EPSRC awards £18m to UCL Engineering facility

Each of the projects could have a major impact in the fields of information and communications technology to meet increasing demand for more automation and more data. The Dean of UCL Engineering, Professor Anthony Finkelstein, said: "UCL Engineering are excited by the scientific challenges inherent in these important programmes and obviously pleased that the EPSRC recognises us as a key player delivering innovation to the UK and the global economy. Our unique capabilities spanning research and knowledge transfer, from optics through networks to software services, allow us to tackle some of the large scale technology challenges that face the digital economy, and meet our mission to 'Change the World.'" Within the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, the Optical Networks Group will receive a £4.75m EPSRC programme grant to develop a new generation of optical fibres, breaking previously imposed data transmissions limits. Simultaneously the department's Photonics Group will work on wireless technology and developing ways to use the under exploited terahertz (THz) frequency band, funded by a £6.6m grant. The Centre for Research on Evolution, Search and Testing (CREST) within UCL Computer Science, will embark on a new way to design software, using adaptive techniques and automation where possible to speed software development, with the third programme grant, worth £6.80m. Prof Dave Delpy, chief executive of the EPSRC said: "The funded projects were all extremely strong bids for transformative and world leading research programmes and supporting this level of quality and ambition is the core purpose of the EPSRC programme grant scheme. These projects range from optical and wireless communication technologies through to software engineering and computer science and exemplify the breadth and diversity of the ICT research we support."