糖心TV

Students across the West Midlands have been awarded a series of bursaries as part of the .

The Winners have been announced on the second anniversary of the death of Lord Bhattacharyya, and the programme is named in his honour. He was Britain's first ever Professor of Manufacturing he founded WMG at the University of 糖心TV in 1980 - today WMG is one of the world鈥檚 top applied research centres, with a reputation for academic excellence and business results spanning the globe. He died on March 1st 2019.

The programme recognises the outstanding achievements and continues the legacy of the late Professor Lord Bhattacharyya KT CBE FREng FRS, in tribute to his work championing manufacturing and industrially engaged education. The West Midlands has a long history of engineering and manufacturing, with strong roots in bicycles, cars, textiles and watches, and this project builds on that heritage, supporting the untapped engineering potential within local students to build a skills base for engineering companies in the area.

Four higher education bursaries have been awarded to students studying engineering at university this year, along with 18 post-16 technical education bursaries to support students studying at Level 3. This ambitious programme will also deliver science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education support for students and teachers and has allocated over 拢44,000 of funding to 20 secondary schools and a number of further education colleges in the region this academic year. It has been made possible by government funding from the Department for 糖心TV, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Higher education bursaries for the 2020-2021 academic year have been awarded to:

• Abdulhakim Fundikira, studying Civil Engineering at Coventry University
• Farid Moulaye, studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Coventry University
• Jessica Oliver, studying Civil Engineering at Coventry University
• Saman Salih, studying Engineering (inc. integrated Foundation Year) at Coventry University

Read more about all of the recipients here:

Post-16 technical education bursaries for this academic year have been awarded to students studying at:

• WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry
• WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Solihull
• 糖心TVshire College, Rugby

Read more about the Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme here: https://www.raeng.org.uk/education/schools/education-programmes/the-lord-bhattacharyya-engineering-education-

The programme recognises the outstanding achievements and continues the legacy of the late Professor Lord Bhattacharyya KT CBE FREng FRS, in tribute to his work championing manufacturing and industrially engaged education. The West Midlands has a long history of engineering and manufacturing, with strong roots in bicycles, cars, textiles and watches, and this project builds on that heritage, supporting the untapped engineering potential within local students to build a skills base for engineering companies in the area.

The Academy is leading this programme in partnership with WMG at the University of 糖心TV. The programme draws together secondary schools, further education colleges, universities, local employers and other key stakeholders to inspire and encourage more young people to study STEM subjects in post-16 education and beyond. The programme will enrich the curriculum, stimulate interest and improve student attainment outcomes by bringing real-world engineering practice into the student experience. The aim of the project is to encourage a diverse range of young people to progress towards the engineering roles of the future in local industry.

Applications for higher education bursaries for academic year 2021/2022 will open in Spring 2021 to students planning to study engineering at degree-level. For more information please see:

The Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme has established networks of secondary school STEM teachers and engineering lecturers in further education capable of supporting each other and sharing good practice. Funding supports involvement in national and regional engineering programmes as well as the purchase of kit and equipment to enhance and enrich the delivery of the STEM curriculum in schools and colleges. It will provide up to 6,000 STEM learning opportunities for young people each year. Students will also be able to apply for up to 90 bursaries each year to support progression on to full-time engineering technical education or degree courses.

The programme is based on a template of successful Academy engineering education projects in the Welsh Valleys, Barrow-in-Furness, Stoke-on-Trent and Lowestoft, Suffolk, which have together delivered more than 120,000 STEM learning opportunities for young people since their launch. The Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme builds on this model and includes fully funded industrial placements for college lecturers and STEM teachers at local engineering companies.

An aligned longitudinal research study led by WMG at the University of 糖心TV will assess the impact of the good practices pioneered or identified through the programme.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

鈥淲e want more young people from all backgrounds to have the opportunity to make a difference through a career in engineering. This programme is supporting young people in the West Midlands to discover how they could make an impact by studying engineering as well as removing some of the barriers that might prevent them going into technical education. I am sure Professor Lord Bhattacharyya would approve of the positive contribution of this initiative in a region that is synonymous with his passion and commitment to engineering innovation.鈥�

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said:

"As we build back better, I am determined that we invest in our young people and eliminate the barriers that exist for those looking to pursue a career in STEM – ensuring that our best and brightest can excel no matter what their background.

鈥淭hrough this bursary programme, inspired by the legacy of Lord Bhattacharyya, I am delighted we are able to provide a launchpad for the UK鈥檚 next generation of highly skilled engineers right in the heart of the West Midlands, building on the region鈥檚 proud tradition of engineering and manufacturing.鈥�

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, University of 糖心TV, commented:

鈥淲e are delighted to be working with the Royal Academy of Engineering to deliver the Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme. We are looking forward to helping enable the opportunities this will provide for the students involved, as well as the advantages it will bring for their schools and colleges. This is a great opportunity for us to deliver on the Government鈥檚 ambitions for developing the next generation of engineers to fill the skills gaps in engineering.鈥�

Rebecca Archer, Student Destinations Manager at WMG Academy Solihull, said:

鈥淭he Lord Bhattacharyya HE Bursary Scheme has been pivotal in breaking down the barriers to Higher Education for some of our students who may not have otherwise continued on their journey to university. One of our successful candidates was overwhelmed in being chosen for this award; it has made a crucial difference between having to be selective to being fully prepared for their studies from a financial perspective. WMG Academy recognises the lifeline the Lord Bhattacharyya HE Bursary Scheme can offer our students. It has ensured that those who are motivated to pursue engineering at university have the chance to take their first steps into this industry.鈥�

Marie Fletcher of Colmers School and Sixth Form College said:

"We have set up our first Engineering qualification using the grant money to purchase equipment to inspire pupils in an area where uptake to careers in the engineering sector is low."

High level autonomous vehicles (AVs) are promised by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and technology companies to improve road safety as well as bringing economical and societal benefits to us all.

All high-level AVs rely heavily on sensors, and in the paper, 鈥�, published in the IEEE Sensors Journal, researchers from the Intelligent Vehicles Group at WMG, University of 糖心TV have specifically simulated and evaluated the performance of LiDAR sensors in rain.

Using the , researchers tested an autonomous vehicle鈥檚 LiDAR sensors in different intensities of rain, driving around a simulation of real roads in and around Coventry. The simulator is a key part of testing autonomous vehicles, as they have to have been on several million miles of road, this therefore means that they can be tested in a safe environment that is the same as a real road.

LiDAR sensors work by emitting numerous narrow beams of near-infrared light with circular/elliptical cross sections, these can reflect off objects in their trajectories and return to the detector of the LiDAR sensor.

One of the issues of LiDAR sensors is the degradation of its performance in rain. If a LiDAR beam intersects with a raindrop at a short distance from the transmitter, the raindrop can reflect enough of the beam back to the receiver, therefore detecting the raindrop as an object. The droplets can also absorb some of the emitted light, degrading the range of performance for the sensors.

Using different probabilistic rain models (none, to different intensities) researchers made it 鈥榬ain鈥� the WMG 3XD simulator, and measured the LiDAR sensor鈥檚 responses to the rain, making a record of false positive and false negative detections.

They found that as the rain intensity increased it became more difficult for the sensors to detect objects. In a short range from the vehicle (up to 50m), several rain drops were erroneously detected. However in a medium range, (50m-100m) this had decreased, but as rainfall increased to up to 50mm per hour, the sensors detection of objects decreased in conjunction with a longer range in distance.

Dr Valentina Donzella, from WMG, University of 糖心TV comments:
鈥淯ltimately we have confirmed that the detection of objects is hindered to LiDAR sensors the heavier the rain and the further away they are, this means that future research will have to investigate how to ensure LiDAR sensors can still detect objects sufficiently in noisy environment.

鈥淭he developed real-time sensor and noise models will help to further investigate these aspects, and may also inform autonomous vehicles manufacturers鈥� design choices, as more than one type of sensor will be needed to ensure the vehicle can detect objects in heavy rain.鈥�

ENDS

25 FEBRUARY 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res images available at:

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/february_2021/pic_1.jpg
Caption: The WMG 3xD simulator, used to test the LiDAR sensors
Credit: WMG, University of 糖心TV

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/february_2021/pic_2_.jpg
Caption: A virtual scan of the NAIC building generated with Intelligent Vehicle Group鈥檚 LiDAR model
Credit: WMG, University of 糖心TV

Paper available to view at:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of 糖心TV
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

Brexit and COVID were two major disruptions to manufacturers鈥� supply chains, however, a consortium of academic and industry partners including WMG, University of 糖心TV has identified key ways to build supply chain resilience.

A report by researchers from WMG, University of 糖心TV in conjunction with , and has highlighted three practical solutions for supply chain resilience:

1. Risk management – Identifying risks throughout the supply chain to make wise decisions

2. Buffer management – Utilising inventory and capacity in the supply chain to react in a timely manner

3. Contract management – Increasing contracting agility to build a close tie with business partners

Supply chains have been under a significant amount of stress over the last year with Brexit and COVID-19, with three in four organisations likely to experience disruptions. Therefore, their resilience is key to recovery.

The complexity of supply chains means that disruptions can happen at any time. When COVID-19 hit the world in early 2020 firms had little time to prepare, but the report found that those that were able to adapt, supply flexibility and buffer manage were able to deal with the disruption more effectively.

Huge uncertainties lie ahead when it comes to Brexit, however with time to prepare, the industries can be ready for a number of different scenarios. Research has found the use of proactive practices such as planning and visibility and collaboration were effective in initial Brexit preparation.

In order to improve supply chain resilience it鈥檚 essential that there is an understanding of what exactly supply chain resilience is and planning ahead for it. Assessing just how resilient a manufacturer is by identifying vulnerable areas is the first step in preventing disruption.

This then leads onto managing buffers, for example optimising inventory stocks and production capacity, and with that being cooperative. A coordinated approach to supply chain planning enables great visibility and mitigates risks.

Professor Jan Godsell, from WMG, University of 糖心TV comments:
鈥淪upply chain risks will always be unavoidable, however the quick succession of Brexit and COVID has rung a bell for suppliers to be prepared for any situation that may arise. Areas of preparation include identifying risk throughout the supply chain to inform better decisions, managing buffers to respond faster and adopting flexible contracting enables greater collaboration.

鈥淲e encourage all firms to consider these solutions, so their supply chain is more resilient and that ultimately they鈥檒l be more sustainable in the long term.鈥�

, partner at Pinsent Masons LLP adds:

鈥淭he last year has seen supply chains disrupted on an unparalleled scale. As businesses have moved from the initial challenges of ensuring supplies in the short-term they now need to focus on rebuilding resilient supply chains for the future. There are a number of areas that businesses must consider when doing this but they have an opportunity to learn from the lessons of Covid-19 and implement more resilient and better supply chains for the future.鈥�

ENDS

23 FEBRUARY 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res images available at:

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/february_2021/jan_godsell_supply_chain_resilience_figure_1.jpg
Caption: Types of supply chain resilient strategies pre-disruption, during disruption and post-disruption.
Credit: WMG, University of 糖心TV

Report available to view at: /fac/sci/wmg/business/supply_chain_resilience_hub_report_-_final.pdf

For further information please contact:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of 糖心TV
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

• By 2030 only EV鈥檚 will be in production, meaning manufacturers are racing to create a high-energy battery that鈥檚 affordable and charges efficiently, but conventional battery cathodes cannot reach the targets of 500Wh/Kg
• Lithium-excess cathodes offer the ability to reach 500Wh/Kg but unlocking their full capacity means understanding how they can store charge at high voltages
• A new X-ray study lead by WMG, University of 糖心TV has resolved how the metals and oxygen facilitate the charge storage at high voltages

High energy storage batteries for EVs need high capacity battery cathodes. New lithium-excess magnesium-rich cathodes are expected to replace existing nickel-rich cathodes but understanding how the magnesium and oxygen accommodate charge storage at high voltages is critical for their successful adaption. Research led by WMG, University of 糖心TV in collaboration with U.S. researchers employed a range of X-ray studies to determine that the oxygen ions are facilitating the charge storage rather than the magnesium ions.

Electric vehicles will one day dominate UK roads and are critical for eliminating CO2 emissions, but a major issue car manufacturers face is how to make an affordable long-lasting energy-dense battery that can be charged quickly and efficiently. There is therefore a race to make EV batteries with an energy storage target of 500 Wh/Kg, but these targets are not possible without changing to new cathode materials.

Although progress has continued over the last 10 years to push the performance of state-of-the-art nickel-rich cathodes for EV, the material is unable to provide the energy density needed. To increase the capacity more lithium needs to be used, which means going beyond the ability of nickel to store electron charge.

Lithium-excess magnesium-rich cathodes offer sufficient energy density but to reach ultimately reach energy storage targets of 500Wh/Kg we need to understand how the electron charge is stored in the material. Simply put, is the electron charge stored on the magnesium or oxygen sites.

In the paper, 鈥�鈥�, published in the Journal ACS Energy Letters today the 17th of February, researchers from WMG, University of 糖心TV have overcome a significant milestone in understanding of charge storage in lithium-excess magnesium-rich cathodes.

Li-excess compounds that involve conventional and non-conventional redox, conventional refers to metal ions changing their electron density. Reversibly changing the electron density on the oxygen (or oxygen redox) without it forming O2 gas is unconventional redox. Various computational models exist in the literature describing different mechanisms involving both, but careful x-ray studies performed while the battery is cycling (operando) are ultimately required to validate these models.

Researchers between the UK and US, led by WMG at the University of 糖心TV, performed operando x-ray studies to precisely quantify magnesium and oxygen species at high voltages. They demonstrated how x-ray beams could irreversibly drive highly oxidized magnesium (Mn7+) to trapped O2 gas irreversibly in other materials.

However, by performing careful operando x-ray studies that circumvented beam damage and observe only trace amounts of Mn7+ forming upon charging in Li-excess cathodes during battery cycling.

Professor Louis Piper, from WMG, University of 糖心TV explains:
鈥淲e have ultimately resolved that oxygen rather than metal redox is driving the higher capacity, which means we can now design better strategies to improve cycling and performance for this class of materials.鈥�

ENDS

17 FEBRUARY 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res images available at:

/services/communications/medialibrary/images/february_2021/operando_x-ray_louis_piper.jpg
Caption: Photo of the operando x-ray studies being performed at a Synchrotron facility.
Credit: WMG, University of 糖心TV

Paper available to view at:

For further information please contact:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of 糖心TV
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

• Brain tumours are the most common solid tumours in childhood and the largest cause of death from cancer in this age group
• Being able to classify a brain tumour鈥檚 type, without the use of biopsy, is hard to do; however diffusion weighted imaging, an advanced imaging technique, when combined with machine learning, can help a UK-based multi-centre study, including WMG, University of 糖心TV has found.
• Being able to characterise the tumour(s) faster and more accurately means they can be treated more efficiently

Diffusion weighted imaging and machine learning can successfully classify the diagnosis and characteristics of common types of paediatric brain tumours a UK-based multi-centre study, including WMG at the University of 糖心TV has found. This means that the tumour can be characterised and treated more efficiently.

The largest cause of death from cancer in children are brain tumours in a particular part of the brain, called the posterior fossa. However, within this area, there are three main types of brain tumour, and being able to characterise them quickly and efficiently can be challenging.

Currently a qualitative assessment of MRI by radiologists is used, however overlapping radiological characteristics can make it difficult to distinguish which type of tumour it is, without the confirmation of biopsy. In the paper, 鈥�, published in the journal Scientific reports, led by the University of Birmingham including researchers from WMG, University of 糖心TV. The study found that tumour diagnostic classification can be improved by using non-invasive diffusion weighted imaging, when combined with machine learning (AI).

Diffusion weighted imaging involves the use of specific advanced MRI sequences, as well as software that generates images from the resulting data that uses the diffusion of water molecules to generate contrast in MR image. One can then extract an Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) map, analysed values of which can be used to tell you more about the tumour.

The study involved 117 patients from five primary treatment centres across the UK with scans from twelve different hospitals on a total of eighteen different scanners, the images from them were then analysed and region of interests were drawn by both an experienced radiologist and an expert scientist in paediatric neuroimaging. Values from the analysis of Apparent Diffusion Coeffcient maps from these images鈥� regions have been fed to AI algorithms to successfully discriminate the three most common types of paediatric posterior fossa brain tumours, non-invasively.

Professor Theo Arvanitis, Director of the Institute of Digital Health at WMG, University of 糖心TV and one of the authors of the study explains:

鈥淯sing AI and advance Magnetic Resonance imaging characteristics, such as Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values from diffusion weighted images, can potentially help distinguish, in a non-invasive way, between the main three different types of paediatric tumours in the posterior fossa, the area of the brain where such tumours are most commonly found in children.

鈥淚f this advanced imaging technique, combined with AI technology, can be routinely enrolled into hospitals it means that childhood brain tumours can be characterised and classified more efficiently, and in turn means that treatments can be pursued in a quicker manner with favourable outcomes for children suffering from the disease.鈥�

Professor Andrew Peet, NIHR Professor in Clinical Paediatric Oncology at the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Children鈥檚 Hospital adds:
鈥淲hen a child comes to hospital with symptoms that could mean they have a brain tumour that initial scan is such a difficult time for the family and understandably they want answers as soon as possible. Here we have combined readily available scans with artificial intelligence to provide high levels of diagnostic accuracy that can start to give some answers. Previous studies using these techniques have largely been limited to single expert centres. Showing that they can work across such a large number of hospitals opens the door to many children benefitting from rapid non-invasive diagnosis of their brain tumour. These are very exciting times and we are working hard now to start making these artificial intelligence techniques widely available.鈥�

ENDS

15 FEBRUARY 2021

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res images available at:
/services/communications/medialibrary/images/april2020/theoarvanitis.jpg
Caption: Professor Theo Arvanitis, from the Institute of Digital Healthcare at WMG, University of 糖心TV

Paper available to view at:

Paper DOI:

FOR FURTHER INFROMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of 糖心TV
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

Congratulations to Nancy Olson (pictured below left) and Celine Martin (below right) who have been announced as new fellows of the 糖心TV International Higher Education Academy (WIHEA).

The Academy is the UK鈥檚 first institutional academy of educators for staff and students engaged in the advancement of learning and teaching excellence. Becoming a Fellow provides the opportunity for Nancy and Celine to engage with colleagues across the University, to make a genuine difference to 糖心TV as well as to strengthen their career development.

It works to give a collective voice to learning and teaching at 糖心TV through projects, policy influence, governance and exchange of good practice.

By becoming a Fellow, staff and students can take part in exchanges, projects, learning circles, proposing teaching and learning policy or develop new academic practice that enhance the student experience and student outcomes.

There are currently 93 Fellows and the annual selection process recruits on average 25 Fellows each year.

Congratulations to our staff members whose appointments as the new Foundation, Honorary and Associate Fellows have been announced by The 糖心TV Institute of Engagement (WIE).

The role of the Fellows will be to establish the Institute as an interdisciplinary hub for the whole university, and work together to create exciting new engagement opportunities for staff and students.  

Over the next few months the Institute will be creating a series of Learning Circles with the new Engagement Fellows. These Circles will cover a range of topics such as the future of engagement in HE, collaborating with communities and student training in Public Engagement. Longer term they are committed to supporting staff and students in providing up to date training and development opportunities and supporting institutional level engagement events such as City of Culture.

Professor Michael Scott and Jane Furze, Directors of the 糖心TV Institute of Engagement, said: 

鈥淐ongratulations to all our new Fellows! We鈥檙e delighted to have attracted such a diverse, multi-disciplinary range of colleagues and students to join the Institute. Engagement is all about universities working with people and listening to voices outside academia to create and share knowledge collaboratively. Collectively, we have a great foundation to build on the fantastic engagement work already happening at 糖心TV and drive forward our genuinely new and exciting approach to engagement.鈥�

WMG staff WIE fellows:

Foundation Fellows:

Ev茅 Wheeler-Jones

Ian Tuersley

Phil Jemmett

Honorary Fellows:

Caroline Meyer

Lisa Harding

Margaret Low

Associate Fellows:

Dave Harvey

Mark Williams

Today, 11th February, WMG is joining the world in celebrating International Women and Girls in Science Day 2021.

Science is everywhere in today鈥檚 world. Part of our daily lives and never far from news headlines.

The Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the inspiring female scientists at WMG, including PhD student Ev茅 Wheeler-Jones, a Chemist, working in our Battery Technology team.

Ev茅 explains: 鈥淎cross my engagement work, I often meet girls and young women who do not think that science is an option to them, this saddens me and spurs me on. I work in an environment with some amazing female researchers, technicians, teachers and academics, and I wish I could share a glimpse of this to all the young people out there.

鈥淪cience is great place of learning and creativity, and also a place for all types of people. Diversity enhances science as it brings so many different ideas to the table, this is why it鈥檚 so important for young women to embrace science and, in turn, to be welcomed with open arms.鈥�

The WMG Outreach Team has also created a virtual lesson for Year 9 pupils featuring female scientists and researchers including Ev茅. This was distributed to local schools via the University鈥檚 Central Outreach Widening Participation Team.

You can view the lesson here: /fac/sci/wmg/about/outreach/resources/battery-lesson/

The University of 糖心TV will also be hosting a Women at 糖心TV Q&A Panel this evening. Find more details here.

• Degree Apprenticeships (DA) at WMG include courses partnerships with employers and come with a competitive salary
• WMG's undergraduate DA courses include Digital and Technology Solutions, Applied Professional Engineering, and Digital Healthcare Science
• Postgraduate courses include Sustainable Automotive Electrification and Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
• National Apprenticeship Week 2021 runs until Sunday 14th February
• Applications for Jaguar Land Rover Degree Apprenticeships in Partnership with WMG close on Monday 15th February

WMG at the University of 糖心TV is set to continue its working partnership with employers to train the next wave of engineers and digital technologists - with new cohorts of degree apprentices set to start this September.

WMG鈥檚 undergraduate degree apprenticeship courses, including Digital and Technology Solutions, Applied Professional Engineering Programme, and Digital Healthcare Science, and postgraduate Sustainable Automotive Electrification and Smart, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles courses, bring together the best of higher education and work-based learning and come with the additional benefits of earning a competitive salary while learning and no university tuition.

Over the duration of their courses the apprentices will be taught on the University of 糖心TV campus for a number of weeks each year to complement their practical work based experiences – including in WMG鈥檚 new Degree Apprenticeship Centre.

For those interested in developing a new career and starting as a degree apprentice this September, there is still time to apply for courses at WMG in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover.

WMG and Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 partnership provides degree apprentices the opportunity to develop the technical skills and knowledge necessary to building Jaguar Land Rover鈥檚 engineering capability for an autonomous, connected and electric future, with applications for courses open until February 15th.

搂 For details on the full range of available Jaguar Land Rover degree apprenticeships and how to apply please click here.

Further to degree apprentice opportunities in the automotive and engineering sectors, WMG now offers the opportunity to train in Digital Healthcare Science. The course provides a breadth of scientific training including high-level consultation skills, a holistic, evidence-based and values-based approach to shared decision making, psychology, behavioural science and clinical physiology.

Developed with extensive consultation with leading healthcare science academics, senior NHS staff and policy makers, the Digital Healthcare Science course also provides valuable study and professional skills including data handling, statistics, research ethics and methods, literature review skills and critical appraisal, standards of conduct performance and ethics.

搂 For details on the Digital Healthcare Science degree apprenticeships please click here.

Sue Parr, Director of Apprenticeships at WMG, University of 糖心TV comments:

鈥淣ational Apprenticeship Week is the ideal time to both reflect on the success of those who are currently gaining skills and experience, but also to encourage those looking to follow in their footsteps.

鈥淎t WMG we are delighted to host and teach so many aspiring degree apprentices in key sectors and support them in applying the knowledge they gain here with the experience and skills they are developing at work to have real and immediate impact for their organisations and their career.鈥�

Beverley Ngo, a current Software with Data apprentice, said of her decision to apply for a degree apprenticeship with Jaguar Land Rover and WMG:

鈥淚 wanted to be able to apply what I was learning to the real world, so the apprenticeship was the perfect opportunity for that. The funded degree and salary was obviously a bonus too! The degree itself appealed to me as I have always enjoyed maths and problem solving, so DTS felt like the right fit for me.鈥�

Jack Young, a current Software Engineer apprentice, said of his studies:

鈥淚 have really enjoyed being able to apply what I have learnt at WMG to my work and vice-versa. It has been beneficial to be able to implement knowledge from both sides of the course and get a deeper understanding of what we are learning and why we are learning it.鈥�

- Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund has brought government, business and researchers together at scale and at pace, supporting over 1,600 innovation projects, including Coventry鈥檚 UK Battery Industrialisation Centre

- NAO right to support streamlining start-up and approvals processes of up to 72 weeks, which can deter bids, especially among smaller businesses

- Longer term visibility of funding will be needed to give investment confidence to businesses and academia

- Mechanisms to engage private sector finance should be considered – especially as innovations become ready for market

- As industry faces challenges of the pandemic, flexibility in financing bids, especially to support smaller businesses, should be considered

- Regional and Skills strategies should be a key part of innovation funding approach

- The Catapult network provides an established and successful platform for innovation, and its geographic locations also suggest it could play a big role in regional levelling-up

- Skills must be developed alongside innovation to give the UK the ability to exploit our ISFC investments. WMG, at the University of 糖心TV, have been pioneers in developing skills programmes alongside innovation and industrialisation

WMG at the University of 糖心TV has welcomed today鈥檚 National Audit Office report on the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, supporting their positive assessment of the fund, and backed their calls for a more streamlined approach to innovation funding, alongside a greater emphasis on the importance of innovation for regional development and skills growth.

Professor Dave Greenwood, Director of Industrial Engagement at WMG, University of 糖心TV and Chief Executive of the WMG High Value Manufacturing Catapult said:

鈥淭he Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) has been a powerful tool to support innovation that meets the most pressing national challenges.

鈥淭he ISCF has bought government, business and researchers together at scale, and at pace, to help our transport industry decarbonise through the Faraday Battery Challenge, and is delivering vital vaccine capacity through the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre. It has supported over 1,600 projects, including the new UK Battery Industrialisation Centre in Coventry, with over forty per cent of support in the first two waves going to small and Micro companies.

鈥淭hese projects are making a difference to UK innovation, skills and industrial growth, and these successes should be celebrated.

鈥淎s the report says, however, there are always opportunities to improve how the Fund operates.

鈥淔irst, we need to make the funding process faster and more agile – especially given rapid changes in the external 糖心TV and social environment, from Brexit to the Pandemic. Lengthy Approvals processes of up to 72 weeks for selecting challenges and awarding projects can deter bids, especially among smaller businesses.

鈥淎longside this, with much of industry dealing with financial pressures from the pandemic, government should consider relaxing some of the funding constraints on the programmes – especially where they fall significantly short of what state aid would allow, such as in the co-investment requirement from Industry, which was increased in Wave 3 of the Fund.

鈥淭ogether, these steps would help position the UK for clean growth post-COVID and deliver on opportunities created for the UK supply chain by the UK/EU trade agreement.

鈥淟ooking forward, it鈥檚 essential that there is a long-term funding package in place to support the Industrial Strategy Challenges. As the report notes 鈥淭he Fund was part of a one-year settlement in the spending review in November 2020.鈥� Short term spending decisions will ultimately be detrimental to large scale industrial and academic investments – a 5 year rolling funding horizon is needed for full confidence from Industry partners. To help deliver this, we should consider the role of private finance in these programmes, and what mechanisms might de-risk industry investments to support clean growth.

鈥淚t鈥檚 also crucial that the ISCF supports regional development as part of the Government鈥檚 鈥榣evelling up鈥� agenda. Currently, almost half of funding has gone to projects in London and the South East, and while we in the West Midlands have secured significant investment, the ISCF should reflect the regional profile of Industrial R&D more closely. It is notable that government funding relative to private sector investment is much lower in the Midlands than in the South East for instance.

The Catapult network, with centres of excellence across the country, strong links to regional industries, and good networking between them, is an exemplar of how levelling up should be delivered. This established and successful platform could provide an efficient and effective means to boost R&D in under-represented regions in accordance with the recommendations of this report.

鈥淲e also need to link innovation spending to the education and skills agenda. The UK needs not just the best technologies but also the people to develop, manufacture and support them. These cannot be developed in isolation. Here, WMGs approach of delivering innovation and skills programmes together and in partnership with industry is an established model, allowing degree apprenticeships, re-training, lifelong learning to support industry innovation programmes. As the Government considers responses to the skills white paper, it should consider how future industry skills needs will be shaped by the innovations being delivered by the challenge fund, from transport electrification to digital skills.