Siemens
Since 2015, Newcastle has been one of Siemens’ strategic Principal Partner Universities, who are part of Siemens’ co-ordinated programme of academic engagement.
Research strength
Siemens are a lead partner in our energy research. The power of the partnership unlocks collaborative funding for innovative projects. Working together also ensures that our expertise has impact in the real world.
Knowledge transfer is critical to the partnership’s success. Our colleagues undertake research and commercial consultancy with Siemens. Areas of work include:
- novel battery technologies and performance optimisation
- power electronics
- energy security
- rail signalling verification
- materials and mechanical component testing for the rail and energy sectors
Our global partnerships are run from our HQ in Germany. The team mapped out our aspiration and where we see our future lying, and chose universities that aligned both technically and culturally. Newcastle was selected as a partner university in 2015.
Carl Ennis, CEO Siemens plc and Smart Infrastructure, GB&I, says: “The partnership brings us into contact with people on the absolute cutting edge of systems-thinking and there’s something quite refreshing about working with the PhD students and the way that they challenge us. The way that they think is different from the way that quite mature commercial organisations think. It brings very different thought processes to a problem and that has been really beneficial.”
Developing talent
Partnership with Siemens brings opportunity to our students. Siemens can nurture and employ high-calibre students.
Each year, Siemens undertakes activity through the University’s Careers Service, School of Engineering and the School of Computing. Activities include:
- careers fairs
- arcade events
- employer talks
- undergraduate and postgraduate projects
- placements and competitions
Siemens also contribute to curriculum development. We work together to ensure students are at the forefront of industry-ready skills.
New facilities
Together we are developing facilities at the forefront of energy and IoT research.
The company was instrumental in Newcastle leading the ESPRC National Centre for Energy Systems Integration. We have also created the Smart Grid Lab. It aims to help the transition to low-carbon energy technologies.
Siemens are one of the industry partners working to develop our Integrated Transport Electricity and Gas Research Laboratory (InTEGReL). This facility is the first of its kind. Open to academia, industry, SMEs and policy makers, it is exploring how to deliver a more secure, affordable, low carbon energy system.
The company is a strategic partner in the development of the Newcastle Helix site. An innovation district, Helix is home to the MindSphere Lab. Students, academics and industry use the lab to access Siemens' Industrial IoT platform, MindSphere.