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Double industry award success for WMG partnerships

Tuesday 18 November 2025

Double industry award success for WMG partnerships

糖心TV Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of 糖心TV, is celebrating significant success after two collaborative projects, AeroMC and ZEST, secured major wins at the 2025 Aerospace Technology and Innovation Awards.

Hosted by the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) as part of its annual conference, the awards recognise the pioneering research and development projects paving the way for zero-carbon aviation. This year, WMG was part of the winning projects that scooped the Team Award and the Shaping the Future Award, highlighting its leading role in advanced manufacturing and sustainable aerospace technology.


A group of people smiling to camera with an award against a blue, Safran-branded backdrop.
The AeroMC Project team

Team Award: AeroMC Project

AeroMC is a multi-million-pound five-year project led by in collaboration with three of WMG鈥檚 research groups 鈥 Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD); Automation Systems (ASG); and Metrology and 3D Imaging 鈥 and the .

The project 鈥 which exemplifies how the works effectively with industry 鈥 was created to design a 鈥楩actory of the Future鈥 and implement the first building block: a semi-automated pilot line at Safran Electrical and Power Pitstone, suitable for current and future manufacturing needs. Thanks to AeroMC鈥檚 success, the project team is now exploring wider opportunities across Safran UK.

, WMG AeroMC Project Manager, commented: 鈥淲inning the Team Award for AeroMC is a true testament to the power of collaboration, both with our external partners at Safran and MTC, and within WMG. The whole team worked openly and collaboratively to deliver the final, semi-automated pilot line capability.



鈥淥ur work package was a demanding, three-part puzzle that required seamless integration from multiple disciplines. The success relied on our experts from PEMD, ASG and Metrology working together to solve highly complex problems.鈥

James Owen, Head of R&T for Safran Electrical and Power at Pitstone, also praised the power of collaboration: "We've built a good strategic future together, where we intend to keep working together, to keep exploiting the relationships and knowledge we all bring to the table. This is how everyone in the industry should work 鈥 together, for the common good.鈥


Shaping the Future Award: ZEST Project

Led by Airbus and supported by WMG鈥檚 Battery Systems Group 鈥 one of multiple partners in this major 拢27m ATI-funded five-year project 鈥 ZEST was launched to deliver the technologies that will help make sustainable aviation a reality. The project team successfully developed fuel cell-compatible hydrogen storage and distribution solutions, laying the foundations for zero-emission H2 flight technology.

Judges were impressed by this exceptional technological development, which not only advances liquid hydrogen aviation but also provides infrastructure to support future technology work by Airbus and others in the aerospace industry.

, Professor of Battery Systems and Head of the Battery Systems Research Group at WMG, explained: 鈥淭he ZEST project enabled us to address the fundamental challenge of system safety within future aircraft concepts.

鈥淭he Battery Systems team developed new experimental methods and simulation tools of battery and ultracapacitor failure and innovative techniques for detection, mitigation and containment. Collectively, our research optimises the integration of energy storage technologies as critical components of the zero-emission aircraft.鈥

Seven people smile to camera while one holds an award.
The ZEST Project team

AeroMC and ZEST exemplify the power of collaboration and what can be achieved when the greatest minds across industry and academia come together.

Thanks to these collaborations, WMG and its partners are helping advance sustainable change across the aerospace industry, whilst strengthening the competitiveness of UK manufacturing on the global stage.

Discover the other ways WMG research is helping transform industry and society: Research | WMG | University of 糖心TV

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