UK Acoustics Network

该网络赠款侧重于声学，并追求两个主要目标：（i）转让新的实验技术，模型和科学见解;（ii）促进大学，工业和其他非学术受益者之间的流动。在这方面，英国在声学方面拥有临界质量和国际声誉，需要保持和提高。英国的声学相关研究在国际上处于领先地位，并支撑着医疗保健、制造业、国防、能源、数字通信和运输等关键技术领域。然而，工业界和其他终端用户（如顾问和政府机构）需要改进知识转让和采用物理声学、信号处理和数值方法方面的最新发展。这有几个原因。首先，在英国没有现有的单一接入点网络/中央枢纽，将主要的学术和行业参与者聚集在一起。英国大学的声学相关研究是零散的，通常应用于特定的主题和长度尺度，并遭受无意中的重复。因此，工业界很难与学术界接触或了解学术界正在发生的事情，声学研究如何更广泛地与工业需求联系起来，以及学术界中谁是合适的人选或哪个组织可以参与以解决特定的工业需求。其次，学术界显然未能向最终用户证明其声学相关研究在应用中的价值，因此未能克服其研究产生更强的非学术影响的部门惯性。第三，没有一个网络/中心枢纽来协调与声学相关的研究，通过这个网络/中心枢纽，大学可以超越他们非常具体的、狭隘的合作伙伴，更广泛和更有效地向业界推广他们的研究成果，并制定一个未来的研究路线图，得到大多数最终用户的支持。我们将建立一个网络，以便更广泛地协调声学-相关的研究，使更好地与行业沟通和多种途径的研究和创新。它将支持EPSRC/UKRI交付计划，通过高质量的研究促进英国工业和学术界的成功。该声学网络符合EPSRC对研究网络的期望，即“......预计这些中心将产生新的多学科合作研究提案，有些可能发展成为虚拟的英才中心，提供足够数量的分析专门知识。“目前RCUK/UKRI对声学相关研究的资助达到9400万英镑，其中包括EPSRC提供的6200万英镑支持。这笔资金涵盖一般声学，音频工程，超声波和噪声的研究。与其他研究学科不同，声学相关的研究目前没有直接由EPSRC博士培训中心（CDT）支持。然而，有几个CDT可以直接受益于声学相关的研究。因此，显然需要更好地协调声学活动，以减少分散和重叠，并更有效地利用现有和未来的资金流。这对于确保英国声学相关研究的临界质量在可预见的未来继续保持国际领先地位至关重要。鉴于声学的重要性和在这一领域的研究资金的价值，声学网络将有助于促进这一研究学科，并沟通正在进行的工作超越声学研究界和公众。在这方面，该网络将能够建立一个网站、软件库、举办讲习班和会议、制作通讯、利用学术团体和行业协会的出版物以及社交媒体，比目前更广泛地宣传其工作。

This network grant is focused on acoustics and pursues two main aims: (i) transfer new experimental techniques, models and scientific insights; (ii) promote mobility between universities, industry and other non-academic beneficiaries. In this respect, the UK has a critical mass and international reputation in acoustics which needs to be maintained and enhanced. Acoustics-related research in the UK is internationally leading and underpins key technological areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, defense, energy, digital communications and transport. However, the knowledge transfer and adoption of recent developments in physical acoustics, signal processing and numerical methods by industry and other end users (e.g. consultants and government bodies) needs improving. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, there is no existing single point of access network/central hub in the UK which brings the key academic and industry players together. Acoustics-related research in the UK's universities is fragmented, often applied to specific topics and length scales and suffers from inadvertent duplication. As a result, it is difficult for industry to engage with, or understand what is happening in, academia, how acoustics research relates more widely to industry needs and who in academia is the right person or which organisation to engage with in order to solve a particular industry need. Secondly, academia is clearly failing to demonstrate to the end users the value of their acoustics-related research in applications, thus failing to overcome the sector inertia for their research to have a stronger non-academic impact. Thirdly, there is no network/central hub for the coordination of the acoustics-related research through which a university can engage beyond their very specific, parochial partners, disseminate their work more widely and efficiently to the sector and generate a future road map of research which bears support from a majority of end users.We will establish a network for the wider coordination of acoustics-related research to enable better communication with industry and multiple avenues of research and innovation. It will support the EPSRC/UKRI Delivery Plan to promote the success of the UK's industry and academia through top quality research. This Acoustics Network aligns with the EPSRC expectation for a research network, which is "... expected to lead to new collaborative multidisciplinary research proposals and some may develop into virtual centres of excellence, providing critical mass of analytical expertise." The current RCUK/UKRI funding of acoustics-related research amounts to £94M which includes £62M support from the EPSRC. This funding covers research in general acoustics, audio engineering, ultrasonics and noise. Unlike other research disciplines, acoustics related research is not currently directly supported by an EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT). However, there are several CDTs which can directly benefit from acoustics related research. Therefore, there is a clear need for better coordination for the activities in acoustics to reduce fragmentation and overlap, and to use existing and future funding streams more efficiently. This is important to ensure that the quality of the critical mass of the acoustics-related research in the UK continues to stay internationally leading in the foreseeable future. Given the importance of acoustics and the value of the research funding in this area, the Acoustics Network will serve to promote this research discipline and to communicate the ongoing work beyond the acoustics research community and to the general public. In this respect, the network will be able to establish a website, software depository, hold workshops and conferences, produce newsletters, use publications by Learned Societies and Trade Associations and social media to communicate their work much more widely that is currently done.