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WMG, University of Warwick gains prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman and founder of WMGWMG, at the University of Warwick, has been bestowed the prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Her Majesty the Queen.

Receiving the title of Regius Professor is a rare honour, and WMG has been granted this for its academic research in driving growth and improving productivity.

The creation of Regius Professorships falls under the Royal Prerogative, and each appointment is approved by the Queen upon ministerial advice.

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, Chairman and founder of WMG, said

”Having founded WMG in 1980 to invigorate UK manufacturing, it is a wonderful honour to be bestowed upon the Group. This is recognition to every member of staff, over the last 35 years, who has contributed to our success. The University of Warwick was the first to have a Professor of Manufacturing, and I started with a desk, chair and a secretary. We are now internationally acclaimed and the largest centre for Manufacturing in the world. I am immensely delighted to have been granted this prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing for WMG.”

”We work with a large number of global companies and SMEs on collaborative research for improving productivity. We have also been very successful in attracting many inward investments in manufacturing in UK. We have ambitious plans for our future, especially with the National Automotive Innovation Centre, which will provide the next generation of skills and research for the automotive sector, and will formally open late 2017.”

A Regius Professorship is a rare privilege, with only two created in the in the century prior to the 2012/13, In 2012 it was announced that the Queen would create 12 Regius Professorships for her Diamond Jubilee and the full list were created and announced in January 2013. This year, in celebration of her 90th birthday, she has created a further 12. The award of a Regius Professorship recognises the academic excellence, and the significant real-world impact of that research, of the institution and academic department receiving the award.

The University of Warwick’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart Croft said:

“We are delighted with the news that the Queen is to bestow a second rare and prestigious Regius Professorship to the University of Warwick. WMG’s research and training has been transformative for a great many companies, and has vastly expanded the knowledge base of manufacturing research.”

“This new Regius Professorship in Manufacturing for WMG will serve on the very same campus as Warwick’s Regius Professor of Mathematics, Professor Martin Hairer, who was appointed to that role after Warwick's Mathematics Institute was awarded a Regius Professorship by the Queen in January 2013, to mark her Diamond Jubilee.”

For further Information please contact:

Lisa Barwick, Head of Marketing and Communications, WMG, University of Warwick Tel: 024 76 524721 or 07824 540845 L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Policy, University of Warwick Tel UK: 024 76523708 office 07767 655860 mobile Tel Overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell Email: p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

PR478 PJD 6th June 2016