'A real-world opportunity': Northern Ireland at heart of UK digital twin drive as nine firms showcase innovation

A Belfast-based innovation programme has showcased nine pioneering digital twin projects with the potential to reshape industries across the UK, highlighting Northern Ireland's growing role in advanced technology and industrial innovation. The inaugural Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator, delivered by the UK Digital Twin Centre in Belfast and led by Digital Catapult, brought together nine small and medium-sized enterprises from across the UK to demonstrate how digital twin technologies can tackle real-world challenges in sectors including aerospace, maritime, defence, logistics and manufacturing. The programme was designed to move digital twins from concept to practical implementation, helping businesses understand how virtual replicas of physical systems, assets and processes can improve decision-making, reduce costs and boost efficiency.

Among the projects showcased was the Trusted Digital Twin MRO Platform, developed by Ubloquity (Craigavon) and Ping Group (Belfast). The solution uses secure blockchain-anchored digital twins for aerospace components and maintenance operations, capturing certification, provenance and lifecycle data in real time to reduce downtime and automate compliance requirements.

The HydroTwin Aerospace Consortium, led by Voxshell Ltd and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions Ltd, developed an AI-powered digital twin platform linking the design, simulation and testing of hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, helping accelerate innovation in next-generation aerospace technologies.

The EDGE Twin Consortium, a collaboration between AIRS ML Limited and Advanced Manufacturing (Sheffield) Ltd, demonstrated how edge-based artificial intelligence can be used for real-time industrial monitoring, reducing latency and lowering operational costs.

Meanwhile, the Emerge MyCustoms Digital Initiative, involving MyCustoms Ltd and Emerge Manchester Ltd, focused on customs and logistics processes, creating a digital twin capable of automating compliance procedures and improving visibility throughout supply chains.

In the rapidly emerging urban air mobility sector, Busby Ventures Ltd and Flyer AI Ltd developed the BusbyFlyer project, a simulation-based digital twin platform designed to support the safe and scalable deployment of drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

The maritime sector was strongly represented through several projects. The sustainaVERSE Subsea initiative, delivered by The D'Arcy Thompson Simulator Centre and Deeptek Ltd, created an immersive subsea digital twin capable of visualising rope dynamics, vessel movement and load conditions in real time, helping improve marine safety and sustainability.

Closer to home, Helix8 Ltd (Larne) partnered with Larne Harbour Ltd on the Port of Larne Net Zero project. The team developed an AI-enabled geospatial digital twin capable of analysing real-time infrastructure and energy data to support more efficient energy management and help the port transition towards net-zero operations.

Another maritime-focused initiative saw Marine Zero and Semvar create a digital twin for zero-emission maritime transport, using live telemetry data to model vessel performance and support predictive operational decision-making.

Completing the cohort was the Digital Twin for Lightweight Armour Systems project, a collaboration between Blow Moulding Technologies (Belfast) and Vikela Armour (Bangor). The partners used predictive digital twin modelling to enhance the design and manufacture of lightweight, high-performance body armour.

The programme concluded with a showcase event attended by investors, policymakers, industry leaders and technology innovators, highlighting Belfast's growing status as a centre for deep-tech development and digital innovation.

The UK Digital Twin Centre is a £37.6 million initiative supported by the Belfast Region City Deal and Innovate UK, alongside industry partners including Thales UK, Short Brothers and Artemis Technologies.

Sherrie Rad, Programme Lead at Innovate UK, said the accelerator had demonstrated how collaboration between technology firms and industry could unlock measurable business benefits.

Sherrie Rad, Programme Lead at Innovate UK, said the programme demonstrated the value of collaboration between industry and technology innovators.

"The Digital Twin Adoption Accelerator has shown how collaboration between technology innovators and industry can accelerate the practical deployment of digital twins and create measurable value for businesses," she said.

"The solutions showcased today demonstrate the transformative potential of digital twins to improve performance, increase resilience and support more sustainable industrial operations. We are proud to have supported these partnerships as they turn innovative ideas into real-world applications."

Dr Katrina Thompson, director of the UK Digital Twin Centre, said the programme had helped demonstrate that digital twins are now delivering tangible commercial benefits.

"For over three decades I've worked at the cutting-edge of modelling and simulation innovation, and I know first-hand the value of proving real-world applications of digital twin solutions to industry," she added.

"The nine participating companies have played a critical role in demystifying digital twins, making clear that modelling and simulation capabilities are no longer a theoretical promise but a real-world opportunity that represent a competitive advantage to the businesses that integrate and apply these capabilities to their operations. The success of our first accelerator programme speaks to the demand from industry for new solutions that can solve sector-specific challenges, and I’m excited to see what the participants do next.”

Alongside the accelerator, the UK Digital Twin Centre has also launched a new Digital Twin Community Platform, bringing together industry, academia and technology providers to share expertise, collaborate on projects and accelerate the scaling of digital twin technologies across the UK.