The Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) and the University of Leeds have announced the signing of a ‘Deep Academic Alliance’ agreement which will support the development and implementation of innovative transport technologies in the UK.
Deep Academic Alliances are key partnerships between universities, industry, government and the TSC, which align transport-related research and educational roadmaps, with industry strategies. They aim to maximise the potential of local SME networks and create a strong group of universities which can lobby for funding for transport innovation and develop enabling capabilities with industry.
The new alliance between the TSC and the University of Leeds will support the TSC’s new 5-year academic engagement strategy which aims to ensure that transport innovation (under the banner of “Intelligent Mobility”), is given greater focus in budget planning and allocation within Government (National and Local); through Research Councils, at Universities and across industry. The goal is to take knowledge and ideas from academic institutions and commercialise them through collaborations with industry and government to create jobs and growth.
It is estimated that the global market for Intelligent Mobility will be worth £900bn a year by 2025, therefore the benefits to UK PLC of tapping into this market are clearly very significant. Furthermore, there will be many areas where university research can support these activities by providing the evidence and policy advice to underpin new systems and their planning and regulation.
Mark Westwood - Chief Technology Officer, TSC: “Inventive and skilled thinkers from academia and industry are helping to create intelligent, integrated transport systems that work across multiple forms of transport. Bringing that expertise together, aligning goals and facilitating collaboration are key to what the TSC does – and essential for making transport better for everyone.
“This Deep Academic Alliance with University of Leeds is a key marker in achieving this goal. The University of Leeds’s expertise in the area of Intelligent Mobility is world leading. Together we can turn this knowledge into real benefits for the travelling public and help ensure the UK is recognised as a world leader in transport innovation.”
Professor Lisa Roberts - Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, University of Leeds said: “The mission of this new alliance is to maximize the economic and social benefits of Intelligent Mobility through the coordinated efforts of industry and academia within a UK centre of excellence. This centre will lead collaborative research and innovation with industry and Government and promote the sustainable and efficient flow of people and goods. It will support the development of solutions that minimize congestion, energy consumption and emissions, and which maximize economic opportunity and social wellbeing”.