On the 16th September 2015, we were delighted to welcome Professor Janet Beer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Liverpool to our HQ at Sci-Tech Daresbury, for a formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the University and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Hartree Centre- one of the VEC’s key strategic partners. The event was a celebration of the successful partnership enjoyed so far, in particular through the VEC, and a glimpse of what the future has in store!
This was the Vice-Chancellor’s first visit to the VEC and we really appreciated her taking the time to learn a little more about us, our networks and the companies we work with. We were extremely grateful so many of our clients and associates came to support us and share the occasion, with representatives from Bentley Motors, Thales UK, BAE Systems, Unilever and Hitachi Rail to name a few; some have been with us from the beginning, whilst those that we are just starting a relationship with got to learn a little more about how we are underpinned by links to the University.
The event was chaired by Professor Susan Smith, Head of STFC Daresbury Laboratory, who signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Professor Janet Beer. In addition to their talks, Dr Gillian Murray (Director of the VEC) and Dr Peter Allan (Acting Director of the Hartree Centre) delivered a shared presentation on the partnership of the two organisations, covering success stories and giving a taster of the future.
Of the event Executive Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Professor Ken Badcock said,
“The event was a fitting and optimistic celebration of the importance and achievements of the partnership between the University of Liverpool’s Virtual Engineering Centre and the Hartree Centre. The innovation that our outstanding researchers, in fields such as autonomous systems and human factors, have brought to companies such as BAE Systems and Bentley Motors was illustrated. The MoU states the intention to broaden the scope of the collaboration with the Hartree Centre, and creates a framework for achieving this. I look forward to the influence of this key partnership growing for the benefit of the University’s research, the impact of the Hartree Centre and the practices of industry in the North West and beyond.”
The Virtual Engineering Centre prides itself as an organisation that successfully brings together the excellence of the academic research base with the scientific infrastructure of the region. Combined with our unique ‘sandpit’ model we are able to provide unparalleled virtual innovation to industry.
