WMG at the University of Warwick and WayveLink opens in a new window, a leader in Embodied AI for autonomous driving, have launched the DriveSafeAI microsite - a dedicated platform to share insights, research, and tools focused on AI safety assurance in assisted and automated driving technology.

The new microsite, Drive-Safe.aiLink opens in a new window, is part of the broader DriveSafeAI initiative and serves as a hub for industry professionals, researchers, and policymakers. Through this platform, Wayve and WMG will share information about novel safety validation methods to give regulators confidence in AI used in assisted and automated vehicles (AV). DriveSafeAI focuses on four pillars of technical AI safety assurance, covering scenario generation, architecture, model evaluation, and sim validation.

The DriveSafeAI projectLink opens in a new window is part of the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles’ (CCAV)

Commercialising CAM Supply Chain Competition (CCAMSC). This programme, aimed at advancing connected and automated mobility (CAM), is funded by CCAV - a joint initiative between the Department for Business and TradeLink opens in a new window, and the Department for TransportLink opens in a new window. It is delivered in partnership with Innovate UKLink opens in a new window and ZenzicLink opens in a new window.

Dr Sarah Gates, Director of Public Policy, Wayve explained: “Regulators need to have confidence in how AI is used in assisted and automated driving, which is why we need clear safety validation methods. DriveSafeAI is a model for developing evidenced-based safety frameworks that can build regulator and stakeholder confidence, driving innovation while ensuring the highest safety standards. This balanced approach enables safe technology development that will lead to safer roads and a more robust global AV market.”

Professor Siddartha KhastgirLink opens in a new window, Head of Safe Autonomy, WMG, the University of Warwick said: “The use of AI in safety-critical applications like automated driving poses a huge challenge for the automotive industry. Solving this requires broad collaboration between industry, academia, and policymakers. Through DriveSafeAI, partnering with a leading embodied AI organisation like Wayve, WMG can create a robust and novel safety approach to AI while enabling scalability and innovation. We are generating the scientific evidence to underpin industry-wide standards and international regulations for the safety of AI, building confidence in the AV ecosystem.”

Wayve and WMG remain committed to advancing automated driving through rigorous safety protocols and transparent research. Over the next year, the partners will regularly update the microsite with new findings as they progress their research.

For more information and to follow updates on this project, visit Link opens in a new windowhttps://drive-safe.ai/Link opens in a new window.

Dr Kogila BalakrishnanLink opens in a new window, WMG’s Director of Client and Business Development (Southeast Asia), was pleased to welcome guests from the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce on Monday (9th September).

The delegation was made up of 15 Malaysian government officials on the JPA-BMCC Management Development ProgrammeLink opens in a new window.

The officials were particularly interested to find out more about research projects and education programmes in relation to digital technology and energy transition.

After meeting with Dr Balakrishnan and Hopi Sen, WMG’s Director of Policy, the group headed to the Energy Innovation Centre where they heard more about WMG’s world-leading energy and battery technology research.

The delegation then enjoyed a guided tour of the engineering hall and the Centre for Imaging, Metrology and Additive Technologies (CiMATLink opens in a new window), in WMG’s International Manufacturing Centre.

Dr Kogila Balakrishnan, WMG’s Director of Client and Business Development (Southeast Asia) said: "It was a pleasure to welcome the delegation and showcase WMG's strengths in digital technology and energy transition.

“We are excited about the possibilities for collaboration that may arise from this engagement, particularly in fostering innovation and developing skills for the future."

Find out more about WMG’s education programmes here: Study | WMG | University of WarwickLink opens in a new window 

Find out more about WMG’s research capabilities here: Research | WMG | University of WarwickLink opens in a new window 

WMG at the University of Warwick is hosting Micromobility UK, on Wednesday 18th September, at the Oculus building located on the Warwick campus. This will be the largest in-person conference, in the UK, focussing purely on micromobility.

Sponsored by NatWest, the event will also showcase the Clean Transport Accelerator – a programme supporting businesses to develop products and services to help address the UK’s net-zero goals.

Visitors can expect to see a jam-packed agenda with speakers on topics such as last-mile logistics; accessibility and inclusion; battery safety and future e-scooter regulations.

Discussions will also be held around making towns and cities safer for all micromobility, from scooters to larger cargo vehicles.

Expert speakers include:

• Julian Scriven, Managing Director, Brompton Bike Hire

• Katie Miller-White, Transport Innovation Coordinator, Transport for West Midlands

• Caz Conneller, Director of Community and Culture, Loud Mobility

• Adam Norris, Founder, Pure Electric

• Peter Eland, Technical Manager, The Bicycle Association of Great Britain

• Michelle Gardner, Deputy Director of Policy, Logistics UK

• Robin Haycock, Chief Technology Officer, Fernhay

• Kay Inckle, Campaigns and Policy Manager, Wheels for Wellbeing

• Andrew Bradley, Net Zero & Transport Lead, NHS

• George Beard, Head of New Mobility, TRL

• Lizzie Gaden, E-Scooter Trial Stakeholder & Contracts Manager, Transport for London

• Shayan Yaghoobi, Engineering Lead, Office for Product Safety and Standards, DBT

• Kevin Savage, COO, Delivery Mates

• Alfie Brierley, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Motor Cycle Industry Association

• Rob Hill, Fire Investigation Officer, London Fire Brigade

• Phil Ellis, Cofounder, Beryl

• Mark Riley, Delivery Design Manager, Royal Mail

Exhibitors include Composite Braiding, if.vehicles, Ebco, Bo Mobility, MTD Ltd, AlsoBikes, DOCK-Y, Warwick University Science Park, Eskuta, Spokesafe, Komodo Bikes, Business Growth West Midlands, Maeving, Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, Transport for West Midlands and Beryl. There will also be live demos and the chance to trial micromobility vehicles around a dedicated route.

Professor David GreenwoodLink opens in a new window, Director of Industrial Engagement at WMG and CEO of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult at WMG, said, “We are absolutely delighted to host the 4th annual Micromobility UK conference.

“This year is going to be an important one for micromobility. We now have a new government and feel optimistic that we will see new policies around micromobility enabling the sector to really flourish.”

To register for the event visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/news-and-events/events/micromobilityuk/Link opens in a new window 

WMG at the University of Warwick has been working with primary schools across Coventry to inspire children and ignite their passion for STEM through its Stitch in Time project, supported by HVM Catapult and funded by STEM Learning.

Stitch in Time is built around the freely available software Turtlestitch, and takes inspiration from Coventry’s historic textile industries.

Turtlestitch teaches computing, maths, and design and technology, with students producing code that then controls a digital embroidery machine to stitch unique patterns into fabric.

WMG’s Outreach team and STEM Learning Ambassadors worked with teachers of year 5 and year 6 children to deliver a series of lessons and challenges , to create embroidery designs by using computer programming.

A total of seven schools and 480 students participated in the project which ran from May 2024 to July 2024.

Professor Margaret Low, Director of Outreach and Widening Participation at WMG explained: “Thanks to the support of STEM Learning, we were able to deliver the Stitch in Time project again. The STEM Ambassadors, Chrissy, Jasleen, Ramona and Shabeer were key to the success of the project, working in collaboration with school teachers. The children created a fantastic range of different designs, and I’d encourage everyone to visit the display at Coventry Transport Museum to see the creativity of the children.

"The funding from STEM Learning, and STEM Ambassadors enabled us to work with these schools to deliver the project."

Each school, supported by WMG STEM Ambassadors, has now produced a beautiful and colourful display on a variety of individual themes. Alongside the display, Gauri Verma, WMG Project Officer became the “Manufacturer in Residence”, running some taster sessions for visitors to the museum in August.

The Stitch in Time exhibition will be on display at the Coventry Transport Museum until December.

Find out more about WMG’s Outreach programmes here: Outreach and Widening Participation (warwick.ac.uk)

WMG students were recently recognised at the Warwick Awards for Public and Community Engagement (WAPCE) 2024 for their efforts in delivering public engagement activities over the last year.

CyberWomen@Warwick, a student-led initiative founded in collaboration with students on WMG’s Cyber Security programmes and staff at WMG’s Cyber Security Centre, received the Student Team Award at a celebration event on campus.

Through initiatives such as school outreach programmes, a national conference, and various competitions, CyberWomen@Warwick aims to inspire more women into the cyber security industry and promote inclusivity and positive change within STEM. Their hard work and dedication has resulted in considerable and long-term gains in knowledge, appreciation, attitude, interest, and participation from all involved.

Maria Motter, Vice President of CyberWomen@Warwick, said “We're incredibly honoured to have received the Warwick Award for Public and Community Engagement. This recognition is a testament to the dedication and passion of the entire CyberWomen@Warwick team. And it strengthens our commitment to continue empowering women and non-binary people in the cyber security field and inspiring the next generation of leaders.”

The WAPCE awards celebrate the vital contributions of Warwick students and staff in engaging the public with learning and discovery, strengthening the University's role in the community. Find out more about the WAPCE Awardees 2024.

Dr Elizabeth Titis, Assistant Professor and Academic Lead for CyberWomen@Warwick, said “I am extremely proud of the work our Cyber Women do to benefit the wider community. The WAPCE award is yet another accolade they have received for bringing considerable and long-term gains in the society. Looking forward to the next big steps together!"

The Ripple Effect Conference, curated by Warwick alumna and University Council member, Yewande Akinola, took place at The University of Warwick recently. The event offered valuable insights from industry experts and inspiring women in engineering, technology, innovation and business.

At the event the audience heard key insights from Dr Mel Loveridge, Associate Professor at WMG and Jacqui Murray, South Wales Regional Director for High Value Manufacturing Catapult, who took part in a panel discussion with Innovate UK.

Dr Mel Loveridge said, “I felt privileged to participate in the recent Ripple Effect Conference, mainly (but not exclusively) aimed at women in engineering and technology. The gathering and programme was an inspiring creation and very impactful in its endeavour. The delegates were from very multi-disciplinary areas across engineering and technology, which represented great networking possibilities. The conference provided very powerful environments and events; from expert talks, panels, workshops and roundtable discussions. Such events are like ‘nectar’ for innovators.

“Indeed, one meaning of The Ripple Effect abstract metaphor is ‘the continuing and spreading results of an event or action - which seems a very apt name for such an event, with such an inspiring collective of demonstrated innovators and changemakers.”

There was also a keynote address from Dr A-Marie I., co-founder of Stemettes, a social enterprise which encourages women and non-binary people to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths. Nav Sawhney, founder of The Washing Machine Project, also attended the conference and discussed an initiative which aims at reducing the burden of hand washing clothes for women and girls worldwide, allowing them more time for rest, work, and education.

Jacqui Murray said, “Being part of something as inspiring as the Ripple Effect Conference, alongside women such as WMG’s Dr Mel Loveridge and Innovate UK’s Emily Knott, who has changed the way Innovate UK funds women entrepreneurs and some of their award-winning Women in Innovation, was a privilege and not something to miss! I even brought along my 14-year-old daughter Evelyn.

“From finding your own truth in feedback you have been given, to supporting other women around us in their careers - all the way through to how one of the entrepreneurs juggled the demands of the aerospace industry as well as chocolate manufacturers, discussions were full of lived experience and flavour! It provided food for thought on the need for more women to join non-exec and executive boards, and how we should be able to leverage any part of our journeys that have been made harder in our lives – after all we have learnt more!”

As part of the event, there was also guided tours of WMG’s International Manufacturing Centre led by the Technical Services team.

If you would like to find out more about WMG's women in engineering visit: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg/about/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/

WMG at the University of Warwick, Innovate UK (IUK) and advanced recycler of plastics Mura Technology are to continue their collaboration on sustainability with a new IUK funded, two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

WMG will develop operational sustainability models for Mura’s Hydro-PRT advanced plastic recycling technology to identify opportunities for further improvements to the already sector-leading environmental performance of the process. Mura has already identified an annual carbon emissions saving of 40,000 tonnes at the first Hydro-PRT site in Wilton, Teesside, due to commence operations in 2024.

Mura Technology is an advanced recycler of waste plastics, producing fossil-equivalent oils from post-use, mixed, multi-layered flexible and rigid plastics for the petrochemicals industry to create virgin-grade plastics, such as for use in food packaging. Mura's patented, innovative next generation processing technology, Hydro-PRT, produces high quality chemicals and oils with sector-leading sustainability attributes, creating a low carbon and circular model for a range of stakeholders working with polymers.

The company's first commercial scale plant, at Wilton, Teesside, will become the world's largest advanced recycling plant when it commences operations later this year, with two further plants being built under licence with partners in South Korea and Japan, expected to come online by the end of 2024. Driven by increasing regulation on plastic waste, Mura has a global growth ambition for more than 1.5 million tonnes of recycling capacity in operation or development by 2032.

WMG will create a modelling platform that will operationalise sustainability at all future Mura project sites, including Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), to demonstrate transparently how Hydro-PRT meets environmental requirements. The platform will be used to educate and inform stakeholders including global regulators, policy makers and the plastics value chain on the low carbon potential of
Hydro-PRT.

The KTP is the continuation of the IUK Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging research partnership, where Reader of Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing at WMG, University of Warwick, Dr Stuart Coles successfully developed and published Life Cycle Analysis models, independent of Mura, for the Hydro-PRT process and the UK waste plastic recycling ecosystem. Dr Coles will also be the academic lead on this project.

Simon Broome Innovation Manager at WMG, University of Warwick, who co-wrote the application for the project, said: “I was blown away by the potential of this project to transform the process for recycling contaminated waste plastic. The team are highly committed and have already demonstrated impressive growth on their journey to make real sustainability gains in this important material sector.”

Mura’s Head of Sustainability and R&D, Dr Geoff Brighty, said: “Continuing the collaboration with WMG is critically important to bring this new science into our core business operation. Hydro-PRT has sector leading sustainability credentials, but every prospective site will be unique, influenced by the local energy grid, plant configurations as well as its material supply chain. The KTP project models will inform options appraisals and decision making, ensuring sustainability is at the heart of our global growth programme.”

For more information on developing a Knowledge Transfer Partnership application with WMG, contact wmgsme@warwick.ac.uk

For more information on WMG’s research in Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing visit: Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Group (warwick.ac.uk)

Expert comment, from Dr Ben Silverstone, Workforce Transformation, Skills and Policy Lead at WMG, University of Warwick, on the establishment of Skills England

“WMG welcomes the formal announcement on the establishment of Skills England. A combined approach from the Government, education providers and employers is, without a doubt, the best way of ensuring that the skills system is fit for purpose. The decision to appoint a non-governmental chair should also be applauded and will ensure the needs of industry and the workforce are placed before policy pressures. 

“To make the most of this opportunity we encourage the Government to consider the following key issues:

• Everyone, regardless of age; background or employment status, must have the best opportunities in terms of education - this is critical to the future prosperity of our society
• There must be an equal, if not greater, focus on upskilling and reskilling those already in employment
• We must learn from the Apprenticeship Trailblazer model, and focus on the skill enablers of our economy rather than the narrow interests of a traditional sectoral led approach
• Finally, we strongly urge Government to ensure the balance between a nationally conceived strategy, a regional contextualisation and high-quality local delivery is not lost.”

WMG at the University of Warwick celebrated the achievements of its latest cohort of graduates during the 2024 Summer Graduation Ceremonies. The ceremony marked a significant milestone for many talented individuals who have excelled in their academic pursuits.

A total of 490 students received their degrees across various levels including Master’s; Postgraduate Research, and Undergraduate programmes.

Among the Master’s graduates, there were 380 students: 129 studied full-time, 25 part-time, and 226 completed their degrees overseas.

From the Postgraduate Research programme 23 students graduated: 20 PhD recipients and three EngD students.

For Undergraduate students there was a total of 87 students. This included 44 who earned a BSc in Cyber Security, 11 with a BSc in Digital Healthcare Science, and from the Degree Apprenticeship pathway – a further 32 with a BSc in Digital and Technology Solutions.

The ceremony held on Friday 26 July 2024, featured an inspiring speech by WMG alumnus Dr Graham Hoare OBE (MSc Engineering Business Management, 1993). His address had a lasting impact on the graduates motivating them as they step into their future careers.

Professor Robin Clark, Dean of WMG, expressed his pride in the graduates, saying: “Your dedication and remarkable achievements have enriched our community and set a high standard of excellence. I am incredibly proud of what you have accomplished, and excited to see the heights you will reach in the future. Congratulations to all of you.”

Professor Clark added, “Graduation is not the end but the beginning of a lifelong connection with WMG and the University of Warwick. As part of a global network of over 285,000 alumni, including more than 29,000 WMG graduates, you have endless opportunities to stay connected, build new relationships, and continue growing both personally and professionally.”

Professor Steve Maggs, Director of Alumni and Industry Engagement, also praised the graduates, stating: “As you embark on your new journeys, we celebrate not just your academic success but also the perseverance and commitment that got you here. This year’s class, showcases the diversity and strength of our WMG community.”

Check out the WMG alumni web pages for more details: https://warwick.ac.uk/alumniLink opens in a new window 

To find out more about studying at WMG visit: Study | WMG | University of WarwickLink opens in a new window 

The University of Warwick is celebrating 75 years of plant science research at its internationally recognised Crop Centre – the UK’s leading research facility for vegetable growers.