Bekaert University Technology Centre Launched at University College Dublin

University College Dublin (UCD) and Bekaert, a world leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies, have announced the establishment of the Bekaert University Technology Centre (UTC).

The new joint UCD-Bekaert Centre, to be located within the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, will focus on world-class research in characterisation, design and optimisation of materials, components and processes, ultimately leading to advanced next generation wire products.

Bekaert, which is headquartered in Belgium, has invested €500,000 in the establishment of the Centre which includes the appointment of Dr Philip Cardiff as Bekaert Lecturer in Materials Processing, along with PhD project and technical support.

Speaking at the launch event for the Bekaert UTC held at NovaUCD, Professor Orla Feely, UCD Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact said, “Building on core competencies of processing, characterisation, simulation and optimisation, the industrially focused projects to be undertaken at the Centre will combine innovation with world-class research and facilities to provide unique insights into the Bekaert processes and the design of more advanced materials.”

Bekaert is a global producer and supplier of highly specialised steel wires and solutions for a wide range of applications. Bekaert has a worldwide production and sales network with customers in 120 countries, a combined sales turnover of €4 billion and with approximately 30,000 employees worldwide.

Geert Van Haver, Chief Technology Officer, Bekaert said, “The Bekaert University Technology Centre raises our research co-operation to a higher level and it supports a broader scope of fundamental research but it also ensures that the research is rapidly and successfully applied in our process and product applications. Product cycles are becoming shorter and next generation products are coming faster to the market. To support this and to be able to have a leadership position in this evolution, fundamental research and understanding of materials is paramount.”