There are many ways in which universities can actively assist in the response to the pandemic.

Many of our staff and students have not just been asking how they can help but they have simply got on and done so. Here are just five of things those colleagues and students are doing now, some of whom are named below.

A new autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) is being developed to transform the horticultural sector and tackle the labour shortage. The model which will work in glasshouse and outdoor areas moving trays and boxes around the production area, is being designed by researchers from WMG at the University of Warwick. The project is part of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board SmartHort programme, which aims to improve labour efficiencies through technology and automations.

University of Warwick researchers have shared their knowledge in the development of a new play showing at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. Like There's No Tomorrow has been conceived, written and performed by The Belgrade’s Young Company, and commissioned by the National Theatre Connections programme. Academics from the University of Warwick spent time with the cast and writers of the new production to help feed in and break down scientific facts about climate change and environmental issues. Warwick academics will also join in a panel discussion after the performance.

Artificial Intelligence is developing every day, and shaping the future of AI are three PhD students from the University of Warwick, who received the Feuer Scholarship from technology mogul Jonathan Feuer, enabling them to do AI research in topics from computer vision, to helping the homeless, to making information retrieval models more powerful and less biased.

A new project led by Midlands Innovation, a consortium of eight Midlands-based universities including the University of Warwick, and industry partners is to shine a light on the expertise of their technical community by delivering a package of measures to support their career advancement and development.

Just under 1000 seed samples from different crop species including kale, carrots and cauliflower are to be deposited at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Arctic Norway on the 25th February 2020, from the UK Vegetable Genebank (UKVGB) at the University of Warwick Wellesbourne campus.

Four leading transportation start-ups have recently visited WMG to learn more about our expertise on Cyber Security for Automotive, Cooperative Vehicles and Intelligent Vehicles. The companies recently won the L.A. New Mobility Challenge, a major global startup competition focused on solving the challenges of urban mobility. The four award categories were 'shared and personal mobility', 'urban aerial mobility', 'smart infrastructure', and 'zero emission mobility'. The UK’s Science and Innovation Network (SIN) in the USA, identified Warwick and the West Midlands as a priority for the winners when visiting the UK.

In a race to be clean and green the motor industry is changing, which has inspired 40 Warwick students to make an electric superbike to race this summer, 2020.