The Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, and colleagues from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) visited the University of Liverpool to explore its research, infrastructure, skills and training capabilities, and its wider role in supporting the defence and security innovation ecosystem.
The visit showcased the University’s expertise across a range of technologies and research areas with applications for defence and national security, as well as identifying opportunities to strengthen collaboration between academia, industry and government.
The MoD delegation toured the University’s Digital Innovation Facility (DIF), a leading centre for the development and industrial application of next-generation digital technologies with facilities and expertise supporting research in areas including artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, simulation and modelling.
The delegation also learnt how the University’s research is addressing pressing challenges in defence and security. This research spans the University and includes, for example, world-leading research in signal processing, artificial intelligence, infectious diseases and high-stake human decision-making.
The MoD team met leading academics alongside PhD students working on defence and security-related research: The University leads the MoD-funded Energy Transfer Technologies Skills and Training Hub, which equips PhD researchers with specific technical and professional skills that will enable them to be the leaders of tomorrow in government and industry.
Discussions also explored the University’s engagement with regional and national defence and security organisations and the contribution the University makes to the wider ecosystem supporting innovation, skills and economic growth.
The visit was hosted by Professor Laura Harkness, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Professor Simon Maskell, Professor of Autonomous Systems, Electrical Engineering and Electronics.
Professor Maskell, who is also the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)-funded Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Information Fusion, said: “The University of Liverpool has significant capability across a broad range of areas that are relevant to the defence and security arena and this visit highlighted this – from cutting-edge research and specialist facilities to skills development and the training of the next generation of engineers and scientists.
“Our discussions provided an important forum to showcase our expertise and explore how we can work more closely with government and our wider partners to develop the technologies, skills and capabilities needed to address pressing defence challenges at pace.”
The University is a founding member of the Defence Universities Alliance and recently secured £6 million in MoD funding to expand its undergraduate Engineering provision, further strengthening the pipeline of highly skilled graduates entering the sector.