WMG were pleased to host a visit from Andrew Miller MP who is the Chair of House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee; the Chair Parliamentary and Scientific Committee; the Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee and a Member of the editorial Board for Science in Parliament.  Meeting with Lord Bhattacharyya, Andrew was interested to understand the diverse research undertaken by the Group.  He also had an opportunity to meet with staff to discover the breadth of our multi-disciplinary capabilities and the wide range of sectors we work with. 

Tours of the International Digital Laboratory (IDL), Institute of Digital Healthcare and International Manufacturing Centre (IMC) focused on the quality of research in our digital technologies and automotive research programmes.  During the visit to the IDL, Andrew met with Professor Alan Chalmers who showcased the world’s first complete High Dynamic Range (HDR) video system, and with Professor Sadie Creese who described research and education opportunities in digital security. Professor Paul Jennings described his research in sound environments in hospitals, cityscapes, and the automotive sector. At The Institute of Digital Healthcare Professor Christopher James highlighted the multi-disciplinary approach to improving people’s health and wellbeing through the use of innovative technologies, and Professor Darek Ceglarek who described process improvements in hospitals that dramatically improve patient care.  In the IMC engineering hall Professor Richard Dashwood showed some of the new materials research that is being undertaken with global companies and the highly innovative work being taken in support of green motor sports.

Andrew Miller said he was very impressed with what he had seen and had enjoyed the discussions on the merits of academic-industrial partnerships.