Access to equipment and facilities

Staff in our business gateways will be very happy to discuss your needs and to put you in contact with academics who can help. Please contact us for more information.

Here is sample of the wide range of world-class facilities here at the University.

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)

The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a network of world-leading research and innovation centres working with manufacturing companies of any size from around the globe. 

The AMRC specialises in carrying out world-leading research into advanced machining, manufacturing and materials, which is of practical use to industry.

Businesses can work with the AMRC on a one-off project, or join as a member for long-term collaboration.

The AMRC Factory 2050

The AMRC Factory 2050 is the UK’s first state of the art factory, entirely dedicated to conducting collaborative research into reconfigurable digitally assisted assembly, component manufacturing and machining technologies and is capable of rapidly switching production between different high-value components and one-off parts.

The 6,730 square meter landmark circular glass building and rectangular extension is home to the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group (IMG). IMG’s work spans robotics and automation, integrated large volume metrology, digitally assisted assembly and manufacturing informatics.

Arthur Willis Environment Centre

The Arthur Willis Environment Centre is the result of a £4.5m investment in environmental research. The centre provides state-of-the-art 'GroDome' plant growth facilities with the capacity to simulate a range of current environments as well as future climate scenarios.

The Humanities Research Institute

This £1.6 million award-winning facility to support interdisciplinary research in the arts and humanities, which opened in 2006, is home to cutting-edge research projects using innovative digital technologies. For example, the HRI is home to the Proceedings of the Old Bailey and London Lives.

The Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (iCAIR)

iCAIR is a national research facility which seeks to apply world leading research to the construction and infrastructure sectors, with the goal of delivering step changes in productivity and resilience.

Funded jointly by the University of Sheffield, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), iCAIR brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers to accelerate innovation and develop long-term collaborations between academia and industry.

A strong focus of iCAIR is translating disruptive technologies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, robotics and autonomous systems to the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Jessop Development

The £33m regeneration of the Portobello area of the city created the Soundhouse and Jessop West buildings and restored and renovated the Jessop building, originally the Jessop Hospital for Women, which now houses the Department of Music.

The Soundhouse, a unique rubber-clad building, houses ultra-modern practice studios, rehearsal rooms and recording facilities. The Jessop West building is state-of-the-art and designed to maximise energy efficiency.

It provides leading facilities for the University's departments of history, English and languages, which were previously spread over the campus.

Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV)

The Structural Dynamics Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) is a major new acoustics and vibration testing facility funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the University of Sheffield.

The facility provides a unique research offering to academia and industry. In addition to allowing dynamic testing of full-scale structures in ambient laboratory conditions, the LVV offers the opportunity to test substantial structures, sub-structures and components in realistic environments.

North Campus

Opened in 2007, our £25m investment created what we believe to be the UK's largest dedicated multidisciplinary science and engineering research facility. 

North Campus, which includes the Kroto Research Institute, Kroto Innovation Centre, and the Nanoscience and Technology Centre, brings together over 200 researchers from across wide range scientific, engineering and medical disciplines to work together across a range of research themes.

It provides 18,500m² of research facilities, as well as business incubators, commercial laboratories and cleanroom space for high-tech start-up companies.

Royce Translational Centre (RTC)

The Royce Translational Centre (RTC) has been set up to evolve novel materials and processing techniques developed by research teams and make them accessible for trial by industry, specifically in the field of Advanced Metals Processing, including lightweight solutions for transport, new steels for nuclear, net shape aerospace components and materials tailored for orthopaedic applications.

Companies have the opportunity to investigate the feasibility of investigating new technologies for their business without the need to invest in capital equipment.

Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future

The landmark Rolls-Royce Factory of the Future building is a 6400 sq. m facility including workshop, laboratory, office and conference space. The building was opened in 2008 with funding from ERDF and industrial partners, and extended in 2012. 

The main open-plan workshop is focused on machining research, housing an array of state-of-the-art machining centres and other manufacturing equipment.

Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

SITraN brings together scientists and medical specialists from around the globe who are dedicated to finding the causes and cure for motor neurone disease (MND), as well as other neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

The state-of-the-art £12m research institute was opened by HM The Queen in 2010, and is the first dedicated MND research facility in Europe. The research facility covers 2,800 m² over two floors and includes research labs, offices and a library.

Sheffield Water Centre

The Sheffield Water Centre is finding innovative solutions to the many challenges facing the world's water resources.

Our large-scale water engineering facilities exceed £3m in value, providing access to independent testing, validation and demonstration services. Internationally unique they have real-time monitoring, temperature and computer control, and access some of the most powerful microscopes in the world.

Sir David Read Controlled Environment Facility

The £10.4m Sir David Read Controlled Environment Facility is a world-leading climate controlled plant growth facility.

It allows us to recreate extreme environments of light and temperature from the Arctic to the tropics, and even to create climates from the past and the future, for example, with altered concentrations of the greenhouse gas COm².

The facilities allow us to investigate the influence of climate on biodiversity and natural ecosystems, to understand how the environment has shaped evolution and to predict the impact of climate change on the main sources of energy and food for the planet.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC)

The Sustainable Aviation Fuels Innovation Centre (SAF-IC) is a bespoke research centre for the development and testing of sustainable aviation fuels. 

Based at the University of Sheffield Innovation District and forming part of the University’s Energy Institute, SAF-IC is enabling practical solutions to the challenge of making vital jet travel more sustainable for the industry and our planet. The centre is the first of its kind in the UK to capture CO2, produce green hydrogen, convert them into sustainable aviation fuels and analyse their performance and technical sustainability in one location.

SAF-IC helps producers and users of sustainable aviation fuels to work towards approval for their products for application in the aviation sector, and offers laboratory and testing capabilities as well as coordination and networking facilities.

You can work with SAF-IC on short or long-term projects, in a consultancy capacity or as part of the Energy Innovation Centre scheme. 

Translational Energy Research Centre (TERC)

TERC is a world-leading pilot-scale low-carbon energy testing and demonstration facility based at the University of Sheffield Innovation District. 

TERC gives industrial and academic partners the opportunity to work with cutting-edge equipment and world-leading academics to develop innovative technologies which can decarbonise our energy systems. TERC focuses on technology and solutions for hydrogen, low and zero-carbon fuels, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), bioenergy and more.  

Home to some of the largest and most exciting testing equipment in Europe, TERC uses a whole energy system approach which bridges the gap between academic research and commercial use. 

You can work with TERC on short or long-term projects, in a consultancy capacity or as part of the Energy Innovation Centre scheme.