In my first newsletter of 2022: the new Institute of Technology, showcasing our research and a new mural for campus.

The year ahead

I hope you have had a good start to 2022. Although the previous year brought challenges for many of us, there were also some real highlights. For me, the December graduation ceremonies were a wonderful end to my first term at Loughborough, as we were able to see some of our graduates on campus, celebrating their achievements with their families and friends.

I also feel there is good cause for us to be optimistic about the months ahead. 

In March we will present our new Strategy to University Council for formal sign off. Over the last months, we’ve held a number of briefings to seek views on the emerging Strategy. More than 1,000 staff, students and alumni have taken the time to attend the sessions or to provide us with feedback – thank you for your input; you have helped to shape the University’s future. After Council we will begin to roll out our plans for the Strategy’s implementation. We will also hold events for staff to showcase the direction in which we will be travelling over the next decade and share the contributions we will all make through our day-to-day activity to the University’s future success.

In May we will be notified of the outcomes of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) – the process by which the research in all UK universities is peer reviewed. Loughborough submitted to 16 Units of Assessment and our entry comprised 935 academic staff, 1,943 doctoral research students, 2,213 research outputs and 69 impact case studies.

In the summer, we will welcome the athletes, coaches and practitioners from Team England to the University for their ‘immersion camp’ ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. The camp allows the different sports to unite as ‘Team England’ as part of their preparation plans and receive their official kit ahead of the Games. Then, around 100 of the University’s students, alumni, Loughborough-linked athletes, coaches and support staff are expected to head off to Birmingham for the Games, which are one of the most significant multi-sport events in the calendar. To have them in the UK is a particularly exciting prospect and I am sure we will all be cheering on our Loughborough-connected athletes.

These are just a few of the significant events that will occur this year. There will undoubtedly be more and I look forward to what else 2022 will bring.

East Midlands Institute of Technology

Last month the Government gave the go ahead for a new £13m East Midlands Institute of Technology (IoT), which will create the highly advanced workforce needed to lead the digital revolution.

Loughborough University, Loughborough College, the University of Derby and the Derby College Group (DCG) will work together on the new Institute, in collaboration with global employers such as Rolls-Royce, Toyota, National Grid ESO, Alstom, Fujitsu, Uniper and Bloc Digital, to deliver programmes that ensure the workforce develops the critical engineering, manufacturing and digital skills needed by industry.

The Institute will offer a number of different programmes from Level 3 (eg T-levels and A-levels) through to Masters and PhD (Level 7 and 8) opportunities in the areas of Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Information and Communication Technology, STEM, and Construction.

The Institute’s graduates will be part of the net zero carbon workforce needed to lead the UK’s green and digital revolution and support the country’s journey to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The Institute will be another great asset for the East Midlands, offering training and employment opportunities that will supplement existing further and higher education courses, enabling us to reach students who are looking for alternative career paths and those who may not traditionally consider higher education. It is also a fantastic opportunity to support our local community in accessing the right training and skills development. 

Additionally, the IoT will help to underline the crucial role that the region plays within engineering, manufacturing, digital technology and infrastructure and will help Loughborough to strengthen further the industrial partnerships that have long been and will remain a vital part of everything we do.

Research profile and impact

Our desire to raise our research profile and work in partnership with industry to make a tangible difference to our world are threads that run throughout our emerging University Strategy. This month we announced two research projects that are good exemplars of this. 

The first is an on-board system for trains to identify low adhesion hazards, such as leaves on the line, that cause the rail equivalent of black ice and cost the industry an estimated £350m a year. Researchers from Loughborough University (led by Dr Chris Ward), the University of Sheffield and engineering firm Perpetuum are working together to develop a new product that will detect low adhesion hot spots in real-time and create a map of the UK’s network showing where hazards might be. The map will allow network operators to react quickly to potential risks, enabling services to run more safely and smoothly.

The second project is a study led by Dr Carmen Torres-Sanchez. The team tested medical implant designs currently in use, and compared them with novel designs, to understand better the structures that bone-building cells favour. The study aims to influence the development of new orthopaedic implant devices that promote faster healing and ultimately reduce the strain on the NHS. The team’s research paper was published in the Advanced Engineering Materials Journal and was also included in a special series titled ‘Women in Engineering Materials’, praising its practical significance.

Working in partnership with industry to demonstrate real-world impact, and the prominent publication of our research are central to our plans to raise the profile of the breadth, significance and excellence of the pioneering research we undertake at the University.

Spinout growth at LUSEP

I have recently enjoyed meeting some of the academic spinouts that are growing at pace on the Science and Enterprise Park (LUSEP). They include Geography spinout Previsico, founded in 2019 by Professor Dapeng Yu and PhD graduate Dr Avi Baruch to accelerate the impact of its industry-first surface water flood forecasting solution. Since launching on LUSEP, the company has gained traction in the global insurance market through partnerships with Zurich and BT, as well as advancing humanitarian impact through a partnership with the Kenyan Red Cross. Later this year, Previsico is looking to raise up to £10 million to extend global reach of its system, which will involve scaling the workforce to 70. 

Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering spinout Zayndu was founded by Dr Felipe Iza in 2019. Its technology increases agricultural yield through unique equipment which kills bacteria and fungi on seeds without pesticides, providing a timely replacement just as many of these toxins are banned internationally, while also offering the lowest treatment costs. Customers are global, with major multinational growers and seed producers, from the US, Europe and Asia, all working with Zayndu.  

Chemistry spinout Figura Analytics, founded in 2021 by Dr Mark Platt and PhD graduate Dr Rhush Maughi, is making great progress with its low cost, rapid testing technology that will enable drinks manufacturers to screen for contaminants onsite, in under an hour, as well provide a unique and easy way to tailor their analysis, helping them to deliver quality and consistency. Many brands including Britvic and St Austell Brewery have seen promising results using the technology. Whilst the drinks industry is the primary target market, the innovative platform also has the potential to benefit multiple sectors including healthcare for rapid diagnostics.

These spinouts are excellent examples of the University’s research and innovation achievements. Not only do they demonstrate great potential for widespread economic and societal impact, they also continue to push the boundaries of the research that underpins them, with university and industry partners. I look forward to hearing of their continued success and discussing how we can support more academics to follow a similar path to help create an impactful eco-system, as outlined in my article in VOLUME, the University’s online magazine.

Students’ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion murals

In November last year, LU Arts and the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee launched a competition for our students to design a mural for the campus that celebrates inclusion in our community. The winners were announced this month. My congratulations go to all those who took the time to submit some truly amazing entries, but particularly to Kelsey Bebbington, the overall competition winner; Winny Obee, who took second place; Amina Pagliari, who was placed third; and Kher Shin Goh, who received a special commendation. All are students with the School of Design and Creative Arts.

The competition brief asked the students to develop powerful designs that celebrate marginalised groups and their campaigns for social justice.  

Kelsey’s winning artwork, titled All of Us, incorporates the symbols of marginalised groups and movements to represent the hope for inclusivity and to send a strong, positive message that the University’s future involves all communities within the institution. Kelsey will receive £500 and have her design printed onto aluminium panels that will be permanently displayed under the bridge of the Sir David Davies building. 

The work of all the students who won prizes was displayed on the campus bus stops in January and is available on the LU Arts website. Each of the students brought a unique, and often very personal, perspective to the project and their artwork is absolutely wonderful. The initiative is a perfect example of how the University’s communities can work together to make a bold statement about our commitment to recognising the issues we face and celebrating the steps we are taking to make Loughborough a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming university.

Chief Financial Officer

I am delighted that Alexandra Owen FCA will be joining the University in April as our Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Alexandra is currently CFO and Trustee at St Andrew’s Healthcare. In her previous roles she was Finance Director at MAXIMUS People Services Ltd and Remploy Ltd and was Head of Financial Services and Reporting at United Learning, one of the largest groups of schools, academies and free schools within the UK.

Alexandra’s appointment is a key step in the delivery of the forthcoming new strategy and the expansion of the role, to encompass strategic oversight of our commercial activity, including the Science and Enterprise Park, underlines the importance of such activity in the next phase of the University’s development.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Alexandra in the spring.