innovation – Page 3

The role of R&D in the levelling up agenda

By Richard Jones Filed Under: British Politics, Levelling up, OnProductivity, Research and development, UK economy Posted: July 12, 2022

Innovation drives productivity, and R&D importantly underpins innovation. Places in the south-east of the UK disproportionately hold the highest rates of public and charitable spending on R&D. In order to mend the geographical imbalances in R&D spending, the way that funding is allocated must be changed. This can be challenging given the patchy nature of […]

The Energy Security Strategy: Going nuclear

By Francis Livens Filed Under: Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: April 7, 2022

The government has today announced plans to build eight new nuclear reactors in the UK, alongside strategies to boost wind, hydrogen, and solar production. These new reactors are intended to improve the UK’s energy self-sufficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as creating thousands of new jobs. In this blog, Professor Francis Livens of […]

Can we use autonomous robotic systems in hazardous environments?

By Michael Fisher, Louise Dennis and Matt Luckcuck Filed Under: All posts, Digital Futures, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 1, 2022

Autonomous systems are becoming increasingly commonplace across all facets of modern life, including hazardous environments, where the choices made by machines have the potential to cause harm or injury to humans. But how well do we understand the decision-making process of artificial intelligence, and how does this affect trust in autonomous systems? In this blog, Professor […]

Sustainable engineering – not just engineering for sustainability

By Michael Fisher Filed Under: Digital Futures, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: January 25, 2022

Net zero now forms the heart of policies and strategies across government, from “levelling up” to “build back better”. Combined with the UK’s National Infrastructure Strategy, it is clear that engineering – particularly new technologies such as robotics and AI – has a core role in our decarbonisation efforts. But how green are the technologies […]

How to incentivise bioenergy with carbon capture and storage responsibly

By Rob Bellamy Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: January 24, 2022

The latest IPCC report on the state of the world’s climate shows that the remaining carbon budget – the amount of CO2 that can still be emitted while keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees – is almost gone. To meet net zero within these parameters, we will need to remove CO2 that is already in […]

Could concrete save the planet? It’s not as crazy as it sounds…

By James Baker Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: November 8, 2021

The COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow has been hailed as ‘the last best chance’ to commit nations to the actions needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. In this blog, James Baker, CEO of Graphene@Manchester – explains how a new concrete product, developed at The University of Manchester, could be the solution to a […]

North West England: developing a regional roadmap for industrial bio-revolution

By Claire Holland Filed Under: British Politics, Growth and Inclusion, Science and Technology Posted: October 25, 2021

Escalating societal and political concerns over climate change have bolstered significant global focus on cutting carbon dioxide emissions. However, in a world still reeling from the effects of a global pandemic, development and implementation of effective resolution strategies are lacking. Profound change is needed to address damaging environmental, social, and economic repercussions of the current […]

One bin to rule them all: the future of plastic waste?

By Mike Shaver Filed Under: All posts, Cities and Environment, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 18, 2021

Despite the success of environmental campaigners in raising awareness of plastic pollution, much of the plastic waste produced in the UK is not recycled. In part, this is due to the complexity of the multiple recycling schemes in place across the country, causing confusion for both the public and waste management companies in terms of […]

Skills shortage: The biggest challenge to offshore wind in 2021

By Mike Barnes Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Renewables, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: March 8, 2021

If we want to support the increased electrification of transport and heat proposed in the Energy White Paper, this will require a radical change in the management of our energy economy. Managing and driving this new economy requires the development of a skilled workforce. The problem is, it’s not clear where the skills will come […]

The hydrogen economy: why is the sub-surface essential?

By Kevin Taylor Filed Under: All posts, Energy and Environment, Science and Engineering, Science and Technology Posted: February 18, 2021

The UK Government has made a commitment to deliver a hydrogen economy as a means to decarbonise heating and heavy transport. This was most recently highlighted in the Government’s “Ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution” and the recent Energy White Paper “Powering our net zero future”. In this blog, Professor Kevin Taylor, from the […]