Robotics & Automation Training
If you are thinking about a career in robotics and automation some of the following may be of interest to you.
Graduate School for Computing in Medicine and Life Sciences at the University of Luebeck in Germanyl is offering Ph.D. scholarships for 16 individual projects in the fields of bioinformatics and robotics.
PhD scholarships amount to €1250 per month. Students with a master's degree (or its equivalent) in computer science, mathematics, or engineering are invited to apply for admission. The application deadline is January 15, 2009. In certain cases, students must submit, as part of their application, the results of one of the acknowledged language tests to prove their English proficiency. Information regarding the projects, scholarships, and admissions can be found at www.gradschool.uni-luebeck.de. For more information please click here.
New funding for research in key science and engineering areas
The Technology Strategy Board has announced investment of £72million in innovative new research and development projects. Science and engineering companies can apply for funding for projects which stimulate innovation, with businesses working together, and with academic and research institutions, on new research and development that will lead to successful new products and services.
Phase 1, opening 10 November 2008:
- Photonics: Next Generation Optical Internet Access (1st round)
- Advanced Materials: Sustainable Materials and Products
- Intelligent Transport Systems and Services: Informed Personal Travel
Phase 2, opening 19 January 2009:
- High Value Manufacturing: Step Changes in Competitiveness; Value Systems
- Energy Generation and Supply: Maximising Recovery of UK's Oil and Gas Resources
- Photonics: Next Generation Optical Internet Access (2nd round)
- Low Impact Buildings: Design and Decision Tools
Phase 3, opening 16 March 2009:
- Creative Industries: Accessing and Commercialising Content in a Digitally Networked World
- Energy Generation and Supply: Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Technologies
- Network Security: Interdependency, Complexity and Risk
For more information on how to apply, go to www.innovateuk.org
Semta (Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies) urges companies with interests in these fields to consider entering one of these prestigious 'competitions' for funding. The areas selected for funding could have a major impact on the global competitiveness of UK science and engineering. For more information, please click here.
Regional Skills events
To visit our regional websites, please click on the following links.
Skills West Midlands
Skills North West
Skills Yorkshire and the Humber
North East Skills
Train to Gain Information
This is a one-stop shop service from the Learning and Skills Council that ensures your business gains access to the training it needs to succeed.
For more information please click here.
Skills Sector Initiative
Request for Support and Sign up to the delivery of our remaining
Sector Skills Agreements – please click here for more information and contact details.
The Government is pushing hard on raising UK skills and competency levels. The strategy being used comes under the banner "Sector Skills Initiatives" with agencies set up to handle specific sectors. We come under the Semta agency (science, engineering and manufacturing). Further details can be seen by clicking the following links
An overview document of what SSAs are about
The draft Stage 3 report (gap analysis) for the metal mechanical and electrical sectors (action plan on pages 60-68)
More information is available from the Semta website at www.semta.org.uk.
Topline Results - Skills and Training Grassroots Survey - click here for details
RECEX LLP and Prospects Events are pleased to release further information about the forthcoming careers events to take place in 2008/9.
Use the following link to view the media pack which covers information on the events in your area.
.To view click here
Smallpeice trust
The Smallpeice Trust is a part funded educational fund aimed at YR9-YR12 students and it organises residential courses all over the country. The groups usually comprise of about 20 students.
Click here for more information.
Prospects and RECEX are working in partnership to create a national series of regional skills events aimed at promoting careers and training opportunities to young people. This is done by making sure that the events are interactive with exhibitors running hands on demonstrations and activities in a fun and vibrant atmosphere.
For more details click here.
Recex events and exhibitions 2008/2009
The Royal Academy of Engineering
Engineering Professional Development Awards 2006
The Royal Academy of Engineering supports the training and development of engineers in UK through this annual scheme which makes company awards of up to £15,000. Over the last 10 years more than 475 companies spread across the UK have received funding for training programmes involving more than 9,000 engineers. This year the Academy will be awarding a further £400,000 through this scheme.
For more information please click here.
The University of the West of England, Bristol, offers robotics courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. The BSc (Hons) Robotics is firmly rooted in both electronics and software engineering. Students are also encouraged to spend year in work placement as part of their degree. MSc Robotics and MSc Advanced Techologies in Electronics are for those from an electronics, computer science, software engineering or related background who wish to advance their interest and careers in robotics. The Bristol Robotics Laboratory is a joint venture between The University of the West of England and the University of Bristol and can provide information on research study and research expertise.
The University of Warwick offers a Robotic elective in various degrees - Click here to find out more.
Also of interest is the Wariwick Mobile Robotics which includes robot football. WMR is a project developed by a group of final year, multi-disciplinary MEng students at the University of Warwick. The project is part of the School of Engineering, with a laboratory situated in the IMC, International Manufacturing Centre. WMR has support and assistance from two PhD students, two professors, aid from other departments like the Department of Computer Science and the use of the World renowned WMG, Warwick Manufacturing Group facilities.
The School of Engineering at the University of Warwick offers a number of MEng 4 year engineering degree courses with the elective of "Robotics".
The University of Plymouth was the first to provide an undergraduate degree in Robotics and Automated Systems in 1992. The University now offers degree courses at BSc, BEng, MEng and MSc level in Robotics supported by an active research group. The key research strands include human robot interfaces, natural language communication, cognition and reasoning and visual and haptic interfaces. The University's robot football team are the current reigning UK champions in the FIRA 5 a side league and Plymouth was the first to field a bipedal robot football team. Plymouth is also the main site of the EPSRC funded international "Virtual Centre for Personal Robotics" and the project coordinator of the flagship 6.25 million euro project ITALK – Integration and Transfer of Action and Language Knowledge in Robots.
More information may be found by following the following links:-
Mike Wilson (President of BARA) visited a manufacturing company who had obtained a £50,000 loan to assist the purchase of a robot machine loading system from the Carbon Trust. This organisation has been set up by the government to promote improved energy usage.
Loans of up to £100,000 can be obtained dependant on the savings which are projected and are basically to fund the replacement of existing facilities with more energy efficient equipment. The loans are unsecured, interest free and repayable over a period up to 4 years. With careful analysis, to demonstrate energy savings, this can be used to assist the purchase of robot and automation systems.
Further details can be found at www.carbontrust.co.uk - look at the Small and Medium Sized Business Toolkit.