University of Nottingham opens hybrid propulsion building for megawatt-scale testing
The Jubilee Campus facility will support aerospace, marine, rail, heavy-duty transport, off-highway vehicles, power generation and defense platforms.
The University of Nottingham has opened its Hybrid Propulsion Systems Building on Jubilee Campus
The University of Nottingham has opened a Hybrid Propulsion Systems Building on its Jubilee Campus, creating a UK platform for developing and testing electrification and hybrid propulsion technologies at meaningful power levels.
The facility was unveiled on 6 July 2026 and will give researchers and companies space to develop components and subsystems, connect them into integrated systems and test them under representative operating conditions.
The building brings together cryogenic testing, alternative-fuel engines, altitude facilities and advanced manufacturing as emerging transport and power technologies move from laboratory research toward industrial use.
The first programs will include H2FlyGHT, an Aerospace Technology Institute-supported program led by GKN Aerospace to develop megawatt-class cryogenic hydrogen-electric propulsion technology.
The Hybrid Propulsion Systems Building and the wider zero carbon translation center for future transport and power generation have been supported by more than £70 million of public and private investment from Research England, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, East Midlands Freeport, the University of Nottingham and industrial partners.
Facility targets hybrid and electric propulsion
The University of Nottingham says the building has been designed to address a development gap between early-stage propulsion research and the scale of testing needed for industrial adoption.
The facility will support work across aerospace, marine, rail, heavy-duty and off-highway transport, power generation and advanced defense platforms.
At its center is a cryogenic research platform built around a five-megawatt dynamometer, supported by high-power electrical infrastructure and closed-loop helium and nitrogen cooling.
The university says this will enable research into superconducting, hyperconducting and other cryogenically cooled electrical machines, power electronics and power systems.
Professor Chris Gerada, Director of the Zero Carbon Cluster at the University of Nottingham, says: “The difficult step is moving from a promising laboratory result to representative hardware that can be manufactured, connected and tested at meaningful power. This building provides that missing platform, helping reduce development risk and retain expertise, intellectual property and future industrial activity in the UK.”
EPSRC-backed investments brought together
The building also brings together four major investments supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
TITANZ and ELSA provide capital facilities for megawatt-scale alternative-fuel engine research and electrical drive systems altitude testing. They align with two EPSRC program grants: MariNH₃, which is advancing ammonia and hydrogen propulsion, and Sustainable, Multi-sector Electrification using Advanced Integrated Motor Drive Technologies, known as AIMD.
A flexible electrical machine manufacturing line will also allow representative components and assemblies to be produced using industry-like processes.
Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, says: “The UK has outstanding research in advanced propulsion, but turning new ideas into technologies for industry needs specialist facilities at meaningful scale. Research England’s investment through the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund in the new Hybrid Propulsion Systems Building will translate important research into commercial opportunity. It will not only strengthen a world-leading capability, but the co-investment with industry in research excellence will drive economic growth in the region and beyond.”
Building forms part of zero carbon campus ecosystem
The Hybrid Propulsion Systems Building forms part of a connected innovation ecosystem across Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, linking research, advanced manufacturing, large-scale testing, hydrogen capability, industrial co-location and support for spin-out companies.
Academics, industry leaders, funders and partners attended the opening and toured the new building. The main image from the unveiling includes representatives from UKRI, the Aerospace Technology Institute, East Midlands Freeport, the Advanced Propulsion Centre and EPSRC, alongside guests from Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, Cummins, Airbus, Ford, UK Fusion Energy, Tokamak Energy, Furukawa, MAHLE, Caterpillar and Siemens Energy.
Professor Jane Norman, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, says: “The transition to cleaner and more capable transport and power systems represents a major industrial opportunity for the UK. By combining research excellence with the infrastructure needed to develop technologies at scale, we can help turn new ideas into practical systems, attract investment and support highly skilled jobs in the East Midlands and across the country.”
The facility’s principal capabilities are operational or in the final stages of installation and commissioning during 2026. Further information is available through the University of Nottingham’s Zero Carbon Cluster.
