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The authors argue that the academic research centre can perform an invaluable function in coordinating the flow of information and knowledge between academic departments in a university and between the university and industry. To illustrate their argument, they offer a case analysis of the Center for Composite Materials at the University of Delaware and show that the Center not only opens up new sources of funding and collaborative research opportunities, but also enhances the skills of the students who collaborate in its programmes. They also describe new federal funding initiatives and point out that recent US government programmes are continuing to integrate research centres to solve real-world problems in close cooperation with industry.

Stimulated by increasing competition over the past decade, industries have begun to adopt new management and operational styles by rethinking their approach to product development and manufacturing. Strategic planning and product cycle time have assumed great importance, with the resultant choices determining key success factors, dictating program continuation, and shaping expectations for growth. Yet these plans, although based on the clearest strategic thinking and economic indicators, are more often than not thwarted by functional conflict. The use of multi–functional teams and approaches termed concurrent engineering or simultaneous engineering are fast becoming the norm, in many cases with no clear understanding of what they entail beyond mere management strategies. The application of the principles of concurrent engineering is essential to the successful development of composites and their structures. The adoption of an approach that integrates existing knowledge in the areas of processing, materials science, nondestructive evaluation, mechanics, and engineering design is the key to resolving the coupling among the decision areas of materials, configuration, and processes. This entails more than mere management philosophies and changes in paradigms. In this paper, we develop the idea of concurrent engineering being intrinsic to composites development and present examples to show its use in three areas: nondestructive evaluation of composites, joining of composites, and resin transfer moulding. It stresses that only through concurrent engineering – as the integration of skills and knowledge in mechanics, processing, fabrication, and testing – can we develop a true 'materials–by–design' approach and avail ourselves of the full advantages of composites.