Making connections

How our academics' work is having an impact in industry.

Shaping the Function of IAAPS

When the University established the £70 million Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) – a purpose-built facility for electric, internal combustion and hydrogen-based propulsion research – one of the key challenges was how to facilitate the creation of local networks around the space.

In 2016, Dr Felicia Fai and Professor Phil Tomlinson, Co-Directors of the School’s Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS), helped to shed light on what small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the automotive and aerospace industries would find most useful and attractive – which largely revolved around the opportunities to join networks.

Conversely, Felicia and Phil identified obstacles such as firms being ‘unsure of what they might contribute’ and ‘unaware of the services IAAPS could provide’ – which helped to shape the type of services offered by IAAPs and the marketing of the facility.

Thanks to these insights, the University was able to ensure that the facility’s 2023 launch was supported by substantial amounts of outreach to the local business community. At Felicia and Phil’s suggestion, the facility also appointed an entrepreneur-in-residence to facilitate the combination of academic expertise and commercial focus.

Man and machine

Efficient logistics are absolutely key for UK trade, but surging costs and acute labour shortages are threatening the sustainability of the warehousing industry, where low margins and short contracts abound.

How can automation be used to make the industry more efficient? The Centre for Smart Warehousing and Logistics Systems (SWALOS) has paired with Internet of Things company Logidot to develop and optimise a prototype system for smart warehouses that will effectively combine manual operations with robotic elements.

This will include using artificial intelligence to track people, goods, vehicles and robots in real time, and to analyse their activity. This information can then be used to identify where and why time is wasted on unproductive workflows, and help to eliminate bottlenecks. In response to these insights, drivers, pickers and other workers can be re-routed dynamically – in coordination with conveyor belts or robots – to where they will be most useful.

Supported by an Innovate UK Smart Grant, the partnership grants our researchers access to a flagship Warehouse of the Future, which will provide a facility for testing and refining the prototype under real-world conditions.

Investing in innovation

Research and development (R&D) is not only risky but also costly, with significant amounts of investment required to yield innovation. The government invests in business R&D and innovation through Innovate UK, but what is the impact of this type of investment? Is it a worthwhile use of public funds?

Dr Chris Dimos from the Centre for Governance, Regulation and Industrial Strategy (CGR&IS) was commissioned by Innovate UK – which has disseminated more than £2.5 billion in grants since 2004 – to deliver a report on the topic.

His research, carried out with Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School, examined Innovate UK and Office for National Statistics data covering 2008-2019.

What they uncovered was not only that Innovate UK funding can increase the private R&D investment of recipient businesses over and above what they would spend in the absence of public funding, but also that this funding translates to an increase in a business’ gross value added (GVA).

What’s more, once the wider positive impacts further along supply chains and household income are considered, each £1 of Innovate UK funding actually translates to £6.21 of GVA to the UK economy over a seven-year period.

Read the full report.

This article appeared in issue 1 of the Research4Good magazine, published June 2024. All information correct at time of printing.