Key collaborations and networks

The Centre benefits from a network of over 200 education, research and industrial institutions partnering with us on initiatives covering sensors-actuation, signal processing and feature extraction, machine learning, process modelling, control and optimisation.

Automation and Smart Process Engineering

• WATER-MINING (CI), Next generation water-smart management systems: large scale demonstrations for a circular economy and society; CE-SC5-04-2019 WP Leader, Grant Agreement Preparation (Total grant 17M Euro, income £730K) – Coordinated by Delft University, 38 public and private partners and 4 linked third parties in 12 countries.

• BL2F (CI), Black Liquor to Fuel by Efficient HydroThermal Application integrated to Pulp Mill LC-SC3-RES-23-2019; 12 partners, (total grant 7M Euro, income approx £620K)

• DEEP PURPLE (PI), Conversion of diluted mixed urban bio-wastes into sustainable materials and products in flexible purple photobiorefineries; Horizon 2020 H2020-BBI-JTI-2018; WP leader (total grant 6M Euro, income £730K). Partners Coordinated by FCC AQUALIA SA, with 15 partners.    

• HYDROUSA (PI - Satistica), Demonstration of water loops with innovative regenerative business models for the Mediterranean region; HORIZON2020; CIRC-02-2016-2017, duration 2018-2023 (total grant 11M Euro, income £1.1M). Coordinated by National Technical University of Athens with 38 partners.

• Circ4Bio (PI) Circular Economy System for Multi-Source Biomass conversion to Added value Products; EU H2020 LIFE Programme (2019-2023), income £230K. Coordinated by by National Technical University of Athens and 10 partners.

• Determination of the most effective & low-cost solution for tackling the problem of galvanized iron corrosion in specific parts of the Affinity Water piping network, which is caused by the surface water imported from Grafham reservoir (consultancy); October 2018-Dec 2021 months, income £120K

• Towards Carbon neutral and Cost-efficient Sewage Treatment (consultancy) (CO2ST); Severn Trent, 2019-2021, income £150K

• Ad-bio (CI), Advanced biological wastewater treatment processes, Newton Advanced Fellowship - 2015/R2, 2016- Oct 2020 (income £107K)

• SMART-Plant (CI), Scale-up of low-carbon footprint Material Recovery Techniques for upgrading existing wastewater treatment Plants; HORIZON2020 WATER-1b-2015, 26 partners (2016-2020) (Total 7.6M Euro, income £630K) – (completed February 2020).

• Circular Shop Window (consultancy); Anglian Water, March 2019-2021, income £90K

• CFoot-Control: Developing on line tools to monitor, control and mitigate GHG emissions in WWTPs, (2014-2018), 6M Euros income £500K. Coordinated by National Technical University of Athens, 6 partners and 10 industrial collaborators. (completed April 2020)

Smart Advanced Manufacturing Systems 

• IQONIC (PI) Innovative strategies, sensing and process Chains for increased Quality, reconfigurability, and recyclability of Manufacturing Optoelectronics; H2020, 2019-2023 (Total 8M Euros, income £730K). Coordinated by FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG, and with 16 industrial partners.

• ZBreak (PI): Strategies and Predictive Maintenance models wrapped around physical systems for Zero-unexpected-Breakdowns and increased operating life of Factories; EU-H2020-FoF programme, (Total 7,3M Euro, income £680K, 2017-2021. Coordinated AIMEN, and with 15 industrial partners.

• ZFactor (PI) Zero-defect manufacturing strategies towards on-line production management for European factories”. EU-H2020-FoF programme, 2016-2020 (Total 6M Euro, income £655K). Coordinated by CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS (CERTH), and with 12 partners. The project was successfully completed in May 2020. (exploitation plan in negotiations with end users (MicroChip a global Micro Electronics Manufacturer (https://www.microchip.com/), NECO tools manufacturer (http://www.neco.es/en/our-brands/house-brand) and Durit hard metallic composite manufacturer (https://www.durit.com/).  In August 2020 I was approached by BMW Group in Oxford, to present the work in conjunction with ZBreak project, for a potential implementation of the projects' results in all BMW plants (UK and Germany). The negotiations are ongoing and we are preparing for the event.

• IQONIC (PI) Innovative strategies, sensing and process Chains for increased Quality, reconfigurability, and recyclability of Manufacturing Optoelectronics; H2020, 2019-2023 (Total 8M Euros, income £730K). Coordinated by FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG, and with 16 industrial partners.

AI and Machine Learning Inspired Automation and Smartification of Industry Systems

• CALM – US Airforce Research Laboratories (PI), Sep 2020-2022: Cognitively-inspired Agile Information and Knowledge Modelling (CALM), (income £480K).

• USA-Airforce-Afwerx Award (PI): Automatic quality and provenance evaluation of micro and electronic components and assembly systems, US Airforce Funded project, May 2018-Jan 2020, income $500K. Project partners SCANNA (UK), SUPPLY DYNAMICS INC (USA). There 70 applications for this call, three consortiums were funded and then the solution went to a competition to win a potential large contract with the US Airforce (we are in the race for this). Our solutions alongside the other two consortiums went on a live competition, and we beat the two well-known American competition.

• HiSTEED (PI) Finding Hidden Explosives in Electrical Items - High-Speed Scanning for detecting Tampered Electrical Electronic Devices; UK DSTL/FASS Defence and Security Accelerator Programme, Oct 2018- Jul 20, income £336K. (completed June 2020). Currently in negotiations with Heathrow and Ferrovial, owners of Heathrow, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports on system security systems upgrade, integration and optimisation is underway

Environment Science and Engineering

• Circular-City (CI), COST Action CA17133, implementing nature-based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city; Digitalisation Working Group Leader; 2018-2023)  with partners from 37 European countries.

• Modelling and Monitoring four Natural Flood Management programmes in London, Salmons Brook, Woodland Headwater in Harrow, Park Wood (Pinn) and Rise Park stream in Havering (CI). In partnership with Thames 21, Environment Agency, 2017-2020, (income £150K).

 Knowledge Exchange and Partnerships 

• EU H2020 Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships Key Action 2 programme for “Develop Engaging Massive Open Online Resources for Designers Innovative Education” (2021-2023). (Project Ref: 2020-1-PT01-KA202-078850) (£202,472.98).
• EU H2020 Erasmus+ Sector Skills Alliances programme for “Strategy in Additive Manufacturing” (Qualification & Accreditation project) (Project Ref: 601217-EPP-1-2018-1-BE-EPPKA2-SSA-B) (£3,600,492.54).
• EU H2020-WIDESPREAD-05-2017-Twinning - “INEX-ADAM, Increasing Excellence on Advanced Additive Manufacturing” (KTP Service-based project) (Grant Agreement: 810708) (£90,434,576.75).
• Erasmus+ Capacity-building in the Field of Higher Education - “LeNSin, International Learning Network on Sustainability”, Grant Agreement 561927-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP (Sustainability and Capability building project) (£88,715,494.17).
• Commercial Project, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence Limited “4D Printed Demonstrator” (undisclosed).