The University of Aberdeen is to benefit from a major funding award which will be used to develop new technology programmes to attract science and engineering students and build links with potential employers.
The £1.7 million award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), to be provided via a Collaborative Training Account (CTA), will be used to support UK and EU students on advanced Masters level training programmes.
The funding will also support research links with industry through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), a Government-funded grant mechanism which enables companies of any size, and in most sectors, to gain access to expertise within research institutions to work collaboratively on a strategic business development programme.
The grant has been awarded in the second round of EPSRC’s new scheme for supporting collaborative training with industry. The grant will run for four years beginning in April 2005 and will provide full fees and stipends for approximately 100 new postgraduates.
Speaking about the award, Professor Michael Baker, Head of the Graduate School in the College of Physical Sciences, said: “The University of Aberdeen is delighted with the significant size of this award of funding from the EPSRC, one of the largest ever awards given to the University.
“This can be seen as recognition of the work of colleagues in developing advanced technology programmes that are attractive to students and potential employers.
“The nature of this £1.7M award means that we will have increased opportunities of working with colleagues in industry, which can only be of mutual benefit.”
The main beneficiary of the funding will be the University’s College of Physical Sciences, with support for two existing Masters Programmes in Safety & Reliability Engineering and Computing Science, and the development of two new advanced Computing Science Programmes to provide for the current and future need for computer scientists with specialist skills in the health services (electronic-health technology) and in electronic-science technology.
The University’s College of Life Sciences and Medicine and the NHS will also be participating in the development and provision of the health-related programmes, and will be delivering a new taught programme in Medical Physics Computing. There will also be a new research training programme in advanced materials.
The funds have been awarded partly in recognition of the University’s excellent track record in training postgraduates in science and engineering and as a result of collaboration with local industry. Since 1999, the University has been involved in more than 30 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships with companies, mainly in the oil and gas sector.
Professor Albert Rodger, Head of the College of Physical Sciences said: “The £1.7 million funding which is being awarded from the EPSRC will be an enormous boost to the University of Aberdeen. It will help to support advanced taught programmes in science and engineering and will enable the University to build on collaborative links with our external industry partners.”
Alan Thomas, Head, CTA Implementation Project Manager, EPSRC, welcomed the funding being provided to the University. He said: “The University of Aberdeen put forward a persuasive case for funding. They were clearly seeking to build both on their particular research expertise as well a proven track-record of training delivery. Consequently, we are looking forward to working in partnership with the University to ensure that the aim underpinning the implementation of Collaborative Training Accounts - to put collaborative postgraduate education and research on a more strategic footing, reflecting both the EPSRC’s priorities and those of the university itself – is achieved.”