The outcomes of SYnthesizing 3D METAmaterials for RF, Microwave and THz Applications (SYMETA) have the potential for significant academic, economic, societal and environmental impacts. To achieve these outcomes SYMETA will bring together leading expertise in engineering, physics and materials science from five institutions: Loughborough University, University of Exeter, University of Sheffield, Oxford University and Queen Mary, University of London together with twelve industrial partners from a range of sectors including defence and electronics manufacture. The Grand Challenge will be led by Loughborough University. SYMETA responds to Grand Challenge 3: Engineering across length scales, from atoms to applications. This Challenge area requires researchers to consider design across the scales for both products and systems looking at new approaches to bridge the meso-scale (intermediate-scale) gap and taking into consideration that many engineering systems are dynamic. SYMETA's grand vision is to deliver a palette of novel, multi-functional 3D metamaterials (synthetic composite materials with structure that exhibit properties not usually found in natural materials) using emerging additive manufacturing (AM), with the potential to support a single 'design-build' process. Our goal, to compile a palette of meta-atoms (the basic building blocks of metamaterials) and then to organise these inclusions systematically to give the desired bulk properties, opens up a plethora of new structures. This will not only improve existing applications but inspire new applications by breaking down barriers to innovation. Introducing these novel structures into the complex world of electronic design will offer a radical new way of designing and manufacturing electronics. The metamaterials will be developed to give end-users the electromagnetic responses they require, for a wide range of communication, electronics, energy and defence applications. The meta-atoms comprising the metamaterial will be micro-scale, i.e. small in comparison to the wavelength of operation, and fabricated from a range of new and existing raw materials, including the incorporation of dielectric, metallic and magnetic components. They will facilitate complex multi-component systems, incorporating elements such as inductors, capacitors, and resistors through to transmission lines and matching circuits and filters, to be created in hybrid and multi system AM - reducing waste, cost and timescales. The SYMETA project has three overarching research goals: 1. To synthesize a palette of 3D meta-atoms using suitable materials. 2. To construct designer-specified 3D arrangements of meta-atoms using process efficient AM to create metamaterials 3. To build demonstrators for applications at RF, microwave and THz frequency ranges. Supplementing these research goals SYMETA will: 4. Build a cohort of new knowledge by bringing together multi-disciplinary expertise from a number of institutions and companies and share this knowledge across academic networks. 5. Engage industry, sector relevant professional bodies and the wider academic community to ensure that the potential of this research is recognised and realised. To translate and condense the exciting science to key messages and outcomes and to communicate these to the public to boost the public understanding of science. The likely impacts of the SYMETA are manifold. It has the potential to transform manufacturing processes and to significantly shorten the time it takes for innovative new technologies to reach consumers whilst reducing waste and removing some of the more harmful processes associated with the manufacturing such as the use of harsh chemicals. This is transformation science, which could place the UK at the leading edge of engineering innovation stimulating economic growth and opening up huge potential for innovation in many sectors from consumer electronics through to defence and space.

The AI2M research cluster will bring together leading researchers and practitioners in high value manufacturing, information science, ICT, mathematical sciences and manufacturing services to address the needs for future globally competitive ICT-supported manufacturing practices and infrastructures. The cluster also leverages two distinct supply chains, automotive and aerospace and defence with associated ICT and manufacturing service providers. UK manufacturing has to migrate towards supplying innovative, high quality, variable volume solutions to a global market. Low wage competition and reduced profit margins increase the difficulty of recovering the costs of early lifecycle phases (specification, design, analysis and setup) especially for lower volume products. "Right first time" production is a necessity to survive. In the automotive domain the relatively high volume market is crippled by increased complexity, quality and customer demands for variety. The high added-value, low volume defence and aerospace domains are also under pressure from: the spectrum of product and process complexity; the harsh manufacturing and operational environments and severe safety and legislative requirements. The future of UK manufacturing depends on supply chains being able to: remove defects generated throughout manufacturing; formalise and share product and process knowledge; optimise strategy based on resource utilisation, traceability and lifecycle performance monitoring and understand the implications of design features on manufacturing and operational performance as well as the impact of new materials, components and legislation (e.g. End of Life Vehicle) and the impact of the adoption of new technologies and business models. To pay dividends both in supply chain efficiencies, compliance and new business models, companies must capture and analyse a larger range of data, faster, at lower cost and manage it better than ever before. The challenge of this project is therefore to develop an on-demand intelligent product lifecycle service system for increased yield for products and processes that can bridge the information gaps associated with inefficient supply chain integration and a lack of knowledge on product usage throughout lifecycles. Current commercial solutions are limited to "on-site" silos of information that are restricting UK manufacturing in terms of its ability to: optimise efficiency in materials, resource, energy utilisation; speed up innovation; improve the generation and exploitation of manufacturing intelligence; support supply chain collaboration throughout the product and process lifecycles, and enable new business models and technologies to be readily adopted (e.g. product service systems (PSS) supporting either product operation, usage or results oriented business models). The key research challenges to be addressed by this cluster include: Service Foundations (dynamically reconfigurable architectures, data and process integration and sematic enhanced service discovery); Service Composition (composability analyses, dynamic and adaptive processes, quality of service compositions, business driven compositions); Service Management and Monitoring (self: -configuring, -adapting, -healing, -optimising and -protecting and Service Design and Development engineering of business services, versioning and adaptivity, governance across supply chains).

This Centre for Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence, the first in the UK, addresses high priority areas for economic growth such as autonomous complex manufactured products and systems, functional materials with high performance systems, data-to-knowledge solutions (e.g. digital healthcare and digitally connected citizens), and engineering for industry, life and health, which are also key priorities for Horizon 2020, the new EU framework programme for research and innovation. Horizon 2020 explicitly spells out ICT and Manufacturing as key industrial technologies. Its remit fits the EPSRC priority areas of ICT for Manufacturing and Data to Knowledge, and has an impact on industrial sectors as diverse as logistics, metrology, food, automotive, oil & gas, chemistry, or robotics. In addition, our world (homes, transport, workplaces, supplies of food, utilities, leisure or healthcare) is constantly seeking for interactive technologies and enhanced functionalities, and we will rely on these graduates who can translate technologies for the end-user. The uniqueness of this Centre resides on the capability to innovatively address a myriad of Embedded Intelligence challenges posed by technical needs ranging from the EI supply chain: the design stage, through manufacturing of embedded or on-bedded devices, to the software behind data collection, as well as integrative technologies, to finally the requirements from end-users. The thematic areas, discussed conjointly with industry during the preparation of this proposal, allow us also to recruit students from a vast range of educational backgrounds. A strong user pull defines the nature of the challenges that this CDT will tackle. The graduates who shall come to alleviate the shortage of skilled engineers and technologists in the field will be exposed to the following thematic areas: > Device design, specification of sensors and measurement devices (power scavenging, processing, wire & wireless communications, design for low power, condition monitoring); > Packaging & integration technologies (reliability and robustness, physical and soft integration of devices, sub-components and wider system environment); > Intelligent software (low level, embedded, system level, database integration, ontology interrogation, service oriented architectures, services design); > Manufacturing solutions (design for manufacture of embedded systems, advanced and hybrid manufacturing processes for embedding, process consolidation technologies, biomimetics and cradle-to-cradle for sustainability production, etc.); > Applications engineering (design and implementation of embedded technologies for in-time, in-line products, processes and supply chains; product and process design for embedded intelligence); > System Services: (i) Service Foundations (e.g., dynamically reconfigurable architectures, data and process integration and semantic enhanced service discovery); (ii) Service Composition (e.g. composability analyses, dynamic and adaptive processes, quality of service compositions, business driven compositions); (iii) Service Management and Monitoring (e.g. self: -configuring, -adapting, -healing, -optimising and -protecting) and (iv) Service Design and Development (e.g. engineering of business services, versioning and adaptivity, governance across supply chains). Our flagship, the 'Transition Zone' training, will facilitate the transition into doctoral studies in the first year of studies, and, closer to the end of the programme, out to industry or self-employment. As employable high calibre individuals with a good understanding of enterprising, commercialisation of research, social responsibility, gender equality and diversity, innovation management, workplaces, leadership and management, our doctorates will grow prosperity bottom up, enjoying a wealthy network of academic and industrial contacts from their years at the CDT, as well as their peers at the Centre.