The UK Manufacturing Forum (UKMF) is a collaboration between the High Value Manufacturing Catapult and the Institute for Manufacturing.

We are a leading independent industrial advocacy group, bringing together world-class academics, researchers and industry representatives to combine their strengths in service of the wider community.

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Manufacturing is more vital than ever for ensuring long-term international competitiveness in the UK.

At our Future of UK Manufacturing event in April 2024, the manufacturing research and innovation community looked ahead to future research priorities, investment areas and opportunities to support the growth of a resilient, industrially sustainable and balanced UK economy.

We revisited the developments in this area throughout the last decade – since the publication of the 2013 Manufacturing Foresight Report.

With leading figures from government, academia, innovation agencies and industry we:

Reviewed the current successes, opportunities and challenges for UK manufacturing in the short, medium and long term.
Understood the connected roles of manufacturing research and innovation in supporting the on-going development of UK manufacturing.
Designed an approach for ensuring the on-going integration of manufacturing research and innovation activities so that UK manufacturing supports the achievement of net zero targets, delivering sustainable and balanced growth for the UK economy.