The UK government published a new Industrial Strategy in 2017 that provides targeted support to specific sectors through partnerships between government and industry, representing a radical change to strengthen the UK's research organizations and provide opportunities for domestic and foreign companies. The UK's Department for International Trade and the IK4 Research Alliance are hosting an afternoon seminar in Bilbao, Spain on November 27th to present the Industrial Strategy and cover opportunities in advanced manufacturing, composites, and local capabilities in the Basque region involving organizations like the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Composites UK, and the National Composites Centre.

1. The UK’s Industrial Strategy: opportunities and capabilities
27 November 2018
Location: Bilbao, Spain
The UK is the world’s 9th largest manufacturing nation,
employing 2.7 million people. The British Government
published a new Industrial Strategy in November 2017,
which provides targeted support to specific sectors via
groundbreaking government and industry partnerships.
This represents a radical change of approach for UK
manufacturing – strengthening the existing ecosystem of
world-class research organisations and offering
opportunities for domestic and overseas companies alike.
The UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), in
collaboration with the IK4 Research Alliance, is hosting an
afternoon seminar to formally present the Industrial
Strategy in northern Spain.
The seminar will cover:
 Formal presentation of the Industrial Strategy by BEIS with an industry
response from the Manufacturing Technologies Association.
 Local and UK technological capabilities involving IK-4 and the Advanced
Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
 Opportunities and local capabilities in composites with Composites
UK, the National Composites Centre, Aernnova and M Torres.
Date: 27 November 2018
Time: 16.30-19.00
Venue: Yimby, Calle Ercilla 24,
1º, Bilbao, 48011
MAP
REGISTER HERE
Registration deadline: 22 Nov
The event will be in English
and Spanish according to
speaker preference

2. 2
PROGRAMME
16.30 Welcome
DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE (DIT) – Conor
McGurk, Director for Spain & Portugal
PART I: INDUSTRIAL STRATEGIES – CHANGING A PHILOSOPHY
16.40 Learning from the Basque Experience
BASQUE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SPRI) – Alexander Arriola,
Director General
16.50 Presentation of the UK Industrial Strategy
DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL
STRATEGY (BEIS) – Laia Llopart, Head of Aero & Auto Analysis
17.10 An Industry Perspective
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES ASSOCIATION (MTA) – Paul
O’Donnell, Head of External Affairs
PART II: MAKING IT HAPPEN – THE ROLE OF RTOS
17.25 Digitalisation of Industrial Companies
IK4 – Alex Bengoa, CEO of IK4 Tekniker
17.40 Equipping Industry for the Future
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING RESEARCH CENTRE (AMRC) –
Peter Osborne, Senior Technical Fellow
17.55 Advanced Materials Key to Future Manufacturing Industry
TECNALIA – Yolanda De Miguel, Nanotechnology Cluster Director
PART III: FOCUS ON COMPOSITES – OPPORTUNITIES & CAPABILITIES
18.05 UK Composites Offer and Supply Chain Gaps
COMPOSITES UK – Faye Smith, Vice Chair & DIT Specialist
UK company presentations
18.30 Developing World-Leading Capability in Composites Innovation
NATIONAL COMPOSITES CENTRE (NCC) – Enrique García, CTO
18.50 Local Supply Chain Capabilities: sector examples
AERNNOVA – Javier Fernandez de Retana, Director of
Institutional Relations
M TORRES – Txuma Iturgaiz, Integrated Assembly System
Product Director
19.00 Networking Cocktail