The Coventry-based R&D facility has partnered with three academic institutions – the University of Birmingham, the University of Nottingham and Loughborough University – and will contribute £80k per student undertaking the three-and-a-half year programmes, the first of which start this autumn.
The aim for the MTC is to create a steady stream of talent and innovation from academia, which it will then develop and transfer into industry. “It is about enhancing our relationships and making sure that the work done on the research comes through to the MTC, so we can mature it and get it into industry,” said Ken Young, technology director at the MTC (pictured).
“We want to be at the forefront of getting the ideas and innovations from academia and advancing them into UK industry. For us, it’s also about getting the right standards and the right sort of supervision inside and outside of university, so the students will get access to the MTC’s facilities and experts.”
The PhDs will focus on a number of key areas, including next-generation robotics, additive manufacturing, simulation and modelling and artificial intelligence. These areas will be split between the universities based on each institution’s specialisms.
“As we are jointly funding these PhDs with the universities, it means we can make sure the research areas are relevant to us and our industrial members,” continued Young. “As new developments are made, this enables us to bring them into the MTC environment and for us to see what is capable for commercial exploitation.
“Helping to develop these people is also part of our corporate responsibility.”
