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

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1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Year

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ICT

LSI

Mat

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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.