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WMG welcomes Heads of Research Councils from the G8

g8_heads_of_research_council_110711-sm.jpgWMG founder and Director Professor Lord Bhattacharyya hosted a visit today for the Heads of Research Councils from the G8.

This is part of a two day programme hosted by Research Councils UK providing an opportunity to discuss research policy, funding and international cooperation. In its thirtieth year, the meeting is an important part in maintaining relationships between the UK and its global partners.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya welcomed the delegation to WMG and discussed the challenges and opportunities in manufacturing, materials, digital technology and next generation healthcare research. He said “I was delighted to welcome the Heads of Research Councils from the G8 and to show them the cutting edge applied research and effective knowledge transfer that is undertaken at WMG.”

The visit to WMG focused on Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and industry supported programmes, providing the opportunity to experience design interaction technologies and hear about the exploitation of research in automotive and healthcare environments. The delegation also met with future research leaders supported through EPSRC’s Challenging Engineering programme.

After meeting with Professor Lord Bhattacharyya the delegation had a tour led by Academic Director, Professor Richard Dashwood, of three of WMG’s facilities: International Digital Laboratory (IDL), International Manufacturing Centre (IMC) and the International Automotive Research Centre (IARC) meeting with academics to discover the breadth of the multi-disciplinary research undertaken.

In the IDL Professor Darek Ceglarek spoke about his healthcare patient pathway research with an emphasis on stroke patients and Professor Jeremy Wyatt introduced the NHS sponsored Institute of Digital Healthcare. Dr Rebecca Cain discussed the participation in healthcare environment engineering research which is investigating the effect of sound within healthcare environments including hospitals and care homes. They were able to see for themselves the world’s first high dynamic range camera and hear about the High Dynamic Range research led by Professor Alan Chalmers.

At the IMC Dr Alex Attridge highlighted the new £5m Customer Interface Technologies Centre of Excellence, which gives companies direct access to the latest product evaluation technologies and processes. Dr Kerry Kirwan discussed natural, waste and lightweight materials research including sustainable materials and motorsport WorldF3rst platform.

In the IARC building Professor Paul Jennings gave a tour of the unique Vehicle Energy Facility and gave an overview of his electric vehicle research including ELVIN.

Mon 11 Jul 2011, 19:23 | Tags: Visits Lord Bhattacharyya Research