In May 2013, the Technology Strategy Board (the forerunner of Innovate UK), supported the formation of a Special Interest Group (SIG), whose members came from across the SEAC (Surface Engineering and Advanced Coatings) community.  Its aim was to identify specific areas where investment will help UK manufacturing realise the large market opportunities opened by the application of surface engineering and advanced coatings.  The SIG group produced this in-depth report, in which one of the key recommendations was the establishment of an industry-driven leadership forum that would promote the use of these technologies in industry, and interface with government on developments and funding.

Following further meetings and workshops, Innovate UK and the KTN (Knowledge Transfer Network) sponsored an industry summit at Cranfield University in July 2017, which endorsed the creation of a leadership forum driven by industry trade bodies supported by research and technology organisations, professional engineering institutions, universities and specialist manufacturers.  This led to the creation of the Surface Engineering Leadership Forum (SELF) in early 2018, with an official launch at the House of Lords on 11 February 2019.

Much of the content of this report is still relevant today (May 2023) and it provides valuable background to support the continuing development of the surface engineering and coatings sector in the UK.