The director of industrial digitalisation at the University of Sheffield AMRC has joined a new group created by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), to mark the beginning of a new academic and industry partnership. 

The Academic Advisory Group (AAG), is looking to address automotive industry challenges and its activities will include looking at creating a future of technology event and debate series, alongside creating insight papers and feasibility sprints. 

Prof Rab Scott, joins the group alongside a number of key academics and industry organisations, some of which include, the University of Warwick and Brunel University London, as well as the Department for Business and Trade, The Faraday Institution and Innovate UK. 

At the inaugural meeting of the group, Philippa Oldham, stakeholder engagement director at the APC, said the group is in a unique position to deliver an approach that helps to connect academic communities with industry. 

She added: “The transition to a net zero automotive supply chain, in the UK, demands collaboration. To solve today’s challenges, we need to utilise tomorrow’s innovation and insight. Industry-academic collaboration benefits the sector by providing access to talent, research support, knowledge exchange and innovation.” 

Prof Rab Scott, director of industrial digitalisation for the AMRC, said: “I feel privileged to have been offered the chance to be part of this group and to contribute to the activities of the APC. This is a huge opportunity to connect the powerhouse that is the UK’s academic sector to a key part of the UK’s manufacturing landscape, the automotive sector.”

Read more on the new group here.