The CRP also serves to expand on TWI and Industrial Members’ existing knowledge, harnessing innovative thinking and approaches to develop new skills, products and services, systems and processes, leading to reduced costs, and improved quality, safety and reliability.

CRP project delivery

Up to 50% of TWI Industrial Members' annual subscription is directed to fund the CRP.  This is reflected in the stringent CRP project delivery process which aims to provide maximise benefit, cost effectiveness and tangible operating impact to Members.  Visit the CRP Governance page for more information. Each CRP project is undertaken by a dedicated team of TWI technical project leaders, who in turn are supported with project planning, delivery and dissemination by mentors who are highly experienced in their fields.  Mentors work at a very senior level and come from both within TWI and from its Industrial Member companies.

CRP PhD topics

The CRP also provides invaluable support to train and develop the next generation of engineering talent by annually co-funding a number of National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) students to undertake PhDs within CRP projects.  NSIRC students are based at one of TWI’s UK or international sites, enabling them to learn first-hand about the demands of industry and work with already established engineering professionals.  Their PhDs are awarded by leading universities who have partnered with TWI under NSIRC’s industry-academia model.

There is a 100% employment rate for NSIRC PhD students within a year of graduating, a considerable number of which go on to work for TWI post qualification.

CRP dissemination

Reflecting the importance of the programme to both TWI and its Industrial Members, as well as wider industry internationally, CRP projects are communicated and disseminated in a number of formats:

Industrial Member / Full Reports – in-depth, detailed reports on completed CRP projects that include full technical details of the research and development (R&D) undertaken together with results.  Available to TWI Industrial Members only.

Report Abstracts – derived from the Full reports.  Freely available and enable wider industry to access some of the learning identified through CRP projects.

Executive Summaries – produced at the start of a new CRP project, providing an overview of the scope for the planned R&D and typically comprising objectives, project outline, industry sector relevance, anticipated benefits and timings.  Also freely available.

Technical Literature Reviews – written to assist with preparing the detailed plan for a CRP project.  Reviews focus on a highly specific technology, and include subject related background and selected references to previously published literature.  Available to TWI Industrial Members only.

TWI Industrial Membership

Participation in the TWI Core Research Programme (CRP), and access to prior results, is only available to TWI Industrial Member companies, who contribute up to 50% of their annual subscription fee to the CRP.  If you are interested in exploring TWI Industrial Membership for your company or organisation, including gaining access to proprietary, in-depth, industry relevant research, please email us at ContactUs@twi.co.uk and we will be in touch to discuss your requirements.