Transcript 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.

The Future of Engineering Research
An EPSRC Perspective
Julia Higgins
Chairman EPSRC
The Future of Engineering Research
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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
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Energy
Environment
Security
Quality of Life
EPSRC Newsgroup Awards 2003: capturing the public’s imagination
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Rehabilitation engineering for spine-injured patients
Steven Salter’s drought-busting technology
Energy-saving microwaving of rocks for grinding
EPSRC’s Engineering Portfolio
Current
portfolio
grant value (million)
£350
£300
£250
Chem
ICT
£200
LSI
Mat
£150
Maths
Phys
£100
Eng
£50
£0
1999
2000
2001
Year
2002
2003
Engineering landscape
current portfolio: research themes
Systems Control and
Electronic Engineering
Process Engineering
Civil and Building
Design and Manufacturing
OTHER
Electrical and Power
Medical and Healthcare
Mechanical and Materials
Engineering
Environmental
Engineering
EPSRC highlights in engineering
Building on Excellence
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Innovative Manufacturing
Research Centres
(£75m currently committed)
Sustainable Urban Environment
Consortia
(£18m currently committed)
Platform Grants
Portfolio Partnerships
Highlights - IMRCs
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Centres of excellence in manufacturing engineering
Currently 15 IMRCs - others planned
£1.5M-£14.5m over 5 years
2nd annual review completed
Highlights - IMRCs
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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
Construction Research Centre
Highlights - IMRCs
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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
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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
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£400K for 5 years supporting ‘people’
Encouraging stability and flexibility for our leading
engineering groups
Currently fund over 60 platform grants
Portfolio Partnerships
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Stability for internationally leading research teams
 Two pilots in place
Highlights: Engineering Programme
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Public engagement: raising awareness of
engineering research
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International review of engineering research
November 2004
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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
of the
System
Examples:
Systems
of Systems
Building operations
including aesthetics
and environment
Systems
Components
Construction
Supply Chain
Flow
(Engineering Science)
Fire tests of concrete
slabs / Air flow
around buildings
Looking to the Future
Phil Ruffles, 2003
The Future of
Engineering Research
“the lay of the land has changed in engineering
research: we need to recognise this and adjust our
strategies and plans accordingly…”
Supply of talented engineers
Exploiting engineering research
New ventures
Supply of talented engineers
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16 EngD Centres
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Raising awareness of Engineering research
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Academic Fellowships
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regional evaluation
mentoring for Platform Grant Holders applying for PPAs
£125k, five years
more attractive and stable paths into academia for contract
researchers
Robert’s review
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PhD stipends
Post Doc Salaries
Differential stipends & salaries
in ‘shortage’ areas
Exploiting engineering research
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EPSRC Sector teams
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Strategic Partnerships
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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
• AHRB & EPSRC
• At least £4m over next five years
• Launch of clusters on 22nd March
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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.
New ventures
Extreme
environments
Crossing
boundaries
Challenges in extreme environments for
science & engineering
 Innovation from pushing the boundaries
feeding into the mainstream
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 Identified in business plan
 Linking with Materials, Physics, Chemistry…
New ventures
Speculative
Research in
Engineering
£3M allocated in 2004
 Call for cluster proposals published
 Proposals:
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highly speculative
challenging current conventions
exploring new boundaries
adapting novel techniques to different
field
conclusions
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building on engineering research excellence
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creating opportunities and flexibility for researchers
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supporting talent and innovation
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seeks innovative ways to support research & training
The EPSRC
DTI
Office of Science and Technology
RCUK
AHRB BBSRC ESRC
Engineering
& Physical
Sciences
Research
Council
MRC
NERC PPARC CCLRC
EPSRC and the National Research Cycle
Policy
£
GOVERNMENT
EPSRC
Partnership
Priorities
£
ACADEMIA
Knowledge
PUBLIC
Opinions
£
INDUSTRY
AND COMMERCE
Knowledge
People
The EPSRC
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The UK’s funding agency for research &
training in engineering & physical sciences.
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Invests more than £500m year in research.
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Actively promotes public awareness of
science & engineering.