Industrial Doctorate Centre: Optics and Photonics Technologies

自2001年推出目前的光子学EngD计划以来，赫瑞瓦特，圣安德鲁斯和斯特拉斯克莱德大学之间的合作，赫瑞瓦特的EngD中心已经建立了工业相关研究和培训整合的良好记录;涉及49个项目和29个不同的公司，从大学初创企业到跨国公司。我们建议在这里继续现有的EngD中心作为赫瑞瓦特，圣安德鲁斯和斯特拉斯克莱德大学和苏格兰大学物理联盟之间的加强合作。我们建立在苏格兰光子学的研究和培训活动的实质性扩展，以扩大范围和支持该提案的学术界。原先的工程与发展中心由27名活跃于光子学研究的人员提供支持，而拟建中心将由87名学者提供支持，其中约90%从事核心光学和光子学学科的研究;其余人员将为中心带来对开发光学和光子学技术至关重要的专业知识，即信号和图像处理，微系统和用于开发光子产品的数字化工具。这个小组是英国最大的光子学研究人员群体，约占EPSRC光子学研究经费的50%。该中心将继续采用我们目前的EngD中心的运作模式：提供75%的行业为基础的研究项目与25%的课程组成的技术模块，从既定的硕士课程在光子学，微系统，纳米技术和信号和图像处理，以及爱丁堡商学院MBA课程的商业内容。研究工程师将受益于一个充满活力和不断扩大的研究生教学计划，该计划使用最先进的交互式视频会议设施，非常适合EngD培训理念。项目和EngD学生将使用我们扩大的学术人员的联系和合作的行业网络进行招聘，通过展示演示和通过与新的光子学知识转移网络的互动。光学和光子学领域对工程博士毕业生的需求是显而易见的，通过对目前赫瑞-瓦特工程博士中心不断增加的活动水平的推断，以及通过将拟议的方案与2006年政府支出审查中强调的优先领域良好地结合起来，这些领域对EngD毕业生的要求进一步强调了国防和安全，零部件和医疗保健等市场部门活动的快速增长。所有技术领域和市场部门都表现出越来越多的活动。在光电子领域，英国约有1,000家光电子公司，提供25万个工作岗位，创造200亿英镑的收入。全球光子市场规模为2500亿美元，每年增长11%。在工程的所有领域，皇家工程学院已经确定，缺乏足够质量的英国学生危及英国工业和学术界技术人员的供应链。

Since the launch of the current Photonics EngD programme in 2001, a collaboration between Heriot-Watt, St Andrews and Strathclyde Universities, the Heriot-Watt-based EngD Centre has established an excellent track-record for integration of industrially-relevant research and training; involving 49 projects and 29 different companies ranging from university start-ups to multinationals. We propose here a continuation of the existing EngD Centre as an enhanced collaboration between Heriot-Watt, St Andrews and Strathclyde Universities and the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance. We build upon substantial expansions in research and training activity within Scottish photonics to broaden the scope and the academic constituency supporting the proposal. Whereas the original EngD Centre was supported by 27 staff active in photonics research, the proposed Centre will be supported by 87 academics of whom about 90% conduct research in core optics and photonics subjects; the remainder bring to the Centre expertise vital to the exploitation of Optics and Photonics Technologies; that is Signal and Image processing, Microsystems and Digital Tools for the development of photonic products. This group constitutes the largest coherent grouping of photonics researchers in the UK and account for about 50% of all EPSRC funding in photonics.The Centre will continue the mode of operation of our current EngD Centre: offering 75% industry-based research project with 25% coursework composed of technical modules taken from established MSc courses in photonics, microsystems, nanotechnology and signal and image processing together with business content from the Edinburgh Business School MBA course. Research Engineers will benefit from a vibrant and expanding graduate teaching programme delivered using state-of-the-art interactive video conferencing facilities that are highly suited to the EngD training concept.Projects and EngD students will be recruited using the industrial network of contacts and collaborations of our expanded academic staff, through showcase presentations and through interaction with the new Photonics Knowledge Transfer Network.The need for Engineering Doctorate graduates in optics and photonics areas is evident from the extrapolation of the increasing activity levels of the current Heriot-Watt engineering doctorate centre and by good alignment of the proposed programmes with priority areas highlighted in the 2006 Government Spending Review. The requirement for EngD graduates in these areas is further emphasised by the rapid growth of activity in market sectors ranging across defence and security, components and health care. All technical fields and market sectors exhibit an increasing activity. In the photonics field there are approximately 1,000 photonics companies in the UK supporting 250,000 jobs and generating 20Bn of revenue. The global photonics market of 250 Bn is growing at 11% per annum. Across all fields of engineering, the Royal academy of engineering have identified that the lack of UK-based students of sufficient quality endangers the supply chain of skilled personnel into UK industry and academia .