A new national research facility at the University of Cambridge will open in spring 2019 to develop and test advanced sensors for monitoring the UK’s roads, bridges, water pipes, power grids, and other infrastructure. The facility addresses a critical gap: most infrastructure was built decades ago, and engineers lack reliable, real-time data on its condition. Without that data, repairs are reactive and costly, and the risk of sudden failures—like a bridge closure or a burst water main—remains high. The facility will house laboratories for rapid prototyping of sensor systems, vibration-isolated and severe-environment testing chambers, a MEMS lab, and full-scale structural testing bays. It will also include advanced geotechnics and materials labs, data analysis facilities, and a field deployment team. If successful, the research could shift infrastructure management from scheduled inspections to continuous, data-driven monitoring. That would allow operators to spot deterioration early, prioritise repairs, and extend the lifespan of ageing assets. The facility will also foster collaboration across civil engineering disciplines, ensuring new sensing technologies are tested in realistic conditions before deployment. The result would be safer, more resilient infrastructure that delivers better value over its entire lifetime.
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This funding, matched by the University of Cambridge, is to build a National Research Facility for Infrastructure Sensing at West Cambridge, which will build upon the expertise of the University's Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction. The interdisciplinary research facility, due to open in spring 2019, will be accommodated in the Department of Engineering's new Civil Engineering Building and will focus on research in the application and development of advanced sensor technologies for the monitoring of the UK's existing and future infrastructure, in order to improve resilience and extract maximum whole life value. As well as the NRFIS, the building will accommodate related research groups' laboratories and workshops within the Civil Engineering division, including Structures, Construction and Geotechnics, to foster collaboration and allow for sensing technologies to be thoroughly tested in a range of scenarios and materials. The major new building on the West Cambridge Campus will house: - double and single height laboratories for rapid prototyping and open-source microcontroller platforms to produce and develop novel sensors systems at a range of scales - vibration isolated and severe environment laboratories to test and calibrate sensors under a range of environmental conditions and temperatures - a Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) lab - an advanced structural dynamics and façade engineering laboratories with scaled and full-scale physical testing capabilities - advanced geotechnic facilities, including laboratories for concrete, materials and durability testing - advanced facilities for data analysis and smart construction computation - a field deployment team - a collaboration hub - lecture and teaching space To learn more about the United Kingdom Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities visit www.ukcric.co.uk
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