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University hosts research council visit to showcase expertise and facilities

08/04/2022
University hosts research council visit to showcase expertise and facilities

The University of Wolverhampton hosted a visit by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council recently to showcase its cutting-edge research and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) facilities. 

Sinead Balgobin, Head of Regional Engagement for the West Midlands at EPSRC, visited several sites at the University including its City Campus and the new £120 million Springfield Campus in Wolverhampton and Telford Innovation Campus, benefiting from tours of all the facilities as well as presentations by key academic researchers and students. 

The EPSRC is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK investing in a range of fields from healthcare technologies to structural engineering, manufacturing, mathematics, advanced materials and chemistry.  

Sinead is responsible for strengthening stakeholder relationships, improving EPSRC knowledge of the research and innovation landscape, and identifying opportunities for collaboration within the West Midlands.  

University academics showed off their expertise in healthcare technologies, Artificial Intelligence technologies and human data interaction projects. The University also showcased its focus on synthetic biology and photonic materials before giving Sinead a tour of its Software games development laboratory, Emerging Interactive Technologies Lab, Embedded Systems, Pervasive Computing and Smart Technologies Lab, High Performance Computing Lab and Networks, Security and Forensics Labs. 

The visitors were given a tour of the new £14.9million National Brownfield Institute (NBI) at Springfield Campus and were given an immersive technologies demonstration as well as viewing the Virtual Reality Labs in the new School of Architecture and Built Environment. 

A final tour of the Engineering facilities at Telford Campus included an overview of Advanced Materials, electrical motors and drives, the High Value Manufacturing suite and a chance to test out driving skills on the University’s racing simulator. 

Professor Prashant Pillai, Associate Dean Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University, said: “It was a real pleasure to host a visit from the ESPRC to showcase both our expertise in these areas and the investment we have made in recent years in our facilities. As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s become clear that engineering and physical sciences is crucial to the UK’s future prosperity and it’s vital that we provide a future workforce with essential skills.” 

Sinead Balgobin, Head of Regional Engagement for the West Midlands at EPSRC, said: "I was delighted to see the breadth of world-leading research being undertaken during this visit, from the showcases of research from the Digital Innovation and Solutions Centre and at the Telford Innovation Campus, to the new facilities at the National Brownfield Institute. 

“EPSRC believes that research and innovation in the Engineering and Physical Sciences play a crucial role in the prosperity of the UK, locally, regionally and nationally, and it was great to learn about the important part the University of Wolverhampton plays in the local research and innovation ecosystem.” 

Find out more about the University's research in these publications:  

Anyone looking to study at the University of Wolverhampton should register for one of our forthcoming Open Days. 

ENDS 

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