Working with Business
Newcastle University works with the local business community to develop innovative solutions to the problems of the modern world.
The Resource Centre for Innovation in Design (RCID) works with companies to generate ideas for new and improved products and new methods of manufacture. Recent projects include Oyster®: Edinburgh-based Aquamarine Power have designed and built Oyster®, a prototype hydro-electric wave power converter. This is a nearshore device that harnesses the energy in the waves to produce a flow of pressurised seawater, which is then used in a shore based turbine to generate electricity. The RCID worked on the detailed design of the flap and subframe structure and analysed the device under extreme sea loads to assess the resistance to long-term fatigue.
The Engineering Design Centre undertakes collaborative research with industry to improve the engineering design of complex made-to-order products such as marine and offshore industries. It has recently been selected by the EPSRC to host a new platform grant worth £2.5 million over five years.
The Industrial Statistics Research Unit provides statistical advice to industry and government agencies, in such areas as process control and resource use optimisation, multivariate techniques, non-linear and linear modelling, survival analysis and designing experiments.
Knowledge House is a collaborative venture between the Universities of Newcastle, Durham, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and the Open University in the North, which is available to all companies, organizations and individuals. It offers expert solutions for developing ideas and solving problems through collaboration, consultancy, training and research.
How our students get involved
Our undergraduate and postgraduate students work with a variety of local businesses on placements or industrial projects. We also participate in the national Knowledge Transfer Partnerships which place recent graduates (especially engineers and scientists) in local companies to tackle a technical challenge under the guidance of an academic supervisor.
