JLR National Automotive Innovation Campus R&D Cum Academic Center

By Ganesh

Updated: Tuesday, January 28, 2014, 11:55 [IST]

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced its plans to build a £100 million R&D center, National Automotive Innovation Campus (NAIC). The center will be part research base for JLR research teams and part academic center.

NAIC campus will be located at University of Warwick. The campus will be home to over 1000 academics, researchers, technologists and engineers, more than half of whom will be from JLR.

The building will be equipped with the most high tech testing and research facilities, that will accelerate development of automotive related technology, including electric and hybrid powertrain, Human machine Interface and inter vehicle connectivity.

Dr. Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: "Investing in collaboration, innovation, research and education is vital if we want to be on a par with our international competitors. Our future sales success, the success of our global business - and the UK economy - lies in the engineering and innovation that will take place in NAIC.

Half the investment into the construction of the center will come from JLR. The other half will be taken care of by Tata Motors European Technical Centre (TMETC), WMG (Warwick Manufacturing Group ) and the UK Government's Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE).

Some 200 JLR researches are already based in Warwick University, involved in various automotive research work. This number will be increased once NAIC comes up. Besides conducting industry related R&D, the campus will also host engineering and school students, who will be able to use the center's laboratories and other facilities.

"The NAIC will become a centre of training and skills to help ensure we have enough young people wanting to develop a career in engineering and manufacturing. NAIC will also play a key role in nurturing the next generation of engineers and technologists." Dr. Wolfgang Epple added.

Construction of the National Automotive Innovation Campus will begin in September 2014. It is scheduled to open 2016.