Alex Burrows Director of BCRRE shares his thoughts on the new building and what we aim to achieve.
We are delighted to share the news that our new purpose-built railway centre designed to deliver specialist research in railway systems engineering has opened on campus at the University of Birmingham.
Our new home provides us with a significant increase in the volume and quality of our office and laboratory facilities. It also provides a wonderful base for us to welcome the global rail industry onto campus and to work, learn and take part in research, education and innovation activities with BCRRE.
BCRRE is the host and academic lead for the Centre of Excellence for Digital Systems within the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN). UKRRIN is a fantastic showcase for the successful collaboration between academia and industry and our new Centre has been delivered with £16.4m in funding from Research England in support of UKRRIN.
The new building also delivers the first phase of construction work for a £46.5m School of Engineering that will open in 2021. Our super new 3,000m2 facility offers a variety of contemporary and flexible design and research spaces that act as an incubator for innovation, as well as strengthening teaching and building research partnerships. Open offices, meeting rooms, seminar rooms and event spaces will enable industry partners to come and work directly with the BCRRE team.
The facility also has project labs, light labs and state-of-the-art equipment including cab simulators, signalling control centre, cybersecurity test lab along with electronic fabrication and technology assets to enable high quality, fast-paced research, through to proof-of-concept and testing.
A primary purpose for the new facility is to enable us to undertake more specialist research and development work in digital railway systems, focusing on railway control and simulation, data integration, cybersecurity, condition monitoring and sensing, and improved methods for technology innovation and market introduction.
The whole BCRRE team looks forward to fully moving in and welcoming visitors to our new home after the latest lockdown.
