Southampton wins Babbage Grant
1 min read
Southampton University's School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) is the first Western European university to receive the Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys. Alongside licenses for Synopsys' eda software, the grant has also enabled the University to set up a brand new laboratory for virtual learning.
The Virtual Learning Environment focuses on ic design and involves a new range of courses on advanced SoC design. The grant has enabled ECS to install new computer hardware in the virtual learning laboratory to support up to 20 students.
"The School is the largest of its kind in the UK with a long tradition of research in electronic engineering and computer science. This grant enables us to continue that tradition with the latest leading edge commercial tools," said Dr Matt Swabey, electronics teaching fellow at ECS. "We can now give our students real quantitative experience in modeling SoCs, enabling them to modify and try out designs to achieve defined goals. This ability will be enormously valuable to our students."
John Chilton, pictured, Synopsys' senior vice president of marketing and strategic development, formally opened the lab. "Synopsys selected the University of Southampton because of its global reputation for leading edge research and its academic focus on engineering and computer science," he said. "This grant enables the University to further its reputation as a leading academic institution and to give its students access to the latest tools and equipment, supporting their educational experience and preparing them for future roles in industry, academia or government."
