Book your place at the launch of EPC’s landmark project supporting university and industry collaboration in engineering showcasing and sharing the keys to success.
There are many ways in which industry and academia can support each other’s success – in research, in building skills, in developing regions – and engineering is at the forefront of this work.
That is why the EPC has launched the Crucible Project – a major initiative to showcase and share the secrets of success in collaboration.
This inaugural one-day online conference will feature dozens of projects that exemplify innovative win-win partnerships. These will form the basis of a free toolkit to support any university or business to forge the bonds that build mutually beneficial collaboration.
The Crucible Project was inspired by the EPC’s landmark 2020 Annual Congress, Industry & Academia: Supercharging the Crucible, which highlighted five areas of mutual interest and mapped many of the challenges:
- Universities’ and businesses’ shared role in regional development
- Collaborating with industry for teaching and learning
- Knowledge exchange
- Research
- Graduate employability and recruitment
The conference will include panel sessions for each of these areas with presentations from academics and businesses who have found solutions and who are willing to share their learning. There will be plenty of opportunities to quiz them and discuss how their success can be emulated.
Following the conference, the proceedings will be published in a downloadable book and a wealth of practical resources will be brought together into a toolkit on the EPC website to support all Engineering academics and partners in industry.
The conference will feature a keynote by Prof John Perkins CBE, FREng, former Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and author of the Perkins Reviews of Engineering Skills. The draft programme is available here.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Academics at all levels – whether early career staff looking for opportunities to establish a network or senior leaders who want to extend the role of industry partnerships in their strategy or who want to improve graduate employment outcomes.
Managers in industry looking to establish links with academics to boost research, development, innovation and talent pipeline.
Policy-makers and sector agencies with an interest in industry and academia working more closely for the benefit of the economy, society and regions.
Agenda*
9.30 Welcome and introduction
- Prof Andy Alderson, Sheffield Hallam University and Chair of EPC Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Committee
9.35 Keynote: Igniting the Crucible
- Prof John Perkins CBE
9.50 University – Industry linkages and engagement in the 4th Industrial Revolution: Evolution of best practice
- Prof John Patsavellas, Senior Lecturer in Manufacturing Management, Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Centre, Cranfield University
10.20 Break
10.25 Collaborating with industry for teaching and learning
- Dr Nikita Hari, Dyson Institute of Engineering & Technology (Chair)
- Dr Mike Murray, University of Strathclyde
- Dr David Hughes, Teesside University and Dr Steve Jones, Siemens
- Jake Godfrey, IET
- Gareth Thomson, Aston University
- Prof Simon Barrans, University of Huddersfield
10.55 Panel discussion
11.25 Break
11.35 Graduate employability and recruitment
- Dr David Hughes, Teesside University (Chair)
- Dr Corrina Cory, University of Exeter and Mr Nick Russill, TerraDat Geophysics Ltd and Steve Senior, Signbox Ltd.
- Dr Salma Alarefi, University of Leeds
- Dr Lisa Simmons and Mr Scott Pepper, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Bob Tricklebank, The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology and Sue Parr, University of Warwick
- Dr Becky Selwyn, University of Bristol
12.05 Panel discussion
12.35 Lunch break
13.30 Knowledge Exchange
- Dr Adrienne Houston, Managing Director Eurovacuum Products Ltd, RA Eng Visiting Professor University of Birmingham (Chair)
- Prof Sa’ad Sam Medhat, IKE Institute
- Dr Tom Allen, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Ben Ricketts, NMiTE
- Prof Wayne Cranton and Alex Prince, Sheffield Hallam University
- Kendra Gerlach, Virginia Commonwealth University College of Engineering and Justin Shaw, ExpertFile
14.00 Panel discussion
14.30 Break
14.35 Research
- Dr Rob Deaves, Senior Principal Engineer, Dyson (Chair)
- Prof Philipp Thies, University of Exeter
- Prof Balbir S. Barn, Middlesex University
- Dr Matteo Ceriotti, University of Glasgow
- Dr Grazia Todeschini, King’s College London
- Graeme Knowles, Dr Jane Andrews & Robin Clark, Warwick Manufacturing Group
15.05 Panel discussion
15.35 Break
15.40 Universities’ and business’ shared role in regional development
- Dr Sarah Peers, New Model Institute for Technology & Engineering (Chair)
- Prof Matt Boyle OBE, Newcastle University
- Dr Mark Corbett, Teeside University
- Mr Peter Gough, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Amer Gaffar and Dr Ian Madley, Manchester Metropolitan University
- Prof Tony Dodd, Staffordshire University
16.10 Panel discussion
16:40 Closing remarks
- Prof Andy Alderson, Sheffield Hallam University and Chair EPC Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Committee
17:00 Ends
*Subject to change
