges such as net-zero, resilience, and digital change. Working with industry partners and policymakers, we design and deliver tools and strategies to improve supply chain performance and transparency.
WMG’s Safe Autonomy Research Group
WMG’s Safe Autonomy Research Group’s vision is to enable the safe integration of self-driving vehicle technology into society by eliminating the risk of accidents. Our mission is to generate the knowledge and methodologies industry needs to demonstrate that this technology can be trusted to operate safely in the real world.
The Digital Automation Lab (DAL)
The Digital Automation Lab (DAL) in the NAIC at WMG is a flexible research space for developing and testing advanced automation systems, and related digital manufacturing technologies. It supports research into robotics and automation in the realisation of cyber-physical production systems, combining digital-twin tools with real full-scale industrial hardware. The facility hosts WMG’s Automation Systems Group, working together with other researchers from WMG who collaborate to design and validate smart automation solutions.
Award-winning design
NAIC, the 2021 RIBA West Midlands Building of the Year, delivered a BREEAM Excellent accreditation.
It won the 2020 AIA UK Design Award for Sustainability and the Structural Award at the 2020 Wood Awards.