Frimley, 2017-Jul-10
The partnership between the rail industry and British universities - part of the newly-created UK Railway Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) - has been awarded £28.1 million of funding by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (RPIF), following a successful bid led by the University of Birmingham. Siemens – together with 16 other rail industry businesses - will contribute a further £64 million.
Artist's impression of UKRRIN infrastrcture innovation centre
Siemens will provide a multi million pound investment to support the centres in the form of PHD studentships, training and continuous professional development and membership fees. The funding will also go towards access to facilities, equipment and staff time to support collaborative project activity.
Siemens worked closely with the eight partner universities in developing the bid submission for The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), which manages the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (RPIF).
The three linked world-class centres of excellence will form the research heart of UKRRIN, focusing on:
- Digital Systems, located at the University of Birmingham;
- Rolling Stock, led by the University of Huddersfield in collaboration with the University of Newcastle and Loughborough University;
- Infrastructure, led by the University of Southampton in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, Loughborough University, University of Nottingham and Heriot Watt University.
These centres of excellence will bring together the UK rail supply industry and academia to undertake world-leading research and innovation in rail, supporting the UK’s ambition to be a leading player in the global rail market.
Gordon Wakeford, Divisional Managing Director for Siemens Mobility UK and Industry Chair of the Rail Supply Group, said: “This investment brings together a range of British universities renowned for their expertise in railway research, backed by leading partners across the rail industry.
“UKRRIN will, undoubtedly, create important strategic partnerships and support future high speed rail programmes in the UK and around the world.”
Paul Copeland, Managing Director of Rail Automation at Siemens, added: “As one of the founding supply partners of UKRRIN, we are very pleased that the bid proposal has been successful.
“By bringing academia and industry expertise together, the creation of these centres of excellence holds transformative potential for railway services in the UK. Cross-industry collaboration is already driving innovation in UK rail but with the recent establishment of UKRRIN supported by this funding, the possibilities are even greater.”
Vernon Barker, Managing Director of Siemens Rail Systems, said: “The establishment of the UKRRIN will help shape the future of the UK’s rail industry. With a number of major rail infrastructure projects under starters orders including HS2, close partnerships between UK industry and the research community are essential to ensure these future projects are able to realize their full value to the UK economy and to help the UK improve its global standing as an innovator in rail.”
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Notes to editors
About Siemens
Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading provider of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. In fiscal 2016, which ended on September 30, 2016, Siemens generated revenue of €79.6 billion and net income of €5.6 billion. At the end of September 2016, the company had around 351,000 employees worldwide.
Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.
