• NatWest and WMG, a department at the University of Warwick, are inviting businesses that are creating the next generation of clean green transport to apply to their new accelerator
• Businesses will receive support to fast-track their innovations, including easy access to clean transport experts and equipment, exclusive 1:1 coaching sessions, and access to growth funding
• The Clean Transport Accelerator is a fully-funded programme and will help the UK be a green leader in carbon-neutral transport for future mobility, helping businesses bring their innovations to the market quicker

With transport being the largest carbon emitting sector in the UK, a partnership between NatWest and WMG at the University of Warwick has led to the launch of the Clean Transport Accelerator. It will support businesses which are part of the mobility sector to develop products and services that will play their part in achieving the UK’s net-zero goals.

The first cohort of the programme will help 10-15 businesses through education, events, networking and coaching. They will also have access to experts and equipment to help them accelerate their innovations to the market and demonstrate an impact in the pursuit of net zero goals.

Applicants can be from anywhere across the UK and cover a broad range of businesses, whether they are based within supply chains, are fuel providers, want to develop new means of transport, or be focused on specific transport such as light rail, cargo delivery or scooters.

The programme will be delivered jointly by NatWest and WMG, University of Warwick. NatWest will provide an enterprise acceleration manager with 1:1 coaching, access to their accelerator growth events and access to work space, as well as learning hubs at the University of Warwick and Birmingham.

The University of Warwick will provide access to clean energy, manufacturing, automotive and connected experts at WMG and their HVMC (High Value Manufacturing Catapult), as well as the tools to validate and test any equipment designed by the businesses and access to co-working spaces on Campus.

NatWest supported over 55,000 entrepreneurs in 2021 and has 13 accelerator hubs across the UK. Businesses with high growth potential benefit from a range of support through the accelerators. This includes coaching, community, access to a wide network and thought leadership content. NatWest accelerators are keen to attract more female and BAME led businesses as well as companies outside London and the South East. Any business keen to take its next step for growth should consider applying to the NatWest accelerator scheme.

The Clean Transport Accelerator news follows the recent launch of NatWest’s green loans for SMEs and green asset finance through Lombard. Companies can access funds with no arrangement fee to help them transition to more sustainable working practices. The bank has pledged to lend £100 billion by 2025 to businesses looking to invest in being greener. NatWest’s Springboard to Sustainability report, published in October 2021, found that half the UK’s carbon reduction ambition can be delivered by the SME sector and the Clean Transport Accelerator is the bank’s latest offering to help UK SMEs pursue this goal.

Professor David Greenwood, CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC) at WMG, University of Warwick comments:

“The drive to net zero has opened up new and exciting opportunities for innovation in the transport sector. Together with NatWest, we’d like to ensure that the UK delivers economic benefits as well as environmental benefits as we meet this critical objective. This programme is aimed to support small and innovative companies as they build and scale up their products, services and business models.”

Richard Hill, Head of Automotive and Manufacturing at NatWest, said:

“NatWest has set out a clear ambition to play a leading role in helping to address the climate challenge, and so we are thrilled to be working with the University of Warwick to offer clean transport businesses a fast-track to delivering on the UK’s green goals.

“Packed with experts, access to equipment, networking opportunities and funding advice, the Clean Transport Accelerator is a must for any business keen to scale up their next step. I look forward to seeing the innovative and exciting businesses that we support.”

Businesses can apply for the Clean Transport Accelerator here: Registration Portal

Where it says ‘Voucher Code’ please enter ‘CleanTransport01/2022’

The deadline for applications is the 11th April 2022.

ENDS

22 FEBRUARY 2022

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res image available at:

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/communications/medialibrary/images/february_2022/electric_vehicles_outside_wmg_.jpg
Caption: Electric Vehicles outside WMG, University of Warwick
Credit: WMG, University of Warwick

For more information and to apply to the Clean Transport Accelerator visit here

For more information on NatWest’s nationwide accelerators visit here 

For more information on NatWest’s green loans visit here

For further information please contact:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of Warwick
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk

Laura Blumenthal
Media Relations Manager – NatWest
Tel: 07947974464
E-mail: laura.blumenthal@natwest.com

About NatWest Group

NatWest Group is a relationship bank for a digital world. We champion potential; breaking down barriers and building financial confidence so the 19 million people, families and businesses we serve in communities throughout the UK and Ireland can rebuild and thrive. If our customers succeed, so will we.

About WMG, University of Warwick

WMG is a world leading research and education group, transforming organisations and driving innovation through a unique combination of collaborative research and development, and pioneering education programmes.

As an international role model for successful partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, WMG develops advancements nationally and globally, in applied science, technology and engineering, to deliver real impact to economic growth, society and the environment.

WMG’s education programmes focus on lifelong learning of the brightest talent, from the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, degree apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate, through to professional programmes.

An academic department of the University of Warwick, and a centre for the HVM Catapult, WMG was founded by the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK manufacturing and improve competitiveness through innovation and skills development.

WMG held its annual student careers fair from 14th to 18th February 2022.

FutureFest, organised by the WMG Master’s Team gave students the chance to hear from prospective employers, explore career opportunities, attend skills workshops, and network with others.

Konstantina Dee, WMG’s Careers and Employability Officer, and organiser of the event, said: “We have held FutureFest annually for the last few years. Last year, due to the Covid restrictions, the event was held fully online. But this year, we were delighted to be able to offer a mix of both online and in-person sessions.

“There was a great atmosphere, and it was nice for students and employers to be able to meet face-to-face, as well as participating in online events. We would like to say a big thank you to all employers, students and staff who took part in sessions across the five days. We are pleased that FutureFest 2022 was another great success.”

A total of 14 companies attended the event including Rolls Royce, Faithful+Gould, Tata Consultancy Services, Alten UK, ABP Food Group UK and TPP.

More than 730 students joined over the course of the week describing it as ‘very valuable’, ‘insightful’, and a ‘great opportunity to speak to employers and find out about opportunities within their organisations.’

Kenta Shibuya from 4C Associates said: “FutureFest Careers Fair is a fantastic opportunity for exhibitors to connect with students seeking a masters’ degree from WMG. As an alumnus, it was a pleasure introducing opportunities at 4C Associates to the students.”

Mandy Thompson from ABP Food Group UK added: “After two long years of hosting virtual careers fairs it was lovely to get back onto campus and meet so many interesting students in person. Warwick didn’t disappoint in presenting us with engaged students who were more than equipped for a career in the food industry.”

A particular highlight of FutureFest was a session led by Adeel Azam from Faithful+Gould. Adeel is a former WMG Master’s student, who is now a Director at the integrated project and programme management consultancy. Adeel gave an account of his career so far, and shared advice with students one-to-one at the end of the session.

Daniel Dowling-Brown, Managing Surveyor at Faithful+Gould, said: “What an amazing two days spent with WMG at the University of Warwick. The students were very engaging, and it was a privilege to be able to speak to so many about our business and our industry. We look forward to seeing many of them again as colleagues in the future and look forward to being back again next year.”

If you’re a company or business looking to attract graduates across a range of roles and sectors, contact us to find out how you can get involved with future WMG Student Careers and Employability events: wmg_employability@warwick.ac.uk

Coventry has taken a bold step to facilitate the development of an independent partnership with local businesses, public and community organisations

To drive forward changes to address Coventry’s impact on climate change and the environment.  

Five key themes have been identified by the new Independent Climate Change Board for Coventry, and each is led by influential leaders of key organisations and institutions in the city.

The activities support Coventry by integrating solutions which make an impact on, our people, our neighbourhoods and our environment. They include how we use energy, support wildlife, address inequalities such as fuel poverty, reduce waste and find ways to deal with the effects of climate change like flooding and over-heating.

Chris Lovatt, Chief Operating Officer, UK Solutions for E.ON is the new chair of the Low emission development pathway group. This pathway covers how we reduce pollution and emissions in the city. This could be through promoting renewable energy, more efficient buildings, encouraging sustainable travel as well as reducing and changing the way in which we consume energy overall. 

Chris explained: “Coventry is E.ON’s home city so naturally we’re very happy to use our expertise and experiences to support Coventry in becoming a cleaner, greener city and drive forward plans to take action against the climate crisis and create a more sustainable city.” 

“At E.ON we work alongside cities, local authorities and with residents to look at how we can help them reduce their energy use, cut their bills and carbon emissions, whether that is by better insulating properties or giving people a better understanding of their energy consumption.  

“We are also applying new technologies; installing heat pumps, solar panels, batteries and getting ready for electric vehicles and finding the best ways to electrify our heating and transportation needs, which now make up the majority of emissions across the country.” 

Margot James, Executive Chair for WMG  at the University of Warwick, and former minister for culture, communications and creative industries, is the chair of the Coventry Climate Change Board.

Margot said: “Coventry’s Climate Change Board is bringing together key city stakeholders to draw up a set of actions that will meet the carbon reduction targets set by the Council. I’m delighted to be joined on the Board by the University of Warwick’s Provost Professor Chris Ennew OBE and Russell Hall, Senior Research Fellow at WMG who will also be leading the Circular Development, pathway group.

“I appreciate very much the excellent support the board is getting from local industry, utilities, public services and the voluntary sector. Together with the citizens of Coventry, I am optimistic that we can bring about real change for the better.

“I’m grateful to have E.ON supporting this important agenda for Coventry and I welcome Chris Lovatt, Chief Operating Officer, UK Solutions at E.ON, who is the first expert leading one of our key areas; the Lower emissions development pathway group. We have also identified the following people; Russ Hall, Ed Green and Geraldine Tsakirakis who will be leading the Circular Development, Nature-based and Equitable and Resilience pathway groups. In the coming months, we will identify further leads all of whom will be experts in their fields.”

The new Climate Change Board met for its second meeting recently. Senior leaders from organisations across Coventry are helping to shape and move forward actions to reduce the impact

of climate change and are meeting regularly to share policies, plans, good practice and work together collaboratively in an effort to keep the city on track for a zero-carbon future. 

Margot added: “At WMG we are working with industry to develop solutions that will have a long-term impact on climate change, including electrification of transport from passenger cars to very light rail vehicles, and developing sustainable manufacturing processes.

“I want this Board to make a difference, cutting through any blockages preventing action within and between the organisations we represent, to develop solutions to complex challenges together.”

Cllr Jim O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change at the Council, added: “It’s great to have experts steering the work of the board and I’m sure that we will be able to share innovative approaches.” 

Watch the video hereLink opens in a new window

WMG, at the University of Warwick, has launched a new Future Leaders' Scholarship specifically for prospective postgraduate students in the West Midlands region.

The scholarships will provide tuition fee awards of £10,000 for up to 20 UK students to support study on any of the WMG Full-time MSc courses. To be eligible, applicants should be living or working in the region, or have graduated from any West Midlands university. They must also meet the academic entry criteria for the course they are applying for.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, and Director of Education explains: “WMG has an established reputation for delivering education programmes that develop future talent, and with the announcement of the Government’s Levelling Up white paper, we are pleased to be supporting the development of talent in the West Midlands through our new Future Leaders' Scholarships.”

“WMG’s applied Master’s courses provide students with the skills and knowledge required to make a positive impact and contribution within their chosen fields, from innovation and technology to engineering and management.”

Margot James, Executive Chair at WMG adds: “The West Midlands is a major part of the UK economy, and we are committed to supporting the region’s development and growth. With WMG’s new scholarship, we are delighted to be supporting the next generation of skilled graduates, and help shape the leaders of tomorrow.”

The deadline for applications is 1st June 2022. Further information including how to apply can be found here: WMG West Midlands Future Leaders' Scholarships.

Labour Shadow Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson MP visited the WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre at the University of Warwick today (Thursday 10^th February) to mark National Apprenticeship Week 2022.

Following a visit to the motorsport and advanced engineering group Prodrive earlier in the morning, where she met WMG degree apprentice Abi Holloway from the Applied Engineering Programme, Bridget Phillipson then visited the WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre with Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick and Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG and Director of Education.

The Shadow Education Secretary met with apprentices and staff for a tour of the Centre, including workshop demonstrations and live seminars before meeting local employers including Aston Martin, JLR, Royal Mail Group and Allett, as well as the Federation of Small Businesses.

Bridget Phillipson MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said:

“It was a pleasure to visit the WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre to mark National Apprenticeship Week, and to see how businesses and education providers are working together to equip young people with the skills our country needs to prosper.

“Labour is committed to working with educators and employers to ensure young people leave education ready for work and ready for life.

“As our national skills needs develop and change, I want young people and older workers wanting to reskill to be able to access high quality, local training programmes which lead to good jobs in all parts of the UK.”

The Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership funded WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre offers a bespoke learning environment with open spaces for collaborative and individual work, technology-enabled seminar rooms and a purpose-built laboratory for mechanical, electrical and thermal experiments.

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick said:

“It was a pleasure to welcome Bridget Phillipson MP to the University to share our approach to combining quality Higher Education and work-based learning. We have a responsibility to provide students with the environment they need to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to succeed while supporting business growth through their work. The WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre is a flagship example of how this can be achieved when strategic investment is combined with industrial and academic collaboration.”

The visit also comes just a few weeks after the launch of the WMG Skills Centre, including seven new courses in technologies such as energy systems, intelligent vehicles, and digital manufacturing to meet current and future industry needs.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG and Director of Education said:

“We were delighted to welcome the Labour Shadow Education Secretary to our WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre during National Apprenticeship Week. The visit was a great opportunity to highlight the achievements of our apprentices and to discuss future opportunities in work-based education with a panel of influential local industry partners.”

Margot James, Executive Chair at WMG, added:

“It’s great that Bridget Phillipson MP was able to meet our incredible apprentices and industry partners. She heard from them that, with the Green Industrial Revolution and the road to Net Zero leading to emerging skills needs in areas like automation, electrification and robotics, it is vital UK businesses invest in their people to encourage new-skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling.”

Today (Tuesday 8th February) marks the official end of the collaboration stage of the TE-1 project, a unique four-way partnership with WMG, Triumph Motorcycles, Williams Advanced Engineering and Integral Powertrain Ltd e-Drive Division, focusing on developing specialist electric motorcycle technology.

The prototype demonstrator is now fully ready for the live testing programme led by Triumph Motorcycles.

The project, funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK, was set up to create ground-breaking developments in specialist electric motorcycle engineering and innovative integrated technology design.

Due to WMG’s vast experience and proven track record on key Innovate UK projects, Triumph Motorcycles asked WMG to project manage TE-1 on their behalf.

As part of this WMG was also tasked with identifying the project consortium partners, as well as providing guidance relating to future legislation, charging infrastructure and recycling strategies.

The prototype demonstrator integrates all the latest and final innovations from the project partner workstreams.

 Triumph: final chassis, including frame, rear sub-frame, cockpit, panels and wheels, final drive system including transmission and Gates Carbon belt drive, electronics, Öhlins USD cartridge forks, unique prototype Öhlins RSU, Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, and Triumph motorcycle control software

Williams Advanced Engineering: final iteration of prototype WAE battery pack incorporating dedicated cell packaging for optimum centre of gravity, vehicle control unit, DCDC converter, integrated cooling, charge port, and styled carbon covers

 Integral Powertrain: final prototype powertrain with scalable integrated inverter and combined motor with silicon carbide switching technology and integrated cooling

 WMG: final pre-live trial simulation completed, with all results indicating that the project is on course to deliver the intended performance and durability outcomes

Truong Quang Dinh, WMG’s Associate Professor of Energy Management and Control Systems, explained: “Our creation of initial computer-based simulation models at the start of Phase 1 has been instrumental in ensuring that the component selection was appropriate to achieve the performance targets defined by the partners for the TE-1 Prototype.

“We have continued with this work across Phase 2 of the project, refining the models to a much more complex level to allow us and the partners to imitate further components on the bike such as braking, throttle, lighting and other systems and mimic real-world riding to provide development opportunities and real-time testing before components were fully designed. Additionally, we have created a physical rig wired with all of the control units and e-drivetrain, in order to implement a design validation test programme to ensure the function of each section was within the allowable range.”

Key project achievements so far include test results that exceed current benchmarks and targets set by the UK Automotive Council for 2025, providing a platform with great potential for future development in electric motorcycle performance.

Over the next six months the prototype demonstrator will undertake an extensive live testing programme within Triumph’s state-of-the-art facilities.

At the completion of the live testing phase, estimated to be Summer 2022, the prototype demonstrator will be updated with its final body panels and paint scheme, in preparation for active track demonstration. At this time, the full results of the project including the final specifications and testing outcomes will be published, as well as insights and key facts on how the TE-1 delivers on the project targets for innovation and sets new standards for the motorcycle sector overall, including final battery and range performance.

“It has been truly exciting to see the progress made during phase 3 of Project Triumph TE‑1 with the final prototype motorcycle now going into real life testing. Everyone involved at Triumph are proud to have been part of this innovative British collaboration. Personally, I am thrilled with the results we have already achieved with our partners, and the exciting preview of the potential electric future to come.” said Nick Bloor, Triumph CEO. “We look forward to continuing the ambitious and innovative work on the TE-1 demonstrator prototype through the live testing phase and sharing the outcome with Triumph fans across the world.”

Read more about WMG’s Transport Electrification research expertise here: Energy (warwick.ac.uk)

The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced the second cohort of West Midlands students to receive the Lord Bhattacharyya Higher Education bursaries, which aim to widen participation in engineering.

Nine bursaries, each worth £5000 a year for three years, have been awarded to students from underrepresented groups across the region who are progressing from A Levels or technical engineering courses to degree-level engineering courses in the 2021/22 academic year.

These prestigious awards form part of the wider Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme, a five-year programme funded by the UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial strategy (BEIS) as a tribute to the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya Kt CBE FREng FRS, a renowned engineer, academic, educator and government advisor who established WMG at the University of Warwick in 1980.

The programme, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering in close partnership with WMG, aims to promote engineering to young people in the West Midlands from low-income backgrounds and those who are underrepresented in engineering. The comprehensive support package provided to the programme’s network of secondary schools and FE colleges aims to upskill teachers and inspire young people to take up engineering, before supporting their progression into further and higher education and into engineering careers.

The nine awardees are:

• Dawud Ahmed, studying Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Birmingham University
• Mohammed Shahid Akther, studying Aerospace Technology and Coventry University
• Farid Alhaji, studying Automotive Engineering at Coventry University
• Jamila Houmadi, studying Electronic Engineering with Foundation Year at Birmingham City University
• Iqra Khan studying Civil Engineering at Coventry University
• Raees Kiani, studying Civil Engineering at Coventry University
• Afras Malik, studying Aerospace Systems Engineering at Coventry University
• Bianca Miller, studying Computer Systems Engineering at the University of Essex
• James Wilkes, studying Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Solihull College & University Centre

Dr Rhys Morgan, Director of Engineering and Education at the Royal Academy of Engineering, says: “It’s so great to see these talented young people in the West Midlands being supported to become future engineers and technicians. The Academy is proud to help continue the engineering heritage of this region and it is vital that we work as a profession to attract a diverse workforce who will in turn bring added benefits of creativity and productivity to local businesses.”

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, University of Warwick adds: “I would like to congratulate the second cohort of recipients of a Lord Bhattacharyya Higher Education bursary—Professor Lord Bhattacharyya was a passionate advocate of inspiring young people to follow a career in STEM. I’m absolutely delighted to see the enthusiasm of the students and the diverse range of engineering subjects that the students are passionate about”.

Applications for the third round of Lord Bhattacharyya Higher Education Bursaries will open in March 2022, for students enrolling at university in September 2022.

More information about the nine awardees can be found here.

Media enquiries to:

Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0745; email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk
or
Lisa Harding at WMG Lisa.Harding@warwick.ac.uk Tel +44 7824 540845

The University of Warwick was today, 2^nd February, pleased to welcome George Freeman MP, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, to visit the Professor Lord Bhattacharyya Building, home to the National Automotive Innovation Centre, following a visit to the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.

During his visit Mr Freeman met with researchers from WMG conducting pioneering research into battery innovation, and their integration and control for propulsion and energy applications, and attended a demonstration of WMG’s autonomous vehicle 3DX simulator to learn more about Warwick’s work in the development of new transport technologies.

Mr Freeman’s visit coincides with the publishing of the government’s white paper on Levelling Up.

Commenting on the minister’s visit the University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Croft, said:

“On the day of the launch of the government’s Levelling Up white paper, it has been a privilege to welcome the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation to Warwick and to highlight some of the many projects the University is undertaking that will support levelling up across our region.

“Through sustainable transport and technologies, life sciences, and as the home of the National Automotive Innovation Centre and as a partner in the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre – Warwick’s contribution to the levelling up work across the West Midlands will be a significant feature of our University’s future, with the energy and drive of our innovation at the fore.”

Commenting on their visit to the University of Warwick Campus and UKBIC, George Freeman MP said:

“It was fantastic to visit the University of Warwick manufacturing cluster, a globally renowned centre for research & innovation in propulsion, battery tech, robotics, and life sciences.

“As part of our mission to Level Up the UK, today we pledged to spend over half the government’s R&D budget outside the South East of England by 2024-25, piloting new Innovation Accelerators to give three regions – including the West Midlands - access to £100 million of new funding.

“This is what Levelling Up looks like in practice - growing the economy while ensuring we can all share in our country’s success.”

Commenting on the minister’s visit to Warwick and the government’s commitment to increase publicly funded research Executive Chair of WMG at the University of Warwick, Margot James, said:

“I am delighted to welcome George Freeman, Science Minister, to WMG today, we are proud that the Minister has chosen WMG at the University of Warwick to showcase his launch of the innovation accelerators. I welcome wholeheartedly the commitment within the Levelling Up white paper to an increase of 40% in publicly funded research across the Midlands.”

Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, University of Warwick add “I'm pleased to see a strong commitment to skills in the Levelling Up White Paper, at WMG, we're keen to help deliver this mission, providing the opportunity for more people to take quality skills courses, from apprenticeships to in-work learning.

Through our new WMG Skills Centre, WMG Degree Apprenticeship Centre and the National Electrification Skills Framework we will be working with employers to develop the skills programmes that are needed by industry and companies to provide these opportunities.”

The £130 million UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) is a pioneering 18,500 square metre state-of-the-art national facility, which has been developed to support UK industry with development of battery technologies for future electrification. UKBIC presents an opportunity for UK technology developers to prove out their innovations and processes by acting as the bridge between new battery chemistries developed in the research laboratories and mass scale production for the automotive market in Gigafactories.

Jeff Pratt, Managing Director of UKIBC said “We were delighted with the Minister’s visit to UKBIC today, in which he spoke about the importance of science and innovation to the UK economy. It was good to discuss with him the importance of realising value from R&D and scaling industrial opportunities - highlighted through facilities such as our own – and to recognise the importance of supporting our growing battery ecosystem across the UK. UKBIC is a key part of the UK Government’s Faraday Battery Challenge, created to fast track the commercialisation of cost-effective, high-performance, durable, safe, low-weight and recyclable batteries.”

The National Automotive Innovation Centre is a partnership between WMG, at the University of Warwick, Jaguar Land Rover, and Tata Motors European Technical Centre. There are over 1,000 designers, engineers and researchers located within the Centre, working on a range of future vehicle and mobility solution projects. Students and apprentices also share the space working alongside staff as our future designers and engineers.

Further to Warwick’s role in developing battery and transport technology, the University is supporting an extensive range of activities to support growth, investment, and regeneration in the West Midlands; including as a Principal Partner of Coventry UK City of Culture 2022, which has to secured £172.6m of investment into the city and over £500m of city regeneration activity. WMG’s new Skills Centre and National Electrification Skills Framework will also support high quality skills development.

Noor Abu-Jbara, WMG MSc Innovation and Entrepreneurship alumna, has won a prestigious Study UK Alumni Award.

Noor, who graduated from WMG in 2019, was announced as the winner in the Business and Innovation Award category for Jordan at an awards ceremony held on Sunday (30 January).

The UK Alumni Awards are led by the British Council to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the UK’s international alumni. Award winners and finalists are leaders in their fields who have used their experience of studying at a UK university to make a positive contribution to their communities, professions and countries.

The Business and Innovation Award category specifically recognises those who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities, that have the potential for growth.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG said: “This award is a true testament to Noor’s dedication and passion for entrepreneurship and empowering women in Jordan. I’m delighted that her efforts have been recognised. Congratulations Noor!

“We look forward to seeing the wonderful things that she continues to achieve throughout her career.”

After graduating Noor became the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Supervisor at TheTank by Umniah and the Founder of SHEE. She is trainer and mentor for start-ups and has worked as a consultant and researcher in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, women empowerment and management consultation.

You can read more about Noor’s career here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/education/wmgmasters/alumni-profiles/noor-abu-jbara_iae/

• Operation Design Domain (ODD) is a fundamental to Connected autonomous Vehicle (CAV) safety, as it describes specific operating conditions in which the CAV system can operate safely, including environmental parameters such as weather an infrastructure
• Defining an ODD in a standard way has now been made official thanks to a new international standard concept created the German standards body ASAM and led by WMG at the University of Warwick, which defines the language used to define an ODD
• The new ASAM OpenODD language concept clears the barrier between CAV manufacturers and authorities, so they can find out if the vehicle is allowed to drive within the authority’s area or not and vice versa

An Operational Design Domain (ODD) is fundamental to Connected Autonomous Vehicle safety, however defining an ODD hasn’t been done before, until now, thanks to the work undertaken by German standardisation body ASAM and led researchers from WMG, University of Warwick.

An Operational Design Domain Definition (ODD) describes specific operating conditions in which the automated driving system is designed to properly operate. It specifies what operating parameters the CAV must be able to manage, for example, weather conditions, infrastructure, location, time of day and everything else that can have an impact on the driving situation. The ODD is thus an important part of the safety concept of a vehicle and must be valid throughout its entire service life for a particular configuration of the CAV.

ASAM, a German standardisation body have been working with WMG, University of Warwick and other international experts to publish a new international standard concept, to develop a language for defining ODDs. They have successfully created a concept for machine-interpretable format to represent the ODD specification. The concept paper can be downloaded free of charge. Additional use cases or requirements can still be proposed before the standard development starts.

Th new format concept enables governments and the automotive industry to access ODD descriptions that are exchangeable, comparable, and processable.

An application example of the effective use of ASAM OpenODD is as follows: A city describes the ODD for its downtown area in the ASAM OpenODD format and makes it available to automotive manufacturers. The manufacturers can then use these descriptions to easily match their vehicles with the defined ODD to find out if their vehicles are allowed to drive in the respective downtown area. They can also use the descriptions to map their scenario test catalogue to the requirements of the ODD. The registration authorities have the benefit of defining ODDs that they can use to check autonomous vehicles. They can also be used to support the development of the ADAS and AD systems, as the use of the ODD can define the testcases that are necessary to validate the vehicle. There can be obvious limitations, for example, if the vehicle is not capable of speeds above 50 km/h highway tests are not necessary. This application of an ODD helps to focus the limited validation resources on the really needed scenarios.

Dr Siddartha Khastgir, from WMG, University of Warwick and project lead for ASAM Open ODD Concept project comments: “Operational Design Domain definition is key to creating a safe automated vehicle. However, how is an ODD defined hasn’t been officially deemed, until now, as the ASAM OpenODD concept has provided the language to define an ODD.

“This means that going forward CAV manufacturers can define and exchange ODD definitions and authorities can have a common understanding of the ODD definition. I am grateful to all international experts who have contributed to this work. Achieving safety of automated driving needs to be a collaborative effort and ASAM OpenODD is an example of this.”

Peter Voss, Managing Director, ASAM E.V. comments:

"ASAM OpenODD will be a standard that will not only contribute to the safety of automated vehicles, but more importantly, will help to implement automated driving functions faster,".

In addition to the format and syntax, the concept for ASAM OpenODD also takes into account attributes (leveraging ISO 34503), metrics and the representation of uncertainties. The future standard will be compatible with all other standards of the ASAM OpenX family, particularly with OpenDRIVE, OpenSCENARIO and OpenXOntology.

ENDS

1 FEBRUARY 2022

NOTES TO EDITORS

High-res images available at:

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/communications/medialibrary/images/april2020/sid_39.jpg

Caption: Dr Siddartha Khastgir, from WMG, University of Warwick
Credit: WMG, University of Warwick

ASAM OpenODD Concept: https://www.asam.net/standards/detail/openodd/ 

Recording of webinar: https://www.asam.net/conferences-events/detail/webinar-asam-openodd-concept/

Further resources on understanding ODDs:

What is an ODD (by Nicco Hagedorn, ASAM e.V.): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4F5OZlRlaQ 

Curious case blog (by Siddartha Khastgir, WMG): https://bit.ly/CuriousCaseODD

For further information please contact:

Alice Scott
Media Relations Manager – Science
University of Warwick
Tel: +44 (0) 7920 531 221
E-mail: alice.j.scott@warwick.ac.uk