EPSRC Capital Award for Core Equipment

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As highlighted in its Strategic Framework (2015-20), the University of Birmingham (UoB) is committed to creating "a research environment where academic innovation, rigour and impact are achieved through investment in talented personnel, outstanding facilities and strong collaborative networks". As such, the UoB recognises and prioritises the central importance of access to state-of-the-art equipment and research infrastructure for staff at all career levels. A key part of this strategy is the acquisition of equipment that supports research activities over multiple disciplines across the UoB. The University of Birmingham has put in place a robust and transparent process for the allocation of the EPSRC Capital Award for Core Equipment. Teams working on strategically important research areas across the College of Physical Engineering were invited to submit expressions of interest, which were then evaluated by senior members of the University, including the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer. Two research themes were selected: Battery Research and Healthcare Technologies. The equipment requested in this application (a 128 Channel Battery cycler and a 3D Bioplotter) will benefit multiple users working across many departments on research directly relevant to the EPSRC research portfolio. Prof Constantinos Constantinou (Director of Research, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Birmingham), having responsibility for the equipment strategy, will the project's Principal Investigator. Technical support will be provided from the central technical teams to manage these two items of multi-user equipment in terms of procurement, installation, and maintenance. The PI and Co-Is will use a booking calendar to monitor the success of multi-user assess to the system. Through quarterly reports the success of the project to initiate new avenues or develop existing research objectives will be monitored. This will include keeping a record of any grant submissions, journal papers, conference presentations, collaborative projects (academic or industrial), and teaching related activities (PhD, MSc or UG projects) that will use the new equipment.