The Whittle Lab: Transforming the future of aviation
Its mission? To halve the time it takes to develop key technologies to support a sustainable aviation industry
Thanks to a transformational gift from philanthropist Peter Bennett (Churchill 1975) the next incarnations of Cambridge's Whittle Laboratory will have an outstanding new innovation facility, the Bennett Lab.
Today, it typically takes six to eight years to develop a new technology to a point where it can be considered for commercial deployment in the aerospace and energy sectors. Recent trials in the Whittle Laboratory have shown this timeframe can be accelerated by breaking down barriers that exist between academia and industry.
"We need to completely transform the innovation landscape in the aviation and energy sectors if we are to reach net zero by 2050," comments Professor Rob Miller, director of the Whittle Lab. "The new Whittle Lab has been designed as a disruptive innovation laboratory targeting the critical early stages in the lifecycles of technologies, where there are windows of opportunity to translate scientific strengths into global technological and industrial leadership."
His Majesty King Charles III broke ground at the new Whittle Laboratory on 9 May, his first public engagement following the Coronation.
While in Cambridge His Majesty also met with staff and researchers, leaders from the aviation industry and senior government representatives.
The new Whittle Laboratory will incorporate the Bennett Innovation Laboratory — made possible through a philanthropic gift from the Peter Bennett Foundation — to bring together a critical mass of talent, giving them the right skills, tools, culture and working environment to solve complex multidisciplinary challenges. It will also be home to the UK’s National Centre for Propulsion and Power, built around a fast feedback model pioneered in Formula One, to cut the time to develop technologies from years to months.
"The Lab is designed to work at the intersection of cutting-edge science and emerging engineering applications, providing fast feedback between the two, and dramatically cutting the time to deliver zero-emission technologies."
Peter Bennett (far left) at the groundbreaking event with His Majesty King Charles III and Professor Rob Miller
Peter Bennett (far left) at the groundbreaking event with His Majesty King Charles III and Professor Rob Miller
His Majesty The King at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Whiltle Laboratory
His Majesty The King at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Whiltle Laboratory
"The Whittle Laboratory has an outstanding track record of collaborating with industry to drive innovation," remarked Peter Bennett at the groundbreaking ceremony. "But to tackle the most complex challenges, we need to take a whole systems approach, where innovative technologies can be explored within the context of the realities that may impact their rollout."
The Bennett Lab would use its convening power to host experts from industry, academia, policy and government. This will bring together partners from across Cambridge (The Bennett Institute of Public Policy, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Physical Sciences, Judge Business School), across the UK (UCL, Imperial, Oxford, SPRU, HVM Catapults), across the world (NASA, MIT, Braunschweig, Melbourne) and from across the Whittle Lab’s industrial network.
"We need new ways to work together at speed, which is why the Bennett Innovation Lab will bring together global experts from government, industry and academia, enabling radical collaboration. I believe by using Cambridge’s convening power, this can make a real difference, fast."
To learn more about supporting the Whittle Lab, please contact:
Victoria Thompson, Senior Associate Director — School of Technology
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