WMG set to gain £10 million new centre

The Warwick Manufacturing Group was awarded a £10 million new centre by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) on January 13.

The aim of the centre is to train Engineering Doctorate (EngD) students in a four year course, “intended for the United Kingdom’s leading researchers pursuing a career in industry,” said the University.

The WMG centre will focus on high value, low environmental impact manufacturing with its partners in industry. The EPSRC are funding five new Industrial Doctorate Centres to “address
fundamental engineering challenges in advanced manufacturing engineering”.

The postgraduate engineers will work in partnership with industry in a new scheme
which is strikingly different to conventional PhD courses. In contrast to traditional
teaching, the students chosen will be involved in a program which combines teaching
with working in industry.

The centre will begin recruiting its EngD students now as ten are expected to be chosen in its first year and increase to 30 students in the following 7 years. Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, remarked: “It is hoped that the centres will encourage development in sectors such as the aerospace and automotive industries.”

First year Engineering student Sudeep Gurung said: “I’m very excited about the new centre – I hope to be a part of the centre’s program in my future studies, and help the environment at the same time.”

From the £10 million funding, the EPSRC research council is paying £1.25 million, industry is giving £4.1m and the University is contributing £4.32 million. The other four centres are to be based in university departments in Strathclyde, Swansea, Sheffield, and Nottingham. These were all chosen, like Warwick, for their strong track records of working with industry partners.

Warwick has strong ties with industry and its major partner at the Warwick centre is Jaguar Land Rover, with others including IBM, the Motorsport Industry Association, Nikon, Siemens and Tata Steel.

Jaguar Land Rover Head of Research Dr Tony Harper said: “I look forward to the new Centre developing high quality graduates who, as future manufacturing leaders… [will have] an economic as well as an environmental standpoint.”