Stan Ackermans Institute joins AEngD community

(15 October 2012, London) - The 3TU.School for Technological Design, Stan Ackermans Institute has become the first affiliate member of the Association of Engineering Doctorates (AEngD) – the UK-based organisation which promotes the value of the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) to government, industry and commerce.

The EngD provides a more vocationally oriented doctorate in engineering than the traditional PhD and is better suited to the needs of industry. It combines academic research in an industrial context with taught modules in related subjects.

EngD students – or research engineers – pursue research projects identified by a sponsoring company, which commits itself to support the research project throughout the four-year EngD programme. Research engineers typically spends about 75% of their time working directly with their sponsor.

The AEngD currently comprises 25 industrial doctorate centres based at universities across the UK, all delivering EngD programmes. The centres are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with backing from UK industry sponsors, many of them companies at the leading edge of innovative thinking and practice.

The AEngD promotes acceptance and recognition of EngD degrees within host institutions and industry, encourages wider and more strategic industrial research collaboration, and aims to build international links across the engineering research community.

The Stan Ackermans Institute is a research-focused body established in 2006 by the three leading universities of technology in the Netherlands: Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Twente. Together the three universities offer 20 doctoral programmes, the oldest dating back to 1986.

According to Professor Patrick Godfrey, from the IDC in Systems at University of Bristol, and chairman of the AEngD steering committee:

"The appointment of its first affiliate member is a landmark event in the development of the AEngD. The EngD has now been delivered for 20 years through UK universities, and international institutions are beginning to see its value in creating effective partnerships between academia and industry and delivering industry-relevant research outcomes. We are delighted to welcome the Stan Ackermans Institute as our first affiliate member."

Professor Kees van Hee, director of the Stan Ackermans Institute, said:

"It is important in an increasingly globalised economy for industry and academia to work across international boundaries and to seek out and apply best practice in applied research. The AEngD community provides us with ready access to years of experience in delivering EngD programmes that we can use to further develop our own industrial research initiatives in the Netherlands."

Professor van Hee will be speaking at the AEngD's launch conference at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London on 1 November 2012.

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For further information, contact

• Paul Wilkinson (PR consultant to the AEngD): tel: +44 (0)20 8858 1104, mob: +44 (0)7788 445920, email paul.wilkinson@pwcom.co.uk

Information for editors

• The Association of Engineering Doctorates established its steering group in 2010 and has grown to encompass almost all of the 28 EPSRC-designated industrial doctorate centres at UK universities. A community engaged in research in engineering and related disciplines, it aims to:
  • promote acceptance and recognition of Engineering Doctorate (EngD) degrees within host institutions and industry
  • promote excellence and maintain the quality of EngD degrees
  • develop wider and more strategic industrial research collaboration
  • identify and promote the benefits and impacts from EngD research
  • recruit sufficient and suitable top quality research projects
  • attract and recruit high calibre Research Engineers (REs)
  • develop and promote taught programmes tailored to REs and industry needs
  • encourage strong academic engagement and feed back into the host institutions' research base
• The 3TU.School for Technological Design, Stan Ackermans Institute (www.3tu.nl/sai) was established in 2006 by the three leading universities of technology in the Netherlands - Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology and the University of Twente. The 3TU.Federation aims to maximise innovation by combining and concentrating the universities' strengths in research, education and knowledge transfer. Together the three Dutch universities offer approximately 20 two-year Professional Doctorate in Engineering programmes.
• On 1 November 2012, at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London, the AEngD will be holding a launch conference, exhibition and drinks reception. The conference will feature a keynote address from Dr Paul Golby, chairman of the EPSRC and of Engineering UK, and presentations from industry sponsors, EngD alumni, and other stakeholders. EngD member institutions have been invited to exhibit materials about their research initiatives, industry partnerships and research impacts.