UKCRIC welcomes a new report published 8th July that sets out the long-term vision for how engineering research will help to tackle key challenges.
Facilitated by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the publication of Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges (TERC) follows extensive engagement with the UK’s engineering community, including contributions from UKCRIC members, and aims to inform and inspire future strategy and solutions.
Key recommendations include:
- promoting inclusive engineering outcomes for all
- strengthening mechanisms to facilitate and fund multi- and inter-disciplinary research
- ‘re-engineering’ the discipline of engineering, bringing knowledge from other disciplines to bear to prepare young engineers to tackle future challenges
- encouraging diverse, agile and impactful skills
- convening and connecting with the professional engineering community to enhance impact
- inspiring the next generation of engineers.
The report identifies a number of broad cross-cutting themes which engineering will play a crucial role in addressing:
- achieving net zero and sustainability
- faster digital design
- greater access and use of data
- increasing human resilience
- understanding complex systems
- harnessing disruptive, emerging technologies
- underpinning tools and techniques.
"The recommendations within this report resonate with UKCRIC’s own values and approach to research and innovation. Our transdisciplinary, systems-based research for the transformation of infrastructure and urban systems fully embraces the need to connect government, industry, academia and end users to tackle societal challenges."
"We view infrastructure as a catalyst for sustainable, resilient, liveable futures and the cross-cutting themes identified in the report, such as achieving net zero and sustainability, understanding complex systems and greater access and use of data are some of the key drivers of our work."
WILLIAM POWRIE, UKCRIC CONVENOR, PROFESSOR OF GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON.
UKCRIC looks forward to continued engagement with EPSRC and other partners, as together, we support the UK’s engineering community to deliver the report’s recommendations.
Read the original press release and download the Report: Tomorrow’s Engineering Research Challenges.
