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The Future of Engineering Research An EPSRC Perspective. Julia Higgins Chairman EPSRC. The Future of Engineering Research. EPSRC and my experiences Engineering landscape Engineering highlights Looking to the future… opportunities and priorities. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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The Future of Engineering ResearchAn EPSRC Perspective
Julia HigginsChairman EPSRC
The Future of Engineering Research
EPSRC and my experiences Engineering landscape Engineering highlights
Looking to the future… opportunities and priorities
The importance of Engineering Research Concorde, computer games, mobile-phones, gene sequencing...
Engineering, of any description, is an art of the possible.
It happens at the junction between what is materially possible and what is humanly possible.
Its course is shaped by the agendas and priorities and resources and hopes and illusions of a society.
Engineering is where science intersects with the way we live.
Francis Spufford, ‘Backroom Boys: the secret return of the British Boffin’, 2003.
Proposed Grand Challenges
Energy Environment Security Quality of Life
EPSRC Newsgroup Awards 2003: capturing the public’s imagination
Rehabilitation engineering for spine-injured patients Steven Salter’s drought-busting technology Energy-saving microwaving of rocks for grinding
EPSRC’s Engineering Portfolio
£0
£50
£100
£150
£200
£250
£300
£350
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year
gra
nt
va
lue
(m
illio
n) Chem
ICT
LSI
Mat
Maths
Phys
Eng
Current portfolio
Engineering landscapecurrent portfolio: research themes
Civil and Building
Design and Manufacturing
Electrical and Power
Environmental Engineering
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Medical and Healthcare
OTHER
Process Engineering
Systems Control and Electronic Engineering
EPSRC highlights in engineering
Building on Excellence
Innovative ManufacturingResearch Centres(£75m currently committed)
Sustainable Urban EnvironmentConsortia(£18m currently committed)
Platform Grants Portfolio Partnerships
Highlights - IMRCs
Centres of excellence in manufacturing engineering Currently 15 IMRCs - others planned
£1.5M-£14.5m over 5 years 2nd annual review completed
Highlights - IMRCs
Bath Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (x2) Cambridge Engineering Design Centre Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing Cardiff IMRC – April 2004 Cranfield Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre Imperial College Built Environment Innovation Centre Liverpool e-Business Research Centre Loughborough Innovative Manufacturing and Constructio
n Research Centre
Highlights - IMRCs
Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology Centre (MATCH) – Brunel; Birmingham; KCL; Nottingham; QUB
Nottingham Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (NMRC)
Reading Innovative Construction Research Centre Salford Centre for Research and Innovation Scottish Manufacturing Institute– Heriot-Watt UCL Bioprocessing Centre Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre
Highlights – SUE consortia
Developed through workshops 14 SUE Consortia (in four clusters) Urban and built environment Waste and pollution Transport Metrics, knowledge management and
decision making
Highlights – SUE consortia
Cluster 1: Urban and built environment
VivaCity: Urban Sustainability for the 24-Hour City (Development of Design-making Tools and Resources)
Innovation in Design, Construction and Operation of Buildings for People
The Sustainable Urban Form Consortium (SUFC)
Cluster 2: Waste and pollution
Waste Resource Management in Urban Environments
Sustainable Urban Brownfields: Integrated Management (SUB:RIM)
Water Cycle Management for New Developments: WAND
Highlights – SUE consortia
Cluster 3: Transport
Sustainability of Land Use and Transport in outer Neighbourhoods
Futures: Future Urban Technologies: Undertaking Research to Enhance Sustainability
Design and Implementation Support Tools for Integrated Local Land Use, Transport and the Environment
Accessibility and User Needs in Transport
Cluster 4: Metrics, knowledge management and decision making
Pollutants in the Urban Environment
Metrics, Models and Toolkits for Whole Life Sustainable Urban Development
Knowledge Mapping and Bringing About Change for the Sustainable Urban Environment
Consortium for Decision Support and Socio-economic Barriers and Incentives
Highlights: Engineering Programme
Platform Grants £400K for 5 years supporting ‘people’ Encouraging stability and flexibility for our leading
engineering groups Currently fund over 60 platform grants
Portfolio Partnerships Stability for internationally leading research teams
Two pilots in place
Highlights: Engineering Programme
Public engagement: raising awareness of engineering research
International review of engineering research November 2004 Showcase event 17th November 'A Celebration of UK Engineering Research & Innovation‘
Changing the Engineering panel structure to reflect the changing nature of engineering
Revised Engineering Panel Structure
Complexity Complexity of the of the
SystemSystem
Examples:Examples:
ConstructionConstructionSupply ChainSupply Chain
Building operations Building operations including aesthetics including aesthetics
and environmentand environment
Fire tests of concrete Fire tests of concrete slabs / Air flow slabs / Air flow
around buildingsaround buildings
SystemsSystems of Systems
SystemsSystems
ComponentsComponents FlowFlow
(Engineering Science)
Looking to the Future
“the lay of the land has changed in engineering research: we need to recognise this and adjust our strategies and plans accordingly…”
Phil Ruffles, 2003The Future of
Engineering Research
Supply of talented engineers
Exploiting engineering research
New ventures
Supply of talented engineers
16 EngD Centres
Raising awareness of Engineering research regional evaluation mentoring for Platform Grant Holders applying for PPAs
Academic Fellowships £125k, five years more attractive and stable paths into academia for contract
researchers
Robert’s review PhD stipends Post Doc Salaries Differential stipends & salaries
in ‘shortage’ areas
Exploiting engineering research
EPSRC Sector teams
Strategic Partnerships
BAE Systems: £30m over 5 years (total investment) Non Destructive Evaluation Centre: £12.5m over 5
years (total investment) Carbon Trust: £20m over 3-4 years Co-funded Chairs: e.g. Rolls Royce
New ventures: Designing for 21st Century
formation of a new diverse community with a common reference framework and shared understanding
new ways of design thinking to meet the challenges of inclusive design for the 21st Century society
support leading-edge design research: self-reflective, socially aware, economically enterprising & internationally significant.
• AHRB & EPSRC
• At least £4m over next five years • Launch of clusters on 22nd March
Extreme environments
Challenges in extreme environments for science & engineering
Innovation from pushing the boundaries feeding into the mainstream
New ventures
Crossing boundaries
Identified in business plan Linking with Materials, Physics, Chemistry…
SpeculativeResearch in Engineering
£3M allocated in 2004 Call for cluster proposals published Proposals:
highly speculative challenging current conventions exploring new boundaries adapting novel techniques to different
field
New ventures
conclusions
building on engineering research excellence
creating opportunities and flexibility for researchers
supporting talent and innovation
seeks innovative ways to support research & training
The EPSRC
DTI
Office of Science and Technology
RCUK
CCLRCBBSRC ESRCEngineering
& Physical
Sciences
Research
Council
MRC NERC PPARCAHRB
EPSRC and the National Research Cycle
Policy£
Opinions£
KnowledgePeople
PUBLIC
Priorities£
GOVERNMENT ACADEMIA
INDUSTRYAND COMMERCE
EPSRC
Partnership
Knowledge
The EPSRC
The UK’s funding agency for research & training in engineering & physical sciences.
Invests more than £500m year in research.
Actively promotes public awareness of science & engineering.