The UK needs to train a new generation of engineers and scientists to build low-carbon energy technologies, and this Doctoral Training Centre will house them in a new £14.8 million research building. The problem is a recognised shortage of high-quality researchers with energy-related training. Multiple industry reports—from Doosan Babcock, the UK Energy Institute, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Energy Research Partnership—have warned that without more skilled people, the UK cannot meet its national energy policy goals on climate change mitigation, security of supply, and infrastructure renewal. This centre will bring together postgraduate students and supervisors to work on four interconnected themes: low-carbon enabling technologies, transport and energy, carbon storage, and climate change and energy systems research. Each student develops deep expertise in one topic while working in a multidisciplinary environment. The centre sits within a university-wide interdisciplinary institute that coordinates energy research. If successful, this training programme will produce the research leaders needed to develop and deploy the technologies that keep the UK’s energy grid reliable, its transport systems running, and its carbon emissions falling—infrastructure that most people take for granted until it fails.
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There are major challenges inherent in meeting the goals of the UK national energy policy, including, climate change mitigation and adaption, security of supply, asset renewal, supply infrastructure etc. Additionally, there is a recognized shortage of high quality scientists and engineers with energy-related training to tackle these challenges, and to support the UK's future research and development and innovation performance as evidenced by several recent reports;Doosan Babcock (Energy Brief, Issue 3, June 2007, Doosan Babcock); UK Energy Institute (conducted by Deloitte/Norman Broadbent, 'Skills Needs in the Energy Industry' 2008); The Institution of Engineering and Technology, (evidence to the House of Commons, Select Committee on Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Fifth Report (19th June 2008); The Energy Research Partnership (Investigation into High-level Skills Shortages in the Energy Sector, March 2007). Here we present a proposal to host a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) focusing on the development of technologies for a low carbon future, providing a challenging, exciting and inspiring research environment for the development of tomorrow's research leaders. This DTC will bring together a cohort of postgraduate research students and their supervisors to develop innovative technologies for a low carbon future based around the key interlinking themes: [1] Low Carbon Enabling Technologies; [2] Transport & Energy; [3] Carbon Storage, underpinned by [4] Climate Change & Energy Systems Research. Thereby each student will develop high level expertise in a particular topic but with excitement of working in a multidisciplinary environment. The DTC will be integrated within a campus wide Interdisciplinary Institute which coordinates energy research to tackle the 'Grand Challenge' of developing technologies for a low carbon future, our DTC students therefore working in a transformational research environment. The DTC will be housed in a NEW 14.8M Energy Research Building and administered by the established (2005) cross campus Earth, Energy & Environment (EEE) University Interdisciplinary Institute
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