# The ERA Foundation > What We Do Supporting UK High Technology Engineering and Manufacturing Discover our work For over a century, the ERA Foundation has championed British engineering excellence. We invest in people, influence --- ## Pages - [Inspiring](https://www.erafoundation.org/inspiring/): Inspiring the next generation of UK engineers through Born to Engineer, the Clark Prize, Arkwright Scholarships and school partnerships. - [Influencing](https://www.erafoundation.org/influencing/): Shaping engineering policy in the UK through evidence-based research, advocacy and engagement with Government, Parliament and SMEs. - [Implementing](https://www.erafoundation.org/implementing/): Direct support for UK engineers through engineering fellowships including Enterprise and Industrial Fellowships, grants and early-stage investment. - [Our History](https://www.erafoundation.org/our-history/): Explore the ERA Foundation history, from our 1920 founding as the Electrical Research Association to a century supporting British engineering. - [People](https://www.erafoundation.org/people/): Meet the ERA Foundation board and learn how we are governed, with directors bringing deep engineering, education and early-stage company expertise. - [Press](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/): Read the latest ERA Foundation news, fellowship announcements and insights from across the UK engineering and manufacturing sector. - [Front Page](https://www.erafoundation.org/): For over a century the ERA Foundation has championed British engineering. We inspire young people, influence policy and invest directly in the sector. - [Contact](https://www.erafoundation.org/contact/): Contact the ERA Foundation for general, partnership or media enquiries, fellowship applications and Clark Prize nominations. --- ## Press Releases - [ERA Foundation Partners with EDT to Help Tackle the Engineering Skills Gap in the Black Country](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/edt/): The scheme will run over the next three years and help build stronger links between education and employment in engineering... - [ERA Foundation Invests £235,000 to Launch Engineering and Science Leadership Academy](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/engineering-and-science-leadership-academy/): Left to Right: Professor Sam Cruchley, University of Birmingham; Andrew Everett, CEO, ERA Foundation; Sir Alan Rudge, President, ERA Foundation;... - [Nominations open for the 2026 David Clark Prize](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2026-david-clark-prize/): The ERA Foundation has opened nominations for the 2026 David Clark Prize, recognising exceptional educators who inspire the next generation... - [The Clark Prize rewards four exemplary teachers for showcasing engineering in schools](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-clark-prize-rewards-four-exemplary-teachers-for-showcasing-engineering-in-schools/): Lucy Hart from Caroline Haslett Primary School in Milton Keynes and Tracey Ellicott of East Wemyss Primary School and Nursery... - [The ERA Foundation celebrates 25 years and over £20m funding for engineering initiatives](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-celebrates-25-years-and-over-20m-funding-for-engineering-initiatives/): Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who gave a keynote speech on the Academy’s... - [ERA Foundation Supports Manufacturing Commission Call for Evidence on SME Manufacturing](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/manufacturing-commission-call-for-evidence/): SMEs are vital to the UK’s manufacturing sector and economy – the Industrial Strategy must support manufacturing SMEs to build... - [iTEK Programme Celebrates Success at University of Surrey](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/itek-programme-celebrates-success-at-university-of-surrey/): The Foundation is pleased to see that the University of Surrey’s iTEK programme, established with funding from the ERA Foundation,... - [ERA Foundation Welcomes Andrew Churchill OBE as New Chairman](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-welcomes-andrew-churchill-obe-as-new-chairman/): Andrew Churchill, who joined the ERA Foundation Board in 2020, brings exceptional expertise as the Chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd,... - [ERA Foundation Supports Research Revealing £83 Billion Potential Boost to UK Manufacturing](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-growth-mission-a-blueprint-for-scaling-up-sme-manufacturers/): The Make UK/Civitas report, titled “The Growth Mission: A Blueprint for Scaling up SME Manufacturers,” published in partnership with the... - [ERA Foundation Appoints New Chairman and Board Members to Drive British Engineering Excellence](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-appoints-new-chairman-and-board-members-to-drive-british-engineering-excellence/): PHOTO: Andrew Churchill FREng FIET, incoming Chairman of the ERA Foundation Andrew Churchill FREng FIET, who joined the Board in... - [Nominations Open for 2025 David Clark Prize](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/nominations-open-for-2025-david-clark-prize/): The Foundation will award two prizes, one to a primary school teacher and one to a secondary school, college, or... - [ERA Foundation Awards Over £20,000 in Digital Creator Grants to Drive STEM Education](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-awards-over-20000-in-digital-creator-grants-to-drive-stem-education/): “These creators represent the future of STEM communication,” said Andrew Everett, ERA Foundation. “Their diverse approaches and expertise will help... - [ERA Foundation Board Member Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi Knighted in King's New Year Honours](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-board-member-professor-sir-bashir-m-al-hashimi-knighted-in-kings-new-year-honours/): Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi is known for his significant research contributions over the last 30 years to energy-efficient computing... - [Future of Work Conference Series Bridges Education-Industry Gap in Manufacturing](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/future-of-work-conference/): The campaign, involving physical conferences, media and social media, created by manufacturing specialist Will Stirling of Stirling Media, addresses the... - [ERA Foundation Launches Engineering Scholarships for Women to Mark Historic Centenary](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-launches-engineering-scholarships-for-women-to-mark-historic-centenary/): The ERA Foundation have partnered with five prestigious UK universities to deliver these scholarships: Durham University London South Bank University... - [National Engineering Day 2024](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/national-engineering-day-2024/): This year our key initiatives are aimed at creating pathways for future engineering leaders: EEE Scholarships 2024Supporting women studying Electrical... - [The 5% Club's Consultancy Service](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-5-clubs-consultancy-service/): This service, developed in collaboration with Grant Thornton’s People Advisory Services, aims to help organizations optimize their workplace learning programs... - [ERA Foundation Supports Innovation in Clean Energy and Manufacturing Through Fellowships](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2024-era-fellowships/): “We are incredibly proud to support these outstanding innovators through our fellowship programs,” said Andrew Everett, CEO of the ERA... - [2024 Clark Prize Awarded at ERA Annual Dinner and Lecture](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2024-clark-prize-awarded-at-era-dinner/): Alongside Paul and Anthony, the ERA Foundation recognised Becki Price from The Willows Primary School and Kate Finlay from Hethersett... - [Engineers 2030: Equipping Engineers with Skills for a Sustainable Future](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/engineers-2030-equipping-engineers-with-skills-for-a-sustainable-future/): Engineers 2030 recognizes that a fundamental shift in how we think about engineering is necessary to accelerate positive change. The launch... - [GCSE Mathematics Resits: Supporting Students Through Challenging Times](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/gcse-mathematics-resits-supporting-students-through-challenging-times/): Both government and educational organizations must focus on ensuring that young people leave school with the skills and knowledge they... - [ERA Foundation Launches New Scholarships to Celebrate The Centenary of Electrical Association of Women](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-launches-new-scholarships-to-celebrate-centenary-of-electrical-association-of-women/): The “ERA Foundation Scholarships” will provide £2,000 per year for up to four years to five exceptional female students commencing studies in... - [Nominations Open for 2024 David Clark Prize Recognizing Exceptional STEM Educators](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/nominations-open-for-2024-david-clark-prize-recognizing-exceptional-stem-educators/): Winners will receive a £3,000 personal award and £12,000 for their school to promote engineering over the next three years.... - [Policy Connect: Manufacturing Commission Launch Event](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-manufacturing-commission-launch-event/): Chaired by Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, President of the Confederation of British Industry, the event brought together policymakers, industry leaders,... - [Policy Connect: New Report Calls for Greater Support to Upskill Manufacturing Workforce](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/upskill-manufacturing-report/): The report, “Upskilling Industry: Manufacturing Productivity and Growth in England,” launched by Lord Bilimoria and sponsored in part by the... - [2023 Clark Prize Winners Jenn McEwan and Isabel Culmer](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2023-clark-prize-winners/): The ERA Foundation is thrilled to announce that this year’s Primary School David Clark Prize will go to Jenn McEwan... - [Indro Muckerjee speaks at the ERA Foundation's 18th Annual Dinner and Lecture.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/indro-muckerjee-lecture/): The dinner is the second after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic and is a valuable opportunity to meet... - [Addressing the Engineering Skills Gap: A Call for Radical Transformation in Digital and Environmental Sustainability Training](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/addressing-the-engineering-skills-gap/): This week Professor Al-Hashimi, a Trustee and Director of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), has published a thought-provoking piece... - [Report - Strengthening the Manufacturing Sector with Energy-Efficient Policies](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/energy-resilience-sme-manufacturers-uk-civitas-report/): The ERA Foundation believes it is important to address the concerns and needs of the manufacturing sector as the United... - [Report - Making the Change](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/report-making-the-change/): Despite Britain’s ninth place in the world’s manufacturing rankings, its share of GDP has decreased drastically over recent decades. With... - [David Clark Prize 2023](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/david-clark-prize-2023/): The ERA Foundation David Clark Prize recognizes exceptional educators in the United Kingdom who have gone above and beyond in... - [STEM Learning - 10 new ENTHUSE Partnerships](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/stem-learning-10-new-enthuse-partnerships/): The ERA Foundation has teamed up with STEM Learning to provide 10 new ENTHUSE Partnerships. Each of these partnerships will... - [Professor Bashir M. Al-Hashimi appointed Vice President (Research & Innovation) at Kings College London](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-bashir-m-al-hashimi-appointed-vice-president-research-innovation-at-kings-college-london/): Professor Bashir M. Al-Hashimi joined the ERA Foundation board in September 2021 and is best known for his work in... - [Digital Thinking - The Key To A Productive Nation](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/digital-thinking-the-key-to-a-productive-nation/): The ERA Foundation welcomed Phil Smith, former CEO and Chair of Cisco, former Chair of Innovate UK and currently Chair... - [The ERA Foundation pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-pays-tribute-to-her-majesty-the-queen/): Andrew Everett, Executive Secretary and CEO of the ERA Foundation said: ‘All at The ERA Foundation are saddened to hear... - [ERA Foundation Enterprise Fellowships applications are open](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-enterprise-fellowships-applications-are-open/): The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub have opened their Enterprise Fellowships programme for a new round of applications, including... - [Professor Dame Helen Atkinson receives the Royal Academy of Engineering President's Medal](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-dame-helen-atkinson-receives-the-royal-academy-of-engineering-presidents-medal/): Professor Dame Helen Atkinson, who joined our the ERA Foundation board last year, has been awarded this years prestigious President’s... - [2022 Clark Prize Winners: Cath Milne and Rebecca Lofthouse](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2022-clark-prize-winners-cath-milne-and-rebecca-lofthouse/): The ERA is delighted to announce that years David Clark Prize will go to Cath Milne from Avoch Primary School... - [ERA Foundation's 17th annual Dinner and Lecture](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundations-17th-annual-dinner-and-lecture/): After a two year hiatus due the pandemic Sir Alan Rudge, Sir Christopher Snowden and the ERA Foundation Board welcomed back over... - [Report - A spotlight on Design and Technology study in England](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/design-and-technology-association-a-spotlight-on-design-and-technology-study-in-england/): The report is the first study to examine trends in the subject in the last decade and shows a worrying... - [Toilet Cleaning Robot - An engineering themed musical](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/toilet-cleaning-robot-the-music/): The ERA Foundation has always supported a broad range of activities around encouraging STEM learning. However, when ‘Kids Invent Stuff’... - [Enterprise Fellowship - Brendan Digney](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/enterprise-fellowship-brendan-digney/): Brendan Digney founded Machine Eye Technology which develops intelligent safety system while completing his final year of Electronic and Electrical... - [Closed - David Clark Prize 2022](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/closed-david-clark-prize-2022/): We are grateful for an excellent set of applications to this years David Clark Prize. Many thanks to everyone who... - [David Clark Prize 2022](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/david-clark-prize-2022/): Each year the ERA Foundation awards two David Clark Prizes. One for teachers working in primary schools and another for... - [The ERA Foundation - 2021 in Review](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/review-of-the-year/): Against this backdrop the Foundation has continued its commitment to a portfolio of activities; supporting the UK’s technology manufacturing and... - [Policy Connect - Supporting UK Manufacturing Skills in a post Covid-19 world](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-supporting-uk-manufacturing-skills-in-a-post-covid-19-world/): The report comes at a critical time for the Engineering industry as Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world’s perception of... - [Professor Dame Helen Atkinson and Professor Bashir M. Al-Hashimi join the ERA Board.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-bashir-m-al-hashimi-joins-the-era-board/): Professor Dame Helen Atkinson is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the School of Aerospace,... - [Policy Connect - Manufacturing Resilience Report](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-manufacturing-resilience-report/): “Manufacturing Resilience: Driving recovery towards net-zero” recognises the excellent work that has been done by the government’s Made Smarter pilot... - [Andrew Everett welcomed as Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-welcomes-new-executive-secretary-ceo-andrew-everett/): After three years with the Foundation our current Executive Secretary/CEO, Keith Robson, will sadly be leaving us. I want to... - [Retirement of Sir John O’Reilly](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/retirement-of-sir-john-oreilly/): Sir John O’Reilly joined the ERA Foundation as a Director in July 2008, and has worked as both as a... - [In2scienceUK receives Queen's Award of Enterprise](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/in2scienceuk-receives-queens-award-of-enterprise/): The ERA Foundation is proud to be a supporter of In2Science’s excellent programme in providing social mobility opportunities for young... - [Founding the Foundation](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/founding-the-foundation/): To celebrate 100 years of the ERA Foundation President Sir Alan Rudge has produced a fascinating record of the founding... - [ERA Annual Report 2020](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-annual-report-2020/): In spite of these challenges, the ERA Foundation has continued to expand its portfolio of activities, supporting the UK’s technology... - [Arkwright Engineering Scholarship 2020](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2020/): The highly respected Arkwright Engineering Scholarship are designed to inspire and equip the next generation of UK engineering talent. This... - [The 5% Club Master Class Series](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-5-club-master-class-series/): The 5% Club has staged quarterly best practice events to encourage and inform members with less, little or even no experience... - [Thomas Gordon joins the ERA Board.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/thomas-gordon-joins-the-era-board/): Tom joined de Zoete and Bevan Stockbrokers in 1983, starting a 36 year career in the financial services industry Following the deregulation... - [Born to Engineer - Roundtable](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-roundtable/): The ERA has now released the second video in our new series of Born to Engineer videos. The latest series... - [Industrial Fellowship - Joe Lawton](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/industrial-fellowship-joe-lawton/): Joe was selected for his project on the ‘Remote plasma sputtering of high quality thermochromic thin films for energy conservation’.... - [Born to Engineer - Mimi Isabella Nwosu on Engineering Myths](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-mimi-isabella-nwosu-engineering-myths/): This week the ERA released the first video in a new Born to Engineer series. The new series explores a... - [ERA Fellows awarded prestigious IET Fellowships](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-fellows-awarded-prestigious-iet-fellowships/): The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Fellowship celebrates Engineers and technologists who have made an outstanding contribution to the... - [National Symposium on Developing Socially Responsible STEM Professionals](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/national-symposium-on-developing-socially-responsible-stem-professionals/): The ERA believes firmly in promoting socially responsible Engineering to the next generation of STEM professionals. To further this goal... - [Andrew Churchill joins the ERA Board.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/andrew-churchill-joins-the-era-board/): Andrew Churchill is the Executive Chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd. , a family-owned aerospace precision-engineering business based in the Midlands.... - [The ERA Foundation Celebrate Centenary](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-celebrate-centenary/): This year the Foundation is celebrating that 100 Year History by sharing images from our archive through our Instagram account... - [Manufacturing Commission: Building back a sustainable manufacturing sector](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/building-back-a-sustainable-manufacturing-sector/): Ben Carpenter Merritt, Head of Industry, Technology & Innovation at Policy Connect, has written about the challenges the upcoming Manufacturing... - [In2Science: Supporting Social Mobility and Diversity](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/in2science-supporting-social-mobility-and-diversity/): In2science is an award-winning charity which empowers students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their potential and progress to STEM and research... - [Clark Prize School wins five national awards in one year](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/clark-prize-school-wins-five-national-awards-in-one-year/): The ERA Foundation recognised Gordon Taylor contributions to STEM learning earlier this year when we awarded him the 2020 Clark... - [STATWARS](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/statwars/): The new programme from Primary Engineer will engage primary and secondary children in live projects involving data analysis. The schemes... - [The British Export Boom and how to encourage it](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/britains-export-boom-and-how-to-encourage-it/): The ERA Foundation welcomes CIVITAS’s latest report “Britain’s Export Boom and how to encourage it”. The report, written by Marcus... - [WISE Launch #1ofTheMillion campaign.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/wise-launch-1-in-a-million-campaign/): For the first time ever there are more than 1 million women working in STEM roles across the UK. WISE... - [RAEng - COVID-19 and Supply Chains](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/covid-19-and-supply-chains/): The Royal Academy of Engineering is aiming to better understand where engineers can best support the national response to COIVD-19.... - [Working with STEM partners through the Coronavirus lockdown](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/working-with-stem-partners-through-the-coronavirus-lockdown/): Partnership has always been at the heart of the way we have worked to achieve our aims. As the world... - [2020 Clark Prize Winners: Gordon Taylor and Gavin Sharp](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2020-clark-prize-winner-gordon-taylor-gavin-sharp/): The ERA is delighted to announce that years David Clark Prize will go to both Gordon Taylor from Walton Priory... - [2020 ERA Foundation Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2020-royal-society-entrepreneur-in-residence/): The ERA Foundation is pleased to announce that Virginia Hodge CEng FIET will be the Royal Society ERA Foundation Entrepreneur... - [Statement on COVID-19 and the 2020 ERA Foundation Lunch and Lecture](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/statement-on-covid-19-era-foundation-lunch-and-lecture/): Although it was essential to do so, it was still a very difficult decision to forgo this annual opportunity to... - [The Changing Face of the ERA Foundation](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-changing-face-of-the-era-foundation/): To mark its centennial year the ERA has refreshed its’ branding. Alongside a new, modernised logo, we have relaunched our... - [Arkwright Engineering Scholarship 2019](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2019/): The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are the most prestigious scholarship of their type in the country. Each scholarship is designed to... - [Born to Engineer - New Careers Resources Launched](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-new-careeers-resources-launched/): Born to Engineer has grown since the ERA launched its first Born to Engineer film in 2016. The Born to... - [Industrial Fellowship - Shaun Smart](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/industrial-fellowship-shaun-smart/): Shaun has worked at TWI, Cambridge for the last 10 years, before which he worked as a soldier and tradesman... - [ERAF Supports WISE Awards 2019](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/eraf-supports-wise-awards-2019/): Keith Robson, Executive Secretary of the Foundation, said “We were delighted to support this inspirational event, celebrating women in all... - [Supporting 'Made Here Now'](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/supporting-made-here-now/): The ERA Foundation is joining 16 new sponsor organisations this year to support the fourth phase of the campaign. The... - [Philip Worsley - Clark Prize Winner](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/philip-worsley-clark-prize-winner/): Philip was a tremendous teacher who provided inspiration to so many young people. The Foundation was proud to support his... - [Sad News - Dr Angelo Grubisic](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/sad-news-dr-angelo-grubisic/): Angelo, who was at the centre of one of our Born to Engineer films, had worked for NASA and the... - [Retirement of Dr Tom Rowbothan](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/retirement-of-dr-tom-rowbothan/): Dr Rowbotham has been in the global communications sector for over 40 years and spent much of his career in... - [Industrial Fellowship – Adam McKenzie](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/royal-commission-for-the-exhibition-of-1851-adam-mckenzie/): The ERA Foundation has worked with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to award an annual ERA Industrial... - [ERA Foundation Short Industry Fellowship](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2019-royal-society-era-foundation-short-industry-fellowship-dr-christopher-donaghy-spargo/): The Foundation has long supported the Royal Society’s programme for short industry fellowships. These fellowships promote collaboration between academia and... - [Mike Carr joins the ERA Board.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/mike-carr-joins-the-era-board/): Mike Carr is Chairman of Astigan Ltd, a start-up based in Somerset, President of the Institution of Engineering & Technology... - [Dr Paul Golby joins the ERA Board.](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/dr-paul-golby-joins-the-era-board/): Dr Golby trained and gained a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering. He held a series ofmanagement positions with Dunlop and BTR... - [ERA welcomes new chair of the board Professor Sir Christopher Snowden](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-welcomes-new-chair-of-the-board-professor-sir-christopher-snowden/): Sir Christopher has been a director of the ERA Foundation board since 1st November 2010. He is also President and... - [2019 Clark Prize Winner - Haydn Hutchings](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2019-clark-prize-haydn-hutchings/): Haydn Hutchings was one of three teachers shortlisted this year. Runners-up for the 2019 prize were James Jenner from Northgate... - [STEM Accord](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/stem-accord/): The STEM Accord initiative – Putting Knowledge to Work The STEM Accord has been created as a partnership between, WISE,... - [WISE Annual Conference 2019](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/wise-annual-conference-2019/): WISE’ success in helping women currently in the workforce to develop their skills and careers as well as attracting more... - [Born to Engineer - Richard Browning, Gravity Industries](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-richard-browning-gravity-industries/): Richard Browning grew up making model aeroplanes with his aeronautical engineer father. Inspired, he now is taking flight engineering and... - [ERA Foundation’s 16th annual Luncheon and Lecture](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2385/): Over a hundred guests attended the lunch. Dr Paul Golby, chairman of the National Air Traffic Service and chairman of... - [ENTHUSE Partnership](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-enthuse-partnership-stem-learning/): This January the ERA announced an additional £50,000 for STEM Learning to expand its ENTHUSE Partnerships in West Sussex, London,... - [Arkwright Engineering Scholarship 2018](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2018/): The ERA Foundation is a proud supporter of the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. The award aims to identify, inspire and nurture... - [Born to Engineer - Orla Murphy, Jaguar Land Rover](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-orla-murphy-jaguar-land-rover/): As an engineer with Jaguar Land Rover, she’s working on ways to ensure that the software that drives every function... - [The ERA Foundation Luncheon and Lecture 2018](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-luncheon-and-lecture-2018/): Over a hundred guests attended the lunch and Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce, spoke about the challenges facing complex manufacturing... - [2018 Clark Prize – Jamie Costello](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2018-clark-prize-jamie-costello/): Jamie Costello was one of three teachers shortlisted this year. Runners-up for the 2018 prize were Neal Hammersley from Kingsway... - [Applications open for 2019 Enterprise Fellowships](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/applications-open-for-2019-enterprise-fellowships/): The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowships programme is now open for 2019/20 candidates. The awards are designed to support... - [Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub Celebrates its Fifth Birthday](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/royal-academy-of-engineerings-enterprise-hub-celebrates-its-fifth-birthday/): The ERA Foundation helped support the creation of the Hub which aims to bring about a step change in the... - [Born to Engineer - John Wheal](https://www.erafoundation.org/press/john-wheal/): Now he’s a systems engineer with NATS, the UK’s leading supplier of air traffic control services. He’s part of a... --- ## Industry Insights - [Focus on Artificial intelligence](https://www.erafoundation.org/news/industry-insights/focus-on-artificial-intelligence/): Before we get into the most prominent topics of this month, we must highlight the positive start the UK manufacturing... --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages --- ## Press Releases - Published: 2026-01-29 - Modified: 2026-01-29 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/edt/ - Categories: General Foundation News The scheme will run over the next three years and help build stronger links between education and employment in engineering and advanced manufacturing for thousands of young people living in the area. The Black Country has both a strong manufacturing base and a large number of young people who are likely to require these kinds of career opportunities in the coming years. Local employers in the advanced manufacturing and engineering sectors have consistently reported being unable to find enough skilled workers within the local labour market. Many young people in the Black Country have limited or no sustained exposure to STEM subjects, work experience, or role models in industry. There is also a national shortage of engineers and technicians in the UK. Industry requires approximately 173,000 per annum to meet its demand by 2030. This collaboration aims to address this issue at a regional level with aspirations to scale nationally. The pilot will operate through the Industrial Cadets Framework, a nationally recognised accreditation sponsored by His Majesty King Charles III. The program brings together schools, colleges, employers and community partners to deliver structured, accredited pathways. Young people will develop their technical knowledge of the subject, alongside developing their work-readiness skills, such as confidence and teamwork. Progression routes are clearly defined to lead to apprenticeships, further education, and higher-level studies. The organisation hopes that the Black Country Pilot will provide a basis for establishing further Industrial Cadets Regional Clusters throughout the UK. The ERA Foundation acts as the Founding Partner to... --- - Published: 2026-01-13 - Modified: 2026-01-13 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/engineering-and-science-leadership-academy/ - Categories: General Foundation News Left to Right: Professor Sam Cruchley, University of Birmingham; Andrew Everett, CEO, ERA Foundation; Sir Alan Rudge, President, ERA Foundation; Professor Marika Taylor, University of Birmingham; Dr Paul Golby, Board Member, ERA Foundation; Professor Brian Robb, University of Birmingham. A total of £235,000 over four years has been invested in developing the Engineering and Science Leadership Academy, which will provide talented undergraduate and postgraduate students with the tools they need to become effective leaders and entrepreneurs, and to be equipped with the skills employers require. Over four years, this program will enable undergraduate and postgraduate students to develop their own entrepreneurial, leadership, and real-world industry skills. As part of our mission to support the development of the UK's engineering and manufacturing sectors, to develop new talent, to develop and encourage excellence and entrepreneurship within these sectors; this investment will directly address one of the most pressing shortages of the day, the lack of engineering trained leaders that can drive the innovations required to compete in today's global market place, as well as manage the increasingly complex organisations that exist today. The Academy will draw upon the successful model developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for its delivery. The program will involve collaborations with leading industry figures and professional engineering institutions. At the heart of the Academy's curriculum is the concept that providing engineers and scientists with technical expertise and business and leadership skills results in better outcomes than providing non-scientists with technical fluency. Commenting on the announcement, Sir... --- - Published: 2025-11-12 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2026-david-clark-prize/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA Foundation has opened nominations for the 2026 David Clark Prize, recognising exceptional educators who inspire the next generation of UK engineers. Nominations opened on December 1, 2025, with a deadline of Friday, 13 March 2026. The Foundation will award two prizes—one to a primary school teacher and one to a secondary school, college, or UTC teacher who demonstrates outstanding commitment to engineering education. Each winner receives a £3,000 personal award and £12,000 for their school to advance engineering initiatives over three years. Winners will be announced at the ERA Annual Dinner, currently planned for September 2026. Selection criteria The selection panel evaluates nominees based on their vision for technology and engineering education, creative approaches to engaging young people, demonstrated success in inspiring students toward engineering careers, and the impact of their contributions over the past five years. The panel values evidence of hands-on engineering experiences, industry partnerships, student engagement initiatives, curriculum innovation, and commitment to inclusivity. Nominees should demonstrate work that goes beyond standard curriculum requirements. How to nominate Nominations require a 600-word submission detailing the educator's achievements, along with a one-minute video highlighting their work. Submit completed nominations to andrew. everett@erafoundation. org by Friday, 13 March 2026. Download the nomination form. The History of the David Clark Prize Since its establishment in 2016, the David Clark Prize has recognised 16 exceptional educators across the UK. The 2025 awards marked a milestone with four joint winners—the first time both categories honoured multiple teachers and the first time all... --- - Published: 2025-09-17 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-clark-prize-rewards-four-exemplary-teachers-for-showcasing-engineering-in-schools/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Lucy Hart from Caroline Haslett Primary School in Milton Keynes and Tracey Ellicott of East Wemyss Primary School and Nursery in Fife were joint winners in the primary school category. Dewi Thomas of YGG Bro Edern in Cardiff, and Clare Doherty from St. Mary’s College, Derry, were both awarded the secondary school prize.   Their schools receive £12,000 over three years to support their STEM engagement projects, and the teachers, who typically run all these STEM activities pro bono and in their own time, receive an individual award. It is the first year that the Clark Prize has been jointly awarded to two teachers per category of school, and the first time that schools in all four devolved countries of the United Kingdom are represented. Every year the unique prize, organised by the ERA Foundation and named after former foundation Executive Secretary, the late Dr David Clark, rewards the contributions of teachers working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) engagement, who do exemplary work to link school children with engineering experiences and activities. David Clark sadly passed away in September and was a devoted servant of ERA Foundation, and Warwick Manufacturing Group. Tracey Ellicott (above) has been the STEM lead at East Wemyss Primary School since 2014.   She set up a STEM-based collaborative learning environment for pupils to experience working with materials, “Tinkertots” sessions that offer STEM activities to pre-school children with their parents and has delivered a programme of family STEM workshops. In 2018 the school won... --- - Published: 2025-09-17 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-celebrates-25-years-and-over-20m-funding-for-engineering-initiatives/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who gave a keynote speech on the Academy's strategy and its focus on skills for engineering, was joined by ERA President Sir Alan Rudge CBE FREng, Chair Andrew Churchill OBE FREng, and 130 guests to toast the support of a long list of pro-engineering activities, from value-creating enterprise hubs to engineering fellowships, and teachers whose work has showcased engineering to school children across the UK. The ERA Foundation was a founding donor of The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub, ranked for the second year running in the top three enterprise hubs in the UK, and 14th in Europe by the Financial Times and Statista. The Hub's activities have contributed to the creation of nearly 6,000 jobs. The Foundation has funded 55 industrial Fellowships, linking university research to businesses to help solve engineering challenges more quickly and help society. It has helped fund over 100 young students via the Smallpeice Trust's Arkwright Engineering Scholarship, that sponsors students aged 16 to 18 to pursue engineering training with mentoring and access to STEM events. The fellowships it has supported, jointly with both The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and The Royal Academy of Engineering, involve some of the UK’s best physical sciences research that has advanced space exploration, net-zero energy, battery storage, flood detection systems and much more.   The non-profit foundation, 25 years old but with roots that go back 100-years, also runs The Clark Prize that... --- - Published: 2025-08-09 - Modified: 2025-08-09 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/manufacturing-commission-call-for-evidence/ - Categories: General Foundation News SMEs are vital to the UK's manufacturing sector and economy – the Industrial Strategy must support manufacturing SMEs to build national resilience and incentivise growth. The Manufacturing Commission is embarking on a new inquiry to scrutinise and support the Government's Industrial Strategy. The inquiry plans to develop an ambitious policy agenda to ensure the Industrial Strategy is a success, resulting in a stronger and more resilient UK manufacturing sector. The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, launched by the Government in June 2025, outlines a 10-year plan to increase business investment in eight growth-driving sectors. The Strategy promises support for SMEs by incentivising innovation, reducing energy costs, increasing access to finance, and improving supply-chain resilience. Scoping sessions, held in May and July, identified the vital role that Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) play in the UK's manufacturing sector and the challenges that they currently face. However, the business environment for manufacturing SMEs has become particularly challenging in recent years, due to Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a sharp rise in energy prices, and other factors. The Manufacturing Commission recently launched a call for evidence to help inform this work and develop policy recommendations for the Government. The inquiry will explore the following important themes: Sovereign capabilityEnergy costs and infrastructureAccess to financeThe regulatory environment Andrew Everett, CEO of the ERA Foundation, comments: "The ERA Foundation is delighted to support the Manufacturing Commission's call for evidence on SME manufacturing for Industrial Strategy. Small and medium-sized manufacturing companies are the lifeblood of the UK economy.... --- - Published: 2025-05-19 - Modified: 2025-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/itek-programme-celebrates-success-at-university-of-surrey/ - Categories: General Foundation News The Foundation is pleased to see that the University of Surrey's iTEK programme, established with funding from the ERA Foundation, continues to flourish. It provides engineering students with vital real-world experience while connecting businesses with emerging talent. Andrew Everett, CEO and Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation, visited the Surrey Enterprise Hub in February to meet with students and faculty involved in the programme. Established in 2022 through a £195,600 donation from the ERA Foundation, the University of Surrey's iTEK programme embeds industry experience directly into MSc modules, creating a powerful bridge between academic learning and workplace application. "The ERA Foundation is delighted with the impact of the University of Surrey's iTEK programme," said Andrew Everett. "This initiative, which we were proud to help establish with our funding, allows students to gain real-world experience working on live projects with high-tech companies. It directly aligns with our mission to inspire young people and support the development of the next generation of UK engineers. " Now in its third successful year, the programme brings engineering, software and business students together to work with companies including Bina Robotics, Edibl, and Yenu Health. Students receive coaching in intrapreneurship and work in teams to develop innovations for technology businesses. One notable success includes an iTEK project developed with AirNode that gained global recognition through the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024. Student feedback confirms the programme's value. "The iTEK project offered me the perfect opportunity to work alongside a company on a real-world problem," said Natalya... --- - Published: 2025-05-01 - Modified: 2025-05-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-welcomes-andrew-churchill-obe-as-new-chairman/ - Categories: General Foundation News Andrew Churchill, who joined the ERA Foundation Board in 2020, brings exceptional expertise as the Chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd, an aerospace precision-engineering business based in the Midlands. His appointment represents the Foundation's continued commitment to supporting the UK's high-tech manufacturing sector. Churchill's leadership comes at a pivotal time for British engineering. He steps into the role previously held by Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, who retires after distinguished service to the organisation. Reflecting on this transition, Sir Alan Rudge, President of the ERA Foundation, stated: "In 2025 the ERA Foundation will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary. However the year is also significant in that it marks the retirement of our Chairman, Sir Christopher Snowden. Chris has served as a member and then chairman of the Board for fourteen of those years, a length of service and commitment that is unlikely to be matched in the foreseeable future. His many contributions to the Foundation's activities and his excellent leadership of the Board have done much to help shape our strategic development and maintain the high reputation of the organisation. On behalf of his colleagues, both past and present, I offer our sincere thanks to Chris and wish him continued success in his next endeavours. " Churchill's credentials include being a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). His extensive experience includes serving on the Prime Minister's Industrial, Manufacturing and Infrastructure Business Council and board positions with Make UK (The Manufacturers' Organisation) and Midlands... --- - Published: 2025-03-04 - Modified: 2026-06-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-growth-mission-a-blueprint-for-scaling-up-sme-manufacturers/ - Categories: Reports and Policy The Make UK/Civitas report, titled "The Growth Mission: A Blueprint for Scaling up SME Manufacturers," published in partnership with the ERA Foundation, reveals that nearly two-thirds of manufacturing SMEs aim to grow into large businesses within the next 5-10 years. The research shows that unlocking the growth potential of manufacturing SMEs could deliver an £83 billion boost to the UK economy and propel Britain from 12th place to 7th in global manufacturing rankings. This isn't just an abstract figure – it represents thousands of new jobs, stronger communities, and technological innovation that could transform Britain's industrial landscape. The UK has approximately 250,000 active manufacturing businesses, with 99% classified as micro, small, or medium-sized companies. These businesses form the backbone of our economy, yet many face significant barriers to growth. "Small and medium-sized manufacturing companies are the lifeblood of the UK economy," says Andrew Everett, CEO of the ERA Foundation. "In particular, the high-tech manufacturing companies that were the focus of this study have the potential to grow rapidly and deliver significant economic benefit. " The research identified several key obstacles preventing manufacturing SMEs from scaling up: Skills and Labor Shortages The number one challenge cited by SMEs is access to skilled labor, including both engineering talent and leadership expertise. The report shows apprenticeship starts have declined by 42% since the Apprenticeship Levy's inception, highlighting the urgent need for reform. Finance Difficulties Four out of five SMEs report struggling to access finance during critical seed to early growth stages. Solving these... --- - Published: 2025-02-18 - Modified: 2025-02-18 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-appoints-new-chairman-and-board-members-to-drive-british-engineering-excellence/ - Categories: General Foundation News PHOTO: Andrew Churchill FREng FIET, incoming Chairman of the ERA Foundation Andrew Churchill FREng FIET, who joined the Board in 2020, has been instrumental in maintaining the Foundation's focus on supporting the UK's hi-tech manufacturing sector. His leadership in aerospace precision engineering and advocacy for skills training align with the ERA Foundation's mission to support British engineering and manufacturing excellence. On his appointment, Churchill said: "I was very surprised but equally delighted to be asked by Sir Chris and our Board of directors to consider stepping up to the role of Chair on Sir Chris' retirement in May. With a new, longer-term national industrial strategy from Government, we have an important template for growth against which, together with our partners, we can help ensure the critical role that the electech and manufacturing sectors play in the UK economy is recognised. Alongside this, through targeted support, we will continue to engage with and nurture the next generation of UK engineers, and will play our part bridging the gap between engineering research and its commercialisation for the national good. " PHOTO: Will Butler-Adams OBE, CEO of Brompton Bicycle Will Butler-Adams OBE, CEO of Brompton Bicycle, joins the Board with proven expertise in growing British manufacturing businesses. Under his leadership, Brompton Bicycle transformed from a 27-employee operation to a global manufacturer with over 200 staff and £25 million turnover. Will says, "Our planet and the people on it are facing increasing challenges, and many of the solutions will come from innovative engineering and... --- - Published: 2025-01-16 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/nominations-open-for-2025-david-clark-prize/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The Foundation will award two prizes, one to a primary school teacher and one to a secondary school, college, or UTC teacher who demonstrates outstanding commitment to engineering education. Each winner receives a £3,000 personal award and £12,000 for their school to advance engineering initiatives over three years. The prize is part of the ERA Foundation's commitment to supporting engineering talent through education. The prize has recognized educators who go beyond standard curriculum requirements to bring engineering to life in their classrooms. Winners consistently demonstrate innovative approaches to STEM education, from developing dedicated engineering spaces and forging industry partnerships to creating hands-on learning experiences that connect theory with real-world applications. These educators play a crucial role in addressing the UK's engineering skills gap by inspiring students to explore engineering careers early in their academic journey. The prize's dual focus on primary and secondary education acknowledges the importance of early engagement with engineering concepts while supporting the development of more advanced skills in later years. Through personal recognition and school funding, the prize enables winning educators to expand their initiatives and create sustainable programs that benefit future students. "The David Clark Prize celebrates educators who transform young lives through engineering," says Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, chairman of the ERA Foundation. "Past winners have created innovative programs that bring engineering to life in their classrooms and communities. " The selection panel evaluates nominees based on the following: Vision for technology and engineering educationCreative approaches to engaging young peopleDemonstrated success in inspiring students... --- - Published: 2025-01-14 - Modified: 2025-01-14 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-awards-over-20000-in-digital-creator-grants-to-drive-stem-education/ - Categories: General Foundation News "These creators represent the future of STEM communication," said Andrew Everett, ERA Foundation. "Their diverse approaches and expertise will help transform how young people engage with engineering concepts. Each project demonstrates innovative ways to showcase engineering's role in solving global challenges. " Oluwatosin Toba intends to organise and document two events through social media platforms. The Discovering Engineering & Tech Event aims to explore diverse engineering roles and highlight industry projects, while the Engineering Hackathon will challenge participants to solve real manufacturing problems. Toba plans to create educational content documenting these events across TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Ariana Kalavana intends to create a video series that celebrates trailblazers in STEM and spotlights industry pioneers. Through expert interviews, captivating stories of historical achievements, and explorations of future technologies, the series will inspire a new generation to dream big, embrace curiosity, and pursue careers in STEM. BAFTA-nominated Fran Scott is launching "How To Build... " - a women-led engineering YouTube channel (@howtobuild... ) showcasing UK infrastructure and manufacturing innovations. Drawing from her experience hosting engineering podcasts and BBC programming, Scott plans to create documentary-style content featuring visits to electric aircraft facilities and underwater data centres.  Updates on the channel will be shared through her Instagram (@fransfacts). Engineering with Rosie founder Rosemary Barnes intends to highlight UK energy transition projects. Barnes plans to combine technical accuracy with engaging storytelling through site visits and educational content focusing on renewable energy innovations and sustainable technology. Aerospace engineer and STEM advocate Jessica Gagen, known for collaborations with Boeing and the European Space Agency, intends to create... --- - Published: 2025-01-02 - Modified: 2025-01-02 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-board-member-professor-sir-bashir-m-al-hashimi-knighted-in-kings-new-year-honours/ - Categories: General Foundation News Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi is known for his significant research contributions over the last 30 years to energy-efficient computing and semiconductor chip design. His pioneering work has driven advancements in hardware and software technologies for digital devices, including smartphones. Professor Sir Bashir's research has won numerous prestigious awards, most recently the IET Faraday Medal in 2020. "I have always wanted to emphasise engineering as a profession and champion the importance of engineering skills," said Professor Sir Bashir. "I am truly honoured and deeply humbled to be knighted for services to engineering and education. This distinction recognises the key role the engineering profession plays each and every day in addressing the world's most pressing challenges. " Currently serving as Vice President (Research and Innovation) at King's College London, Professor Sir Bashir is pivotal in shaping the university's research and innovation strategy. He is deeply committed to translating scientific discoveries into economic and social benefits. Beyond his academic work, Professor Sir Bashir is passionate about inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. As a trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering Board and other charitable organisations, he actively promotes STEM disciplines and their impact on young people. Professor Sir Bashir also champions ethnic minority representation in engineering and serves as a role model for Black, Asian and minority ethnic academics and researchers. "Professor Sir Bashir's work is inspiring," said Professor Shitij Kapur, Vice-Chancellor & President of King's College London. "Over the years he has balanced many technical achievements with good... --- - Published: 2024-12-17 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/future-of-work-conference/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The campaign, involving physical conferences, media and social media, created by manufacturing specialist Will Stirling of Stirling Media, addresses the critical skills gap in the manufacturing sector. The approach is to explain the importance of these jobs to teachers, parents, and students. Currently, there are over 60,000 live vacancies and 2. 5 vacant roles for every 100 jobs in the industry. The October 2024 conference series, which drew people from 116 schools and education institutes, featured events at Renishaw plc in Gloucestershire, The JCB Academy in Staffordshire, The Slate at Warwick Conferences, and the University and Professional Development Centre in Bury St Edmunds. Encouragingly, each event was significantly oversubscribed, typically attracting 250 to 300 registrations per location. In some cases, more than 80 people from a single school, including parents, subscribed. The conferences showcased how manufacturing careers are future-proofed through automation, big data management, coding, and artificial intelligence. Crucially, there are multiple routes to access these jobs via apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, university, and on-the-job training. Delegates, including parents, remarked that the different pathways into these jobs are not always clear. Over 54 companies participated, demonstrating work opportunities in an industry that offers wages 11% above the national average. Yan Pugh-Jones, Engineering Director at Brompton Bicycle, who spoke at the event, said: "Events like this are absolutely critical to let people know what a career in manufacturing is really like. There are so many misapprehensions about what these roles entail, what they look like and what these careers can do for... --- - Published: 2024-11-14 - Modified: 2024-11-14 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-launches-engineering-scholarships-for-women-to-mark-historic-centenary/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation have partnered with five prestigious UK universities to deliver these scholarships: Durham UniversityLondon South Bank UniversityNewcastle UniversityLoughborough UniversityQueen Mary University London Each university will award one scholarship to a female student beginning undergraduate studies in electrical or electronic engineering in 2024. Scholars will receive £2,000 per year throughout their studies, up to a maximum of four years. "These launch scholarships reflect our commitment to supporting and inspiring women to be part of the exciting and nationally important electrical engineering sector," said Andrew Everett from the ERA Foundation. "By providing sustained financial support throughout their degree programmes, we aim to help create the next generation of female engineering leaders. " The scholarships will support students through: Three-year bachelor's degree courses (£6,000 total support)Four-year integrated master's programs (£8,000 total support)Degree courses with placement years (£8,000 total support) Our partner universities are currently selecting recipients based on merit and potential. The Electric Dreams conference which took place at Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) this month celebrated the centenary of the Electrical Association of Women. Further celebratory events are planned. This initiative forms part of our broader mission to promote British engineering excellence and develop future talent in the electric and electronic manufacturing sector. The scholarships specifically target UK citizens pursuing degrees with significant electrical or electronic engineering content. --- - Published: 2024-11-13 - Modified: 2024-11-13 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/national-engineering-day-2024/ - Categories: General Foundation News This year our key initiatives are aimed at creating pathways for future engineering leaders: EEE Scholarships 2024Supporting women studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering at UK universities, these scholarships celebrate the centenary of the Electrical Association for Women. Arkwright Engineering ScholarshipsSupporting ambitious 16-year-old students through a prestigious scholarship programme that provides hands-on experience, professional mentorship, and career guidance. The ERA Foundation directly supports selected Engineering candidates, helping to inspire and equip the next generation of UK engineering talent. Born to EngineerDeveloping compelling content that showcases engineering careers and innovation, reaching thousands of young people and demonstrating the impact of engineering in society. Industrial Fellowships - Royal Commission 1851Supporting profitable innovation in British Industry through strategic fellowships that mutually benefit researchers and their sponsoring companies. Enterprise Fellowships - Royal Academy of EngineeringA comprehensive 12-month accelerator programme offering up to £75,000 equity-free funding, transforming breakthrough engineering innovations into commercial success. IET Launch Scholarships Investing in practical engineering talent through apprenticeship support, providing ten candidates with £1,000 annual funding over four years to develop technical expertise in partnership with the IET Through these strategic partnerships and initiatives, we hope that the ERA Foundation continues strengthening the UK's engineering capabilities while fostering innovation in manufacturing and technology. --- - Published: 2024-07-29 - Modified: 2024-07-29 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-5-clubs-consultancy-service/ - Categories: General Foundation News This service, developed in collaboration with Grant Thornton's People Advisory Services, aims to help organizations optimize their workplace learning programs and make a more significant social impact. The consultancy offering builds upon The 5% Club's successful Employer Audit program, which provides participating organizations with detailed benchmarking data and insights into their performance across key metrics such as employment, program breadth, social mobility, completion rates, and future growth. The new service will assist Club members in translating these insights into actionable strategies to enhance their apprenticeship, graduate, and sponsored student schemes. Building on its core purpose and aimed at helping employers large and small take "Insight into Action", the service will: Optimise employers' workplace learning offerings by building on existing Apprenticeships, Graduate Schemes, and Sponsored Student intakes. Enhance employer branding to retain existing staff and attract new talent. Assist with planning to deliver socially impactful improvements whilst optimizing the business return on investment. Create a strategy and approach to drive forward a tangible demonstration of social value to help win new business. The service will be delivered through individualized support and regional "Gravity" schemes, enabling large employers and authorities to positively influence skills development within their supply chains and local communities. ERA Foundation CEO Andrew Everett commented on the launch: "we have a long history of supporting the British Engineering Sector, and promoting the key role therein of ElecTech Manufacturing. We are therefore delighted to have supported The 5% Club bring this scheme into being, and look forward to supporting further... --- - Published: 2024-06-27 - Modified: 2024-06-27 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2024-era-fellowships/ - Categories: General Foundation News "We are incredibly proud to support these outstanding innovators through our fellowship programs," said Andrew Everett, CEO of the ERA Foundation. "Their groundbreaking work in clean energy and manufacturing aligns perfectly with our mission to promote high tech British engineering and drive economic prosperity. We have no doubt that their projects will make a significant impact in their respective fields. " Sanzhar Taizhan, TaiSin Energy - Enterprise Fellowship Sanzhar Taizhan of TaiSin Energy was awarded the May 2023 Enterprise Fellowship for his work on developing best-in-class sodium-ion battery technology. TaiSin Energy aims to make battery tech sustainable, efficient, and affordable for electric mobility by eliminating the need for lithium, cobalt, and nickel metals. TaiSin Energy has developed a novel "hexagonal" battery format that increases structural integrity and volume availability by 20%. These batteries feature low internal resistance, enabling fast charging and high thermal conductivity for effective cooling and heating. The company also uses physics-informed neural networks to track chemical reactions inside every battery, allowing for accurate life cycle predictions. Alex Shakeshaft, Enturi - Enterprise Fellowship Alex Shakeshaft of Enturi received the November 2023 Enterprise Fellowship to support the development of Enturi's game-changing micro wind turbine design. Building on two years of extensive design work, Enturi has developed a patent-pending turbine that offers compact and high-efficiency clean power generation to diversify the UK's green energy portfolio. With this core turbine technology, Enturi is developing the Enturi aeroCharger and Enturi eStation—portable single-turbine (6kW) and multi-turbine (20-100kW) distributed energy systems for the UK... --- - Published: 2024-06-11 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2024-clark-prize-awarded-at-era-dinner/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Alongside Paul and Anthony, the ERA Foundation recognised Becki Price from The Willows Primary School and Kate Finlay from Hethersett Academy with Highly Commended status for outstanding contributions to engineering education. Paul Tyler Paul Tyler, the STEM and Innovation Lead at Kirkhill Primary School, has been reimagining specific aspects of the school's curriculum to focus more on Engineering, Technology, Innovation, and Sustainability. He has set up and resourced a new STEM Innovation hub for the curriculum redesign. With 14 years of experience leading STEM, Paul has developed meaningful collaborations with relevant organisations. He has run successful science and engineering clubs, was twice awarded STEM Club of the Year in Scotland, and created fully immersive engineering projects for pupils. Over the past year, Paul has developed an open-ended "Low Resource Engineering Challenges" collection to introduce engineering concepts and encourage collaboration. Through pupil-led design-and-build projects, pupils have learned about various materials and had opportunities to work with different grades of cardboard, wood, plastic, and metal. Paul has also established a school-wide program of engineer visits throughout the year, building close relationships with local and national engineering companies that continue to support engineering development at the school. "All of us at Kirkhill are absolutely delighted for Paul winning the David Clarke Prize," said Liz Matthews, head teacher at Kirkhill Primary School. "His STEM work has been inspirational for a significant number of children over many years, and his impact on pupils and staff at Kirkhill has been huge since he joined the school.... --- - Published: 2024-04-29 - Modified: 2024-04-29 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/engineers-2030-equipping-engineers-with-skills-for-a-sustainable-future/ - Categories: General Foundation News Engineers 2030 recognizes that a fundamental shift in how we think about engineering is necessary to accelerate positive change. The launch event, held on March 18th, brought together over 200 people from industry, academia, and the engineering profession, both in-person and online. The event featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and unveiling the Engineers 2030 Vision and Principles document. Attendees engaged in lively discussions about the future of engineering education and the role of engineers in creating a sustainable society. The event also marked the launch of the Re-imagined Degree Map, co-created by the Royal Academy of Engineering with Engineers Without Borders UK, and the Sustainability Toolkit, developed in partnership with the Academy, the Engineering Professors Council, and Siemens. These tools aim to support academics in embedding social responsibility and sustainability into their teaching, reflecting the collaborative efforts of professionals across the UK who continue to evolve their practice through discussions in a Systems Change Lab. Two members of the ERA Foundation board were among the speakers at the launch event. Andrew Churchill OBE FREng, Executive Chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd, shared his insights on the importance of industry-academia collaboration in shaping the future of engineering education. He emphasized the need for engineering curricula to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technological landscape and industry demands. Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi CBE FREng FRS, Vice President (Research & Innovation) and Arm Professor of Computer Engineering at King's College London, delivered a compelling speech on the role of engineers in addressing global challenges. As the chair... --- - Published: 2024-04-17 - Modified: 2024-04-17 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/gcse-mathematics-resits-supporting-students-through-challenging-times/ - Categories: General Foundation News Both government and educational organizations must focus on ensuring that young people leave school with the skills and knowledge they need for the following stages of their education and careers. In light of this, we were proud to support STEM Learning's innovative work through its Maths in FE Colleges Pilot. This Pilot, which ran from 2021 to 2023, was designed to address the challenges faced by students required to resit their GCSE Mathematics exams, offering practical strategies to improve their outcomes. The Pilot provided crucial professional development for mathematics departments in 50 further education colleges. Through training sessions, a residential summer school, and individualized support, STEM Learning's team helped colleges evaluate and enhance their mathematics teaching approaches. Despite the significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, 42 participating colleges fully engaged with the training and support provided. The impact on students has been remarkable. 78% of participants expressed confidence in achieving a grade 4 in their upcoming exams, and 90% agreed that their GCSE resit lessons had helped them improve skills they would need in the workplace. Additionally, 84% felt more confident tackling unfamiliar or difficult questions. Teachers also reported positive outcomes, with one noting, "By leveraging the expertise and experiences of the group, we aimed to enhance the quality of our teaching and create a supportive environment for students' mathematical growth. " Andrew Everett, CEO and Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation noted, "The ERA Foundation is pleased to see a focus on ensuring young people leave school with the skills and... --- - Published: 2023-12-20 - Modified: 2023-12-20 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-launches-new-scholarships-to-celebrate-centenary-of-electrical-association-of-women/ - Categories: General Foundation News The "ERA Foundation Scholarships" will provide £2,000 per year for up to four years to five exceptional female students commencing studies in 2024. The launch of these new scholarships coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Electrical Association of Women (EAW), formed in 1924 to educate women on using electricity in the home and inspire more significant participation of women in engineering professions. EAW pioneered training programs and university sponsorships for women studying engineering. "As a recipient myself of one of the original Caroline Haslett Electrical Association for Women Awards to support my journey into engineering, I am delighted to see the ERA Foundation sponsoring the next generation of young electrical and electronic engineers through these scholarships", said Professor Dame Helen Atkinson of Cranfield University, an ERA Foundation board member. UK universities offering degrees in these fields are invited to apply for one scholarship each by summarizing support programs for women engineers and plans for utilizing the scholarship funding. Applications detailing this information in 500 words or less should be emailed to  info@erafoundation. org by December 22nd, 2023. Five universities will be selected as ERA Foundation Scholarship partners. For questions on the new scholarships or ERA Foundation programs, contact info@erafoundation. org. --- - Published: 2023-11-24 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/nominations-open-for-2024-david-clark-prize-recognizing-exceptional-stem-educators/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Winners will receive a £3,000 personal award and £12,000 for their school to promote engineering over the next three years. The educator will provide input on utilising these school funds. The prize assesses vision for their student's education, creativity in engaging students, and success in sparking their interest in engineering. Work over the past five years is considered, but sustained impact over extended periods may qualify nominees. Submit an Application Nominations should be 600 words and include a 1-minute video showcasing the nominee's achievements. A completed nomination form can be downloaded below and submissions must be emailed to andrew. everett@erafoundation. org by March 1st, 2024. Winners will be announced at the ERA Foundation's Annual Dinner in May 2024. The David Clark Prize celebrates STEM educators motivating the UK's next generation of engineering talent. We encourage exceptional teachers or those who know them to apply. --- - Published: 2023-10-25 - Modified: 2023-10-25 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-manufacturing-commission-launch-event/ - Categories: General Foundation News Chaired by Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, President of the Confederation of British Industry, the event brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and education experts to discuss strategies for tackling skills gaps limiting productivity and growth in manufacturing. The report stresses the urgent need for collaborative action between government, businesses, and education providers to upskill the manufacturing workforce. Recommendations include: Incentivizing SMEs to offer T-Levels and host Skills BootcampsAllowing more flexibility in using Apprenticeship Levy fundsLaunching a campaign to increase diversity and get more women into manufacturing rolesAppointing a manufacturing 'Champion' to promote the sector in schools Lord Bilimoria emphasized these targeted proposals aim to help firms effectively engage with the reformed skills system and secure the talent pipelines crucial for productivity. The launch event featured a panel discussion between representatives of the report's sponsors.  Andrew Everett, Chief Executive of the ERA Foundation, shared insights on the challenges businesses face due to skills shortages and potential solutions. Other panellists included Professor Carl Perrin of Coventry University, Jack Semple of the Engineering and Machinery Alliance, Professor Robin Clark of Warwick Manufacturing Group, and Richard Jenkins of Lloyds Banking Group. There was broad agreement on the need for collaborative action between industry, government, and education providers to equip the workforce with the skills needed for the future. The Manufacturing Commission's evidence-based recommendations provide policymakers from all parties with clear advice on navigating recent skills reforms and delivering the talent pipeline manufacturing urgently needs. --- - Published: 2023-10-24 - Modified: 2023-10-24 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/upskill-manufacturing-report/ - Categories: General Foundation News The report, "Upskilling Industry: Manufacturing Productivity and Growth in England," launched by Lord Bilimoria and sponsored in part by the ERA Foundation, provides recommendations to government, businesses, and education providers on navigating recent further education reforms and addressing skills gaps limiting productivity. Key findings include: Support SMEs to upskill workforces, including incentives to offer T-Levels and host Skills Bootcamps. Allow greater flexibility in Apprenticeship Levy funds use, including ring-fencing unused funds to invest in broader upskilling. Launch a national campaign to increase STEM uptake by women and minority ethnic groups. Appoint a manufacturing 'Champion' to raise sector awareness in schools and promote manufacturing's role in combating climate change. The report stresses the need to increase diversity in the manufacturing workforce, highlighting the importance of getting more women into STEM roles to meet demand. These targeted recommendations aim to help businesses, especially SMEs, engage with the reformed skills system and secure the talent pipelines crucial for productivity and growth.   Chair of the Manufacturing Commission, Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea, emphasizes the urgent need to address skills shortages in manufacturing: "throughout the evidence sessions that have informed this work, I have been inspired by accounts from manufacturing businesses that are using all levers available to them to upskill their workforces. The recommendations that we have made seek to help businesses, education providers, and individuals best navigate the current policy landscape and deliver the skills that the manufacturing sector so vitally needs. " Lord Bilimoria highlights the critical role of upskilling in boosting... --- - Published: 2023-06-13 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2023-clark-prize-winners/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA Foundation is thrilled to announce that this year's Primary School David Clark Prize will go to Jenn McEwan from Doonfoot Primary School and the Secondary School Prize will go to Isabel Culmer from Barton Peveril Sixth Form College. The prize recognises teachers who have gone beyond the teaching syllabus and demonstrated a strong track record of showcasing real-world engineering to students while inspiring them to consider engineering as a career. The awarding team agreed that Jenn and Isabel had shown an extraordinary vision for engineering and a high level of creativity in their work with young people. Alongside Jenn and Isabel, the ERA Foundation also recognised Caroline Maston from Lighthouse School and Hamada Mahdi from the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham with Highly Commended status. They have both promoted and excited children about engineering in challenging circumstances. Caroline works with a range of neuro-diverse children, and Hamada works in a school in an area with high levels of deprivation. Jenn McEwan Jenn McEwan, the Lead Science Teacher at Doonfoot Primary School, has been a beacon of inspiration for her students, actively engaging them with engineering for the last 12 years. Not only has she made a significant impact within her school, but in her development role as local authority STEM Lead covering forty one primary schools, their associated Early Years Centres, eight secondary schools, and two Additional Support Needs Schools in South Ayrshire, Jenn has extended her influence, providing opportunities and engagement for young people of all ages... --- - Published: 2023-06-13 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/indro-muckerjee-lecture/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The dinner is the second after a two-year hiatus during the COVID pandemic and is a valuable opportunity to meet face to-face, given the immense importance of all our partners, organisations, and individuals to the Foundation. This year we were pleased to welcome Indro Mukerjee, the CEO of Innovate UK, to give our annual lecture. Mukerjee is a distinguished thinker and speaker on the transformational nature of our connected world, sustainability, ambition, inclusion & diversity, and the critical need for STEM skills in our future generations. His highly topical lecture follows from Innovate UK's influential "Materials and manufacturing vision 2050 report" report, published in March. In his talk, Mukerjee outlined the significant opportunities to make a real economic, environmental, and societal difference in the UK. He emphasised the need for businesses to adapt and evolve to secure market position and grow sustainably. He also highlighted the UK's exciting opportunities, including world-class manufacturing, materials excellence, creativity and design expertise, digital excellence, leadership in standards and regulation, and an enviable RTO network. Mukerjee's vision of the work of Innovate UK was an encouraging reminder of the power that a strong partnership between the government and the world-leading minds and facilities in the UK can have. The best talent working effectively together can enable the UK to become a destination of choice for advanced low-carbon manufacturing. He also discussed the stepping stones on our route ahead, including designing consumer goods and hardware for repair or remanufacture, supporting net zero and sustainable supply chains... --- - Published: 2023-05-08 - Modified: 2023-05-08 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/addressing-the-engineering-skills-gap/ - Categories: General Foundation News This week Professor Al-Hashimi, a Trustee and Director of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF), has published a thought-provoking piece for The Engineer, calling for a radical and transformative programme to address the engineer shortage and emerging skills gaps in digital and environmental sustainability. The engineering sector has long been a driver of economic growth and prosperity. Despite this, interest in engineering amongst young people and the wider public appears to have stagnated. The UK's engineering skills shortage is not a new problem, yet despite the efforts of many stakeholders, progress over the last two decades has been slow. The time has come for bold and radical action. As our world faces 21st-century challenges, the need for robust engineering solutions has never been more vital. According to the government's 2021 Green Jobs Taskforce report, an estimated 500,000 new jobs will be required to meet net-zero challenges by 2050 in renewable energy, nuclear, and transportation electrification sectors. This increase in demand exacerbates the long-term historic shortfalls in engineering skills supply. Professor Al-Hashimi proposes a bold, ten-year national-level programme to build the skills, talent, and leadership needed for 21st-century engineering education and expertise. This programme aims to forge a long, connected pipeline from schools and FE colleges to universities and industry. He hopes that by working with employers, professional institutions, skills bodies, charities, and the Royal Academy of Engineering, they can coordinate an approach to upskilling and reskilling the current workforce. The program he proposes will prioritize sustainable and digital engineering, focusing... --- - Published: 2023-03-24 - Modified: 2023-03-24 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/energy-resilience-sme-manufacturers-uk-civitas-report/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation believes it is important to address the concerns and needs of the manufacturing sector as the United Kingdom approaches a new era where energy is not only becoming more expensive but also dependent on an infrastructure over which businesses have little control. This is especially important for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up 99. 5% of the UK's manufacturing businesses, providing over 2. 5 million jobs. The new report by Dr. Jim McConologue and Aaryaman Banerji at Civitas examines the views of SME manufacturers on energy costs, supply, disruptions, and resilience, and proposes ten recommendations for energy-efficient policies. The report underscores the precarious situation that the manufacturing sector in the United Kingdom, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, is facing. With significant challenges related to rising energy costs, supply disruptions, and a lack of resilience measures. The research involved surveys, roundtable discussions, and interviews with SMEs in Liverpool and London. These conversations revealed that energy costs, which currently account for less than 1% of sales, are a significant concern for SMEs. They worry that rising energy costs could consume up to 6-8% of their sales, eroding their bottom line. Importantly, energy security emerged as a more pressing issue than green energy for the participants, with many expressing concerns about potential blackouts. The report highlights that when it comes to energy resilience, the manufacturing sector is not sufficiently prepared for disruptions in the security of supply. Most SMEs either have no contingency measures in place or rely... --- - Published: 2023-01-16 - Modified: 2023-01-16 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/report-making-the-change/ - Categories: Reports and Policy Despite Britain’s ninth place in the world's manufacturing rankings, its share of GDP has decreased drastically over recent decades. With fewer locally produced goods, a growing trade deficit and reliance on imported products. The Centre for Social Justice argues that reversing this trend could be key to unlocking economic growth potential within the UK economy. Manufacturing plays a key role in the economy of many parts of Britain, from the North East to The Midlands. However, its decline has been faster than most other developed countries and this has led to increasingly stark regional divides. Despite these issues manufacturing still provides higher salaries than equivalent sectors with 12% more wage potential - but it seems that few Britons are seeing these opportunities as 62 per cent report reduced local industry around them. British manufacturing is in need of a reboot. The CSJ brought together Make UK, Midlands Engine and East Midlands Chamber and over 60 regional manufacturers to discuss the challenges facing them - from high-cost bases to unfair competition and soaring energy costs. The resulting report acts as a guide for moving British industry back into growth and outlines how we could go about rebooting the government's abandoned Industrial Strategy into a new 'Industrial Strategy 2. 0' with a focus on creating productivity premiums and higher-paid jobs. Andrew Everett, CEO and Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation said that "the ERA Foundation is pleased to have supported this report. We are concerned that manufacturing has declined as a proportion... --- - Published: 2023-01-11 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/david-clark-prize-2023/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA Foundation David Clark Prize recognizes exceptional educators in the United Kingdom who have gone above and beyond in inspiring young people to consider engineering as a profession and career. This prestigious prize is awarded annually to two educators, one working in primary schools and one in secondary schools, colleges or UTCs. Both winners will have gone demonstrably beyond what is required in the teaching syllabus and will have a strong track record of showcasing real-world engineering to students and inspiring them to pursue careers in this field. Nominations are encouraged from individuals who meet the criteria, as well as selected organizations that work with schools and colleges to promote engineering. The awards for the prize winners include a £3,000 personal award, and a further £12,000 for the school to be used over three years to further promote engineering within the school. We intend for the prize winner to play a key role in determining how the funds will be spent. Criteria The criteria for selection include: A vision for technology and design (or other STEM subjects) education that could inspire and lead to a successful career in engineeringThe level of creativity shown in shaping the nominee's work with young peopleThe success the nominee has had in their interaction with young people, both in terms of numbers reached and the difference made in their lives The nominee's contributions should be based on work conducted within the last five years, but sustained contributions over a longer period may also be... --- - Published: 2022-11-30 - Modified: 2022-11-30 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/stem-learning-10-new-enthuse-partnerships/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation has teamed up with STEM Learning to provide 10 new ENTHUSE Partnerships. Each of these partnerships will transform the future prospects of hundreds of young people by providing them with access to resources and opportunities they would not have otherwise had. STEM Learning is a leader in STEM education in the UK. It is known for delivering teacher CPD (continuing professional development) in STEM subjects, bringing STEM role models into schools as part of its STEM Ambassador Programme and providing bespoke, long-term support for groups of schools. The ENTHUSE Partnerships programme has already proven extremely successful in inspiring young people in STEM subjects. The programme allows groups of schools and colleges to work together to address local issues of low uptake or underachievement in STEM subjects through career collaboration with companies. This educator-led model builds capacity and capability across all partners involved, whilst encouraging sustainable change. The Partnerships aim to deepen relationships with local employers, utilise the wider package of support provided by STEM Learning, and increase the number of young people taking up STEM subjects. The ERA Foundation will be donating £200,000 over a three-year period to support the development of skills in electech manufacturing. This will ensure that young people who would otherwise miss out on STEM opportunities on their doorsteps are able to follow a rewarding STEM career pathway. The funding will allow for the teacher CPD and placements to boost confidence in equipping young people with STEM skills, access to free resources, setting up... --- - Published: 2022-10-11 - Modified: 2022-10-11 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-bashir-m-al-hashimi-appointed-vice-president-research-innovation-at-kings-college-london/ - Categories: General Foundation News Professor Bashir M. Al-Hashimi joined the ERA Foundation board in September 2021 and is best known for his work in energy-efficient computing and systems engineering. He has been recognised as an outstanding academic leader and a highly influential figure in the UK HE sector, is Arm Professor of Computer Engineering and he founded the Arm-Southampton research centre. which has been used as an exemplar of industrial collaboration by the EPSRC. He received a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2018 for services to engineering and industry. Bashir's research focuses on understanding interactions between hardware and software in constrained computing systems and how such interactions are used through theory and experiment to achieve systems energy efficiency and enhanced hardware dependability. He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2013 and in April 2020, he was appointed as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences at King’s College London after undertaking a similar Executive Dean role at the University of Southampton, where he was also a member of the University’s Executive Board. He has served as a panel member for both the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 and REF2014. Bashir will bring this wealth of experience, including a 30-year career across academia and industry and recognition as one of the world's most distinguished computer engineers to one of the worlds leading Universities. His new role will see him focusing on developing and implementing King's Research strategy, overseeing new research initiatives at the University, and... --- - Published: 2022-09-21 - Modified: 2022-09-21 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/digital-thinking-the-key-to-a-productive-nation/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation welcomed Phil Smith, former CEO and Chair of Cisco, former Chair of Innovate UK and currently Chair of IQE PLC, the global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor epiwafer products driving connected 5G technologies, to give our annual lecture in May 2022. Phil's lecture 'Digital Thinking - The Key To A Productive Nation' is underscored by his reputation as a distinguished thinker and speaker on the transformational nature of our connected world, sustainability, ambition, inclusion & diversity and the critical need for STEM skills in our future generations. As we move forward towards 2023, we have put together a shorter summary of the lecture which explores the increasingly competitive environment of the expanding global digital economy. --- Improving the UK’s productivity is critical for our global competitiveness, our wealth creation and our standard of living. Yet we languish some 15% or so behind our international competitors. Increasingly digital technology has a part to play in improving productivity but harnessing its benefits in our social and business operating models is not as straightforward as might be assumed.   From a productivity perspective, we find our position hard to rationalise. Surely the UK is highly innovative and productive and yet all of the statistics tend to show otherwise. There is a widespread perception issue with the majority of companies believing they are as productive or more productive than their peers and the reality is that less than half are. However, if we can crack the productivity... --- - Published: 2022-09-08 - Modified: 2022-09-08 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-pays-tribute-to-her-majesty-the-queen/ - Categories: General Foundation News Andrew Everett, Executive Secretary and CEO of the ERA Foundation said: 'All at The ERA Foundation are saddened to hear that Queen Elizabeth has died. She dedicated her whole to public service with dignity and was an example of courage and integrity. We extend our sympathy to the Royal Family at this sad time. ' Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been a champion of engineering throughout her reign. Most notably granting the Royal Academy of Engineering its Royal Charter in 1992, acting as Patron of The Institution of Engineering and Technology, and more recently lending her name to the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering in 2011; awarding its inaugural prize to the inventors of the Internet and World Wide Web. Not only was her Majesty vocal about the role of Engineers in solving global challenges and improving lives in the UK and across the world, but she was personally connected to the field of engineering. She drove a tube train during the launch of the Victoria Line and enlisted in the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a Subaltern during World War II. In her role as Queen, she opened world-leading engineering projects, like the Diamond Light Source synchrotron project, Severn Bridge, and Channel Tunnel. --- - Published: 2022-08-23 - Modified: 2022-08-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-enterprise-fellowships-applications-are-open/ - Categories: General Foundation News The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub have opened their Enterprise Fellowships programme for a new round of applications, including the ERA Foundations Enterprise Fellowship. The Enterprise Hub have been named the 3rd best UK accelerator by Sifted, the scheme supports creative, entrepreneurial engineers and designers or researchers who want to spin out, to propel their business ambitions. Each Fellowship provides up to £75,000 equity-free funding as well as a tailored mentoring and training regime; help with PR, marketing and promotion; and access to The Royal Academy of Engineerings drop-in workspace in central London. The awards are designed to support innovative, creative, entrepreneurial exceptional engineers who want to develop further. The 12-month accelerator programme accepts applications from engineers who have an impactful innovation ready to commercialise at the seed or pre-seed stage. Fellows will receive Up to £75,000 equity-free startup funding grant, Expert business mentoring and coaching, 15 days of business training, Subscription to the Royal Academy of Engineering Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit, Access to our community of Hub Members, Academy Fellows, investors, industry experts and partners, Flexible working space at the Taylor Centre, our physical hub, Hub membership for life.   To date the academy has provided training, mentoring to over 100 SME Leaders, supported more than 140 companies created by Hub Members, and developed 1,400 new jobs by Hub Members startups. Award alumni have gone on to generated more than £660 million worth of additional funding. Applications close on 5 September 2022, 4pm --- - Published: 2022-07-11 - Modified: 2022-07-11 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-dame-helen-atkinson-receives-the-royal-academy-of-engineering-presidents-medal/ - Categories: General Foundation News Professor Dame Helen Atkinson, who joined our the ERA Foundation board last year, has been awarded this years prestigious President's Medal in recognition of her contribution to the Royal Academy of Engineering, and her focus on engineering education and careers outreach. Dame Helen has been a role model and advocate for women in STEM as well as overseeing the Royal Academy of Engineerings This is Engineering campaign. This is Engineering is a digital and social media campaign run designed to inspire more young people from all backgrounds to become engineers. Since the campaign began in 2018 the campaign films have been viewed over 57 million times by a gender balanced audience, and increased consideration of engineering among teenagers by up to 85%. She was the first woman President of the UK Engineering Professors’ Council, has been listed as a Woman of Outstanding Achievement in Science, Engineering and Technology, as one of the “Top 50 Influential Women in Engineering” and as a Women into Science and Engineering campaign Ambassador.   She was made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 for services to engineering and education.   Royal Academy of Engineering President Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE says: “Alongside her career as an internationally renowned researcher in materials engineering, Dame Helen Atkinson has also made highly significant personal contributions to academic leadership and engineering education, outreach and diversity and inclusion. Her input has been critical to the success of the pioneering This is Engineering campaign, resulting in measurable improvements in young... --- - Published: 2022-05-12 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2022-clark-prize-winners-cath-milne-and-rebecca-lofthouse/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA is delighted to announce that years David Clark Prize will go to Cath Milne from Avoch Primary School for Primary Schools and Rebecca Lofthouse from Skipton Girls’ High School for Secondary Schools. The prize recognises those that have gone beyond what is required in the teaching syllabus and have been able to demonstrate a strong track record of showcasing real-world engineering to students while inspiring them. Both Cath and Rebecca have demonstrated an extraordinary vision for engineering and a high level of creativity in shaping their work with young people. Alongside Cath and Rebecca the ERA Foundation also recognised Jacqui Sandbach from Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School as a runner up to the Clark Prize for Secondary Schools for her passion in promoting engineering vocations to girls and young women, and encouraging them to be successful whilst engaging in inspiring STEM activities and events. Jacqui intends to use her award for the purchase of a laser cutter and a 3D printer to support the GCSE Engineering and Design Technology classes. This year we received an excellent set of applications for the Prize. The selection process was particularly challenging as the calibre of entries across the board was extremely high and our panel found all to be genuinely inspirational. We want to thank you who took the time to make an application. It is inspiring to see such dedication and hard work and we hope all candidates will continue their excellent work and consider applying again in the future. The... --- - Published: 2022-05-12 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundations-17th-annual-dinner-and-lecture/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize After a two year hiatus due the pandemic Sir Alan Rudge, Sir Christopher Snowden and the ERA Foundation Board welcomed back over a hundred guests for its annual Dinner and Lecture yesterday, May 17th, at the historic Maxwell Library at the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Although postponing the last two years events was essential, it has been a difficult decision to forgo this annual opportunity to meet face to face, given the immense importance of all our partners, organisations and individuals to the Foundation. This year we were pleased welcome Phil Smith, former CEO and Chair of Cisco, former Chair of Innovate UK and currently Chair of IQE PLC, the global leader in the design and manufacture of advanced semiconductor epiwafer products driving connected 5G technologies, to give our annual lecture. Phil is a distinguished thinker and speaker on the transformational nature of our connected world, sustainability, ambition, inclusion & diversity and the critical need for STEM skills in our future generations. His highly topical talk was entitled 'Digital Thinking - The key to a Productive Nation', and explored the increasingly competitive environment of the expanding global digital economy. This year RAEng ERA Foundation Enterprise Fellowships were awarded to Brendan Digney (Machine Eye), Henry Harrod (Fourier Audio) and Naomi McGregor (Movetru), and the 2022 Royal Commission for the Exhibition 1851 ERA Foundation Industrial Fellowship was awarded to Liam Bussey (BT). Alongside this, David Clark presented this years ERA Foundation Clark Prize to two incredible teachers, Cath Milne and Rebecca Lofthouse, who... --- - Published: 2022-03-22 - Modified: 2022-03-22 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/design-and-technology-association-a-spotlight-on-design-and-technology-study-in-england/ - Categories: General Foundation News The report is the first study to examine trends in the subject in the last decade and shows a worrying drop off in students taking D&T at GCSE level, alongside a decline of students at A level. The research was supported by the ERA Foundation alongside The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), The Design and Technology Association, The James Dyson Foundation and Foster + Partners. The key finding of the reports are - The number of students entering D&T qualifications has declined considerably in recent years: just 22% of GCSE students had at least one D&T entry in 2020, compared to 44% in 2009. In 2009, there were 280,000 total GCSE D&T subject entries – but by 2020 this had fallen to 136,000. Entries at 16-19 study have also declined by 2020 – around 2% of students entered a Design and Technology A level or a level 3 vocational engineering qualification. The report highlights that as more students now opt for vocational engineering qualifications there is a drop-off in D&T uptake, and also found that GCSE students attending free schools and sponsored academies are less likely to enter D&T, while at A level, students in independent schools are most likely to enter the subject. The research found significant local and regional variation in D&T take up. Nearly 40% of pupils took D&T at GCSE in Herefordshire, compared to only 4% of pupils in Middlesbrough. Andrew Everett, CEO and Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation, said that "the ERA Foundation... --- - Published: 2022-03-15 - Modified: 2022-03-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/toilet-cleaning-robot-the-music/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation has always supported a broad range of activities around encouraging STEM learning. However, when 'Kids Invent Stuff' pitched their latest musical we can honestly say it was quite unlike anything we have supported before. The Toilet Cleaning Robot is Kids Invent Stuff first engineering themed musical. The video was inspired by a number of children contributions but especially by 6-year-old Erin who invented & drew the world’s first toilet cleaning robot. Kids Invent Stuff is the YouTube channel where 4-11 year olds have the chance to get their invention ideas built by engineers Ruth & Shawn. The channel is built around giving primary school kids an opportunity to engage with real engineering projects and each month the team issues a different challenge. Most ideas creative inventions are showcased on our channel and each month one idea is built and tested on camera. While the ERA Foundation understand the importance of supporting and engaging with young adults and secondary age students and their careers pathways, the energy and passion Ruth and Shawn have shown in their work engaging younger engineers is just as important at ensuring engineering is seen as a possible career to a broad range of young students. If you know any young Engineers the channel is a must-watch. --- - Published: 2022-03-15 - Modified: 2022-03-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/enterprise-fellowship-brendan-digney/ - Categories: General Foundation News Brendan Digney founded Machine Eye Technology which develops intelligent safety system while completing his final year of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast. The technology is designed to save lives across a range of industries and can be deployed on farms, in quarries and industrial sites. These types of industries have some of the worst fatality and serious injury rates in the UK. Brendans work aims to stop life changing injuries being an unfortunate norm. The company aims to build a safer, more sustainable environment by applying AI technology to stop dangerous incidents occurring. The technology is just one way in which Engineering is moving towards a more autonomous future, and Machine Eye Technology is well placed to help improve future interactions between humans and industrial machines. MachineEye uses computer vision, underpinned by AI algorithms, to accurately sense the environment around the machine, and understand the presence of any risks. Being able to give sight to a machine in this manner increases accuracy, eliminating a lot of the errors and challenges encountered by traditional sensing systems such as radar systems, which struggle with the variability and environmental conditions on farms and industrial sites. It means the system can identify a person, determine if they are at risk, and take appropriate action to warn both the operator and at risk person. The Fellowship was awarded to Brendan by Andrew Everett, CEO and Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation on March 14th at an event held at the Royal Academy... --- - Published: 2022-02-26 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/closed-david-clark-prize-2022/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize We are grateful for an excellent set of applications to this years David Clark Prize. Many thanks to everyone who completed applications in the last few weeks. We are now reviewing these applications and will reach out and contact this years winners ahead of the award ceremony in May. The quality of this years applications are testament to the hard-work and dedication of teachers across the UK who are inspiring their students to become the next generation of Engineers. Each year the ERA Foundation awards two David Clark Prizes. One for teachers working in primary schools and another for teachers in secondary schools, colleges or UTCs. The prize recognises exceptional teachers who have gone the extra mile in inspiring young people to consider engineering as a profession and career, celebrating those that have gone beyond what is required in the syllabus by inspiring students and showcasing real world engineering in the classroom. --- - Published: 2022-01-01 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/david-clark-prize-2022/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Each year the ERA Foundation awards two David Clark Prizes. One for teachers working in primary schools and another for teachers in secondary schools, colleges or UTCs. The prize recognises exceptional teachers who have gone the extra mile in inspiring young people to consider engineering as a profession and career, celebrating those that have gone beyond what is required in the syllabus by inspiring students and showcasing real world engineering in the classroom. Nominations can be made directly to the ERA Foundation or through selected partners who work with schools and colleges to promote engineering. These organisations are asked to nominate appropriate individuals based on their network of contacts within schools. The Awards The winner will receive a £3,000 personal award as well as £5,000 for their school to be used to promote engineering. We hope that the prize winner will help their school or college determine how the funds should be spent. How it works Winners are selected based on - The vision offered for a technology and design (or other STEM subjects) education that could inspire and lead to a successful career in engineeringThe level of creativity shown in shaping their work with young peopleThe success that the teacher has had in their interaction with young people (both in terms of numbers reached and the difference this has made to them) Evidence against the criteria to support the nomination should principally be drawn from work that has been done over the last 5 years although the Foundation will... --- - Published: 2021-12-31 - Modified: 2021-12-31 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/review-of-the-year/ - Categories: General Foundation News Against this backdrop the Foundation has continued its commitment to a portfolio of activities; supporting the UK’s technology manufacturing and promoting engineering to the next generation of engineers. In January 2021 the Foundation supported Brendan Digney through its RAEng Enterprise Fellowship. Brendan runs Machine Eye, which uses AI and Computer Vision based systems to make industrial workplaces safer. In May 2021 the ERA Foundation Enterprise Fellowship was awarded to to Naomi McGregor, developer of Movetru - wearable technology that provides the user with information to correct their alignment and improve mobility between physiotherapy sessions while creating a long-term medical history with a numerical analysis of the user. In November 2021, the ERA Enterprise Fellowship was awarded to Henry Harrod, co-founder & CEO of Fourier Audio Ltd. Fourier Audio works to support sound designers on live productions, enabling them to create amazing new sonic worlds and revolutionise the audience’s listening experience. Liam Bussey was awarded the Industrial Fellow for the 1851 Commission for his work on developing faster, better 5G though new quantum optical techniques. In December we welcomed Anna, Lahari, Craig, Benji and William as our new Arkwright Scholars. The Scholarship will support their combined interests in Mechanical, Robotic, Aerospace, Computer and Biomechanical Engineering. Our policy development partner, Policy Connect, have used their considerable expertise to focus government awareness on the real needs of the manufacturing sector in the current chaotic environment, and were proud to support both its Supporting UK Manufacturing Skills in a post Covid-19 world report and... --- - Published: 2021-10-06 - Modified: 2021-10-06 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-supporting-uk-manufacturing-skills-in-a-post-covid-19-world/ - Categories: General Foundation News The report comes at a critical time for the Engineering industry as Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the world’s perception of manufacturing. Before COVID Engineering was associated with heavy industry, in a time of global crisis the sector has shown its ness city to daily life: from PPE, to vaccines and ventilators. It has never been clearer that a strong economy needs a strong manufacturing sector. The report outlines the importance of government supporting the development of UK manufacturing skills to ensure an adaptable, capable and diverse workforce by: Putting manufacturing at the heart of tackling urgent societal challenges, including Covid-19 recoveryLevelling up through job creation and business growthCreating a route to a net-zero and digitalised society. Co-author Shiza Naveed, Policy Connect, explains that "Covid-19 has presented an opportunity for the sector to reflect on its skills needs going forwards and create an environment where manufacturing professionals reskill and upskill in line with demand. The examples of existing good practice the inquiry found shows that we can do this, but that there is more the government needs to do to support the sector across the board, in order for it to support society’s transition to net zero" The report underscores how Engineering will need to combine inclusivity and diversity to actively draw on the strengths and talents of the whole population and recommends that government needs to drive forward the equality objectives published in July 2021 in order to create a more inclusive, accessible and diverse manufacturing sector actively drawing on... --- - Published: 2021-09-01 - Modified: 2021-09-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/professor-bashir-m-al-hashimi-joins-the-era-board/ - Categories: General Foundation News Professor Dame Helen Atkinson is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at Cranfield University. She was previously at the University of Leicester where she was Head of the Department of Engineering between 2012 and 2016, chaired the £17M project to rebuild the Percy Gee Students' Union and served as Graduate Dean. Helen was the first woman President of the Engineering Professors’ Council (the body which represents Engineering in universities throughout the UK) in its fifty-year history, served as a Vice President and Trustee of the Royal Academy of Engineering and won the Woman of Outstanding Achievement in Science, Engineering and Technology for ‘Leadership and Inspiration to Others’. She was made DBE in the Queens New Year’s Honours 2021 for services to Engineering and Education. Helen also chairs the ‘This is Engineering’ project for the Royal Academy of Engineering, a major campaign that aims to encourage more young people to consider Engineering as a career. Professor Bashir M. Al-Hashimi is best known for his work as energy-efficient computing and systems engineering. He has been recognised as an outstanding academic leader and a highly influential figure in the UK HE sector, is Arm Professor of Computer Engineering and he founded the Arm-Southampton research centre. which has been used as an exemplar of industrial collaboration by the EPSRC. He received a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2018 for services to engineering and industry. Bashir research focuses on understanding interactions between... --- - Published: 2021-07-23 - Modified: 2021-07-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/policy-connect-manufacturing-resilience-report/ - Categories: General Foundation News "Manufacturing Resilience: Driving recovery towards net-zero" recognises the excellent work that has been done by the government’s Made Smarter pilot supporting the sector to go digital and calls for the Made Smarter programme to be expanded to encompass resilience and net-zero, and to be rolled out nationally so as to level up to industry in all regions. The report outlines the real-world benefits that committing to such an approach would have. Allowing companies to match the most efficient operator in their sectors they would - on average - become 24% more profitable, generate 30% more jobs, and report a 9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The ERA believes that alongside the obvious economic benefits these type of efforts crucial in helping to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. Improving energy and resource efficiency can help businesses reduce their exposure to price volatility and insulate themselves against supply-side shocks Andrew Everett, Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation, explained that "as the incoming Executive Secretary of the ERA Foundation I am delighted that our organisation has been a sponsor of this far-reaching report. "The Foundation was particularly pleased to see the report’s recommendations relating to building proactively on the lessons of manufacturing resilience learned through the pandemic crisis as well as the urgent call for action to deal with the skills gap. On the latter, we were also delighted to note the report’s emphasis on the importance of Digital Skills and the government’s continued support of advanced mobile 5G internet infrastructure... --- - Published: 2021-06-30 - Modified: 2021-06-30 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-foundation-welcomes-new-executive-secretary-ceo-andrew-everett/ - Categories: General Foundation News After three years with the Foundation our current Executive Secretary/CEO, Keith Robson, will sadly be leaving us. I want to thank Keith on behalf on the Foundation for doing an outstanding job throughout his time with us. I am delighted to say, that after an extensive search, we have found an excellent successor in Andrew Everett who will be starting his new role with us on 5th July. Innovation and collaboration have been guiding principles for Andrew throughout his career. Andrew spent his first sixteen years in the automotive industry with roles at Ford and Visteon which included Product Engineering, Business Planning, Project Management and Head of the Manufacturing Business Office (MBO) where he was responsible for defining manufacturing strategies for a wide range of vehicle products. In 2007 Andrew joined the Technology Strategy Board as Lead Technologist, Low Carbon Vehicles engaging with senior stakeholders in government and industry to develop programmes of support for R&D. During that time, Andrew became Head of Transport supporting technology development for all transport modes and also developed the business case for the Transport System Catapult after convincing relevant stakeholders that there was significant value to UK industry to consider transport holistically. Andrew is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. He also sits on the UK Automotive Council Technology Group and is a member of the Automotive Electronics Systems Innovation Network (AESIN) Executive Steering Board and the Motorsport Industry Association. He also continues to run his own successful... --- - Published: 2021-05-26 - Modified: 2021-05-26 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/retirement-of-sir-john-oreilly/ - Categories: General Foundation News Sir John O’Reilly joined the ERA Foundation as a Director in July 2008, and has worked as both as a board member and as the Foundation’s Chair. The end of his tenure as a board member this May marks 13 years of service to the Foundation. The Board of the ERA Foundation elected Sir John to be its Chairman when Prof Sir Richard Brook stood down in January 2016. He served as chair between 2016 and 2019. Sir John graduated from Brunel University with first-class honours in Electrical Engineering, later obtaining a PhD from the University of Essex. He began his career at the Royal Radar Establishment, Malvern and has held posts as a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, was Professor of Electronic Engineering and Head of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Systems in the University of Wales, Bangor, was Chair of Telecommunications at University College London, where he served also as Head of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. His extensive industrial, academic and government experience has been invaluable in guiding the Foundation during his time on the Board and included (amongst others) his roles as: Director-General of Knowledge and Innovation at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, responsible for leading the group’s work to stimulate economic growth by making the UK world class at enabling and exploiting knowledge, research and innovation. Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University from December 2006 until January 2012, having previously been Chief Executive of the Engineering and... --- - Published: 2021-04-30 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/in2scienceuk-receives-queens-award-of-enterprise/ - Categories: General Foundation News, Outreach The ERA Foundation is proud to be a supporter of In2Science's excellent programme in providing social mobility opportunities for young people through engagement with the best HE science education courses. In2scienceUK has provided a number of high impact programmes that empowers young people from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds to gain practical insight and opportunities into the STEM sector. The work of In2scienceUK in encouraging a diverse range of people into Engineering is particularly important as young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face significant roadblocks to their progression in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and careers. Rebecca McKelvey, In2scienceUK CEO, explained that the organisation was "hugely proud to win the Queen’s Award that will enable In2scienceUK to further grow this high impact programme and ensure we leave no one behind. I would like to thank all of our supporters and volunteers who are committed to our mission and work with our young people year on year for their support. Together we are making the difference and empowering young people to achieve their potential". In 2020 In2science supported 567 young people in London, The South East, The South West and The East of England. This year they are expanding to the Midlands and the North West and will be supporting over 720 young people across England. --- - Published: 2021-03-05 - Modified: 2021-03-05 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/founding-the-foundation/ - Categories: General Foundation News To celebrate 100 years of the ERA Foundation President Sir Alan Rudge has produced a fascinating record of the founding of the ERA Foundation and its origins in the Electrical Research Association (ERA) and ERA Technology Ltd, an independent Research and Technology organisation.   The memoir provides a brief outline of the emergence of the ERA Foundation from its two forebears based upon my 46 years of association with all three organisations. --- - Published: 2020-12-17 - Modified: 2020-12-17 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-annual-report-2020/ - Categories: General Foundation News - Tags: Reports In spite of these challenges, the ERA Foundation has continued to expand its portfolio of activities, supporting the UK’s technology manufacturing and helping to raise the capability of the next generation of engineers. We are proud of the special efforts that our STEM education partners have made to rapidly shift their programmes to new digital platforms, reaching pupils and teachers working from home and continuing to encourage pupils across the UK towards careers in engineering and applied science.   I would also like to compliment the Foundation’s IT and creative team on the rebranding update for the Foundation and the very appealing new Born to Engineer videos which really catch the spirit of the moment and are proving very successful in engaging the attention of a much wider range of young people.   Our policy development partners, Civitas and Policy Connect, have also been working hard, using their considerable expertise to focus government awareness on the real needs of the manufacturing sector, especially in the current chaotic environment.   The Foundation itself is committed to continue to play its part in these endeavours and we have significantly increased our project budget in light of Covid-19 and Brexit, allocating a minimum of £1. 5m over the next three years to strategic programmes with our partners.   The ERA Foundation will focus on four large-scale, headline programmes, each of which will stretch over two years. These will be in addition to ERAF’s longstanding commitments to various prestigious Awards and Born to Engineer.... --- - Published: 2020-12-15 - Modified: 2020-12-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2020/ - Categories: General Foundation News The highly respected Arkwright Engineering Scholarship are designed to inspire and equip the next generation of UK engineering talent. This year Arkwright is celebrating a record number of female scholars embarking upon its 2020 programme with a total 300 scholarships awarded to bright and aspiring 16-year-old students from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with 45 per cent of these presented to female students and 38 per cent to young people from non-selective state schools As part of a drive to inspire future leaders in engineering The ERA Foundation has directly supported five Engineering Scholarship. The scheme has now entered its 30th year, and the Scholarship now provides young people in the UK with a fully sponsored programme of hands-on experience, professional mentorship and careers guidance. Arkwright Engineering Scholars benefit from financial support, professional mentorship, exclusive networking opportunities and real-world learning experiences with leading engineering firms such as the IET, the RAF, Rolls Royce and Network Rail. The enrichment experiences offer students a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in different engineering specialisms and discover a wide range of exciting career paths, from aerospace to robotics. The ERA Foundation believes that now more than ever fostering Engineering skills in the next generation is critical. The engineering industry has played an essential role in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, from developing PPE for frontline workers to helping construct new hospitals. A diverse pipeline of future engineering talent will pave the way for greater innovation and help sustain the nation’s development and economic... --- - Published: 2020-12-11 - Modified: 2020-12-11 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-5-club-master-class-series/ - Categories: Outreach The 5% Club has staged quarterly best practice events to encourage and inform members with less, little or even no experience of how to run effective formal training programmes. 2021 will see The Club developing focused, more intimate Master Classes to complement their traditional, free online events attended by 80 plus people. The ERA has chosen to support these events as they encourage participants to bring problems and challenges, to exchange solutions and best practice and learn from each other. The new series will have a more detailed focused theme than previous events, with 20-30 members attending in a ‘round table’ format, featuring a high-profile speaker from the skills sector. It is the ERAs hope that the high level of interaction and networking facilitated will allow members larger corporate companies to overcome the isolation and challenges that might be limiting their knowledge base and practice. The Foundation is a strong supporter of SMEs and we the challenges facing them. These challenges often effect those balancing multiple responsibilities who have little or no niche knowledge of skills and apprenticeships. Our hope is the masterclass will allow attendees the opportunity to drill down into much deepen detail and develop strategies for the future. --- - Published: 2020-12-08 - Modified: 2020-12-08 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/thomas-gordon-joins-the-era-board/ - Categories: General Foundation News Tom joined de Zoete and Bevan Stockbrokers in 1983, starting a 36 year career in the financial services industry Following the deregulation of the city during “big bang” Tom was a key driver in developing and transforming the BZW Private Client discretionary business,  Over the years he has successfully managed Multi-Asset Investment Portfolios for UK tax paying, International and UK Not for Profit clients, including managing the single largest client portfolio with the bank  Before retirement, Tom was a Director in the Barclays Private Bank and Investment Division He remains a Chartered FCSI at the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment --- - Published: 2020-12-08 - Modified: 2020-12-08 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-roundtable/ - Categories: Outreach The ERA has now released the second video in our new series of Born to Engineer videos. The latest series explores a new format aimed at building on the success of the first series. Our popular outreach videos aim to look at, and talking about, the realities of modern Engineering careers in order to encourage more students to think about STEM careers when choosing GCSE, A-Level and University courses. In this "Engineering Roundtable," Engineers Mimi Isabella Nwosu, Ebony Allison and Minal Patel answer a range of questions around the realities of modern engineering --- - Published: 2020-11-15 - Modified: 2020-11-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/industrial-fellowship-joe-lawton/ - Categories: Awards Joe was selected for his project on the ‘Remote plasma sputtering of high quality thermochromic thin films for energy conservation’. Joe is an engineering doctorate candidate at the MiNMaT Centre for Doctoral Training, University of Surrey, and is sponsored by and based at PlasmaQuest Ltd. This award will enable Joe to increase the depth and impact of the highly topical energy saving project and help him develop into a high calibre research engineer and STEM ambassador.   What is the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Fellowship The ERA Foundation has worked with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to award an annual ERA Industrial Fellowship several years. The aim of the fellowship is to encourage profitable innovation and creativity within British. The ERA Fellowship supports those working in the electro-technology sector and is awarded to selected, exceptional graduates with the potential to make an outstanding contribution to Industry for a programme of doctoral level research. --- - Published: 2020-10-30 - Modified: 2020-10-30 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-mimi-isabella-nwosu-engineering-myths/ - Categories: Outreach This week the ERA released the first video in a new Born to Engineer series. The new series explores a new format of videos aimed at building on the success of the first series. Our popular outreach videos aim to look at, and talking about, the realities of modern Engineering careers in order to encourage more students to think about STEM careers when chosing GCSE, A-Level and University courses. In 'Engineering Myths' Civil Engineer Mimi Isabella Nwosu asks can engineers fix everything? Do you have to be a genius to become an engineer? Are all engineers boring white guys? Mimi Isabella is a Assistant Materials Engineer at Sir Robert McAlpine where works in the quality department looking at concrete production and quality on the building projects. She completed her degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Portsmouth in 2018 and after taking her placement year she knew that she wanted to work in the varied and challenging field of construction. Mimi-Isabella was nominated as one of the ‘Top 500 most inspiring and influential people in the UK’s construction industry’ at The London Build Expo 2019 and was also awarded the role of a ‘Diversity in Construction ambassador’. --- - Published: 2020-10-14 - Modified: 2020-10-14 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-fellows-awarded-prestigious-iet-fellowships/ - Categories: General Foundation News The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Fellowship celebrates Engineers and technologists who have made an outstanding contribution to the engineering and technology industry. Mrs Virginia Hodge, Royal Society ERA Foundation Entrepreneur in Residence, Director, Heron Associates and IET volunteer received the awar in recognition of her outstanding service to the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Professor Eleanor Stride, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford, and ERA Fellow received the award in recognition of her contribution to biomedical engineering and research into the treatment of major diseases. Speaking about all of the 2020 IET Fellows Professor Danielle George MBE, IET President explained she was “delighted that we are able to mark the outstanding achievements of these talented individuals in our 150th year, with one of the IET’s highest honours, Honorary Fellowship. As distinguished engineers and technologists, they have each excelled in their professions and have made a vast contribution as pioneers of important areas in the engineering and technology industries. They should all be very proud of their achievements – with each award being extremely well-deserved. ” The awards was officially given during Danielle George’s inaugural President’s Address ‘150 years of difference makers’ on 8 October. --- - Published: 2020-10-08 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/national-symposium-on-developing-socially-responsible-stem-professionals/ - Categories: Outreach, Reports and Policy The ERA believes firmly in promoting socially responsible Engineering to the next generation of STEM professionals. To further this goal we are supporting the 'National Symposium on Developing Socially Responsible STEM Professionals' which will bring together experts and stakeholders from academia, industry, charities and government organisations together to debate different aspects of developing the next generation of socially responsible professionals (SRP). The Symposium aims to develop next generation of STEM and STEAM (including Arts) professionals so they are better aware of the impact of their decisions, the role of ethical behaviour and professional activities on the society, environment, resources and people and have working knowledge to use tools that will help them to optimise the impact. The Symposium will start with a series of keynote addresses and then have an open debate on the issues with the audience in the afternoon. A report on the discussions will be published after the symposium. This year the symposium will encourage informed discussion around: Identify the common ground across the STEM professionals on social responsibility and let them share best practice. Develop a skills base for SRP-STEM that future learners can use in their professional decision making, that accounts for evolving social needs. The symposium will cover education and research aspects of developing the professionals and will include active discussions and debate on the following topics: Diversity, unconscious bias and equalityCorporate social responsibilityGlobal sustainable programmesCultural differences and practiceLegislation and regulationBusiness and research ethicsCircular economyLeadership and social valuePrivacy, identity and data protection The event... --- - Published: 2020-09-20 - Modified: 2020-09-20 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/andrew-churchill-joins-the-era-board/ - Categories: General Foundation News Andrew Churchill is the Executive Chairman of JJ Churchill Ltd. , a family-owned aerospace precision-engineering business based in the Midlands. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Industrial, Manufacturing and Infrastructure Business Council, an advisory panel member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Trade and Investment, is a Fellow of the IET and a member of their Manufacturing Policy Panel. For ten years he was on the boards of Make UK (The Manufacturers’ Organisation) and Midlands Group Training Services (a centre of excellence for education, training and development of engineering apprentices), as well as six years as a director with the Design & Technology Association (championing D&T education in schools). Previously, Andrew sat on the Ministerial Advisory Group on Manufacturing and was part of the All-Party Manufacturing Group.   He is a governor at two schools, an enterprise adviser at a third and a district councillor for South Derbyshire. --- - Published: 2020-09-16 - Modified: 2020-09-16 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-celebrate-centenary/ - Categories: General Foundation News This year the Foundation is celebrating that 100 Year History by sharing images from our archive through our Instagram account and by launching a revamped history section on our website that documents the changes the organisation has gone through. The ERA Foundation was founded on the September 27th 1920 under the name “The British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association” and has gone through several changes since then. This month Companies House has issued the foundation its Centenary Certificate in recognition of our 100-year milestone. The certificate looks a little different than our original certificate of incorporation from 1920. For more centenary news please make sure to follow the Foundation on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram. --- - Published: 2020-09-01 - Modified: 2020-09-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/building-back-a-sustainable-manufacturing-sector/ - Categories: Reports and Policy Ben Carpenter Merritt, Head of Industry, Technology & Innovation at Policy Connect, has written about the challenges the upcoming Manufacturing Commission inquiry is set to tackle for the themanufacturer. com. The inquiry will be chaired by Lord Bilimoria and is supported by the ERA Foundation alongside Enginuity and the High-Value Manufacturing Catapult. The inquiry will be looking into what government action to support the Engineering sector can be taken, how it can be rebuilt post-COVID-19, and other key areas relating to sustainability, competitiveness, government support and future technologies. The inquiry will hold evidence sessions around the country, hearing directly from manufacturers about their experiences and what they need to drive the British economy out of recession. Ben's conclusion is, sadly, that "although government acted quickly this spring to support the industry with the Furlough scheme protecting thousands of jobs, many firms now see redundancies looming as the scheme reaches conclusion" and "manufacturing is unlikely to be V shaped (a rapid recovery from a rapid decline), as many economists had hoped". This is supported by recent data that highlighted that while 99% of manufacturers are still openly trading, more than 45% have seen a drop in orders, ranging between 26% and 50%. The ERA believes that it is imperative that the government understands the pressures and the opportunities facing the whole sector as it looks to secure the future of British industry. That is why we believe it is critical to support the next inquiry by the Manufacturing Commission as it... --- - Published: 2020-08-15 - Modified: 2020-08-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/in2science-supporting-social-mobility-and-diversity/ - Categories: Outreach In2science is an award-winning charity which empowers students from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their potential and progress to STEM and research careers through high-quality work placements and careers guidance. As lockdown measures and school closures came into force earlier this year In2scienceUK had to quickly react. Since March the organisation has undergone an effective digital transformation and moved many of its face to face programme online. The programme connected young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with inspiring STEM professionals, cutting edge research and advice and support, all from the safety of their homes. The ERA Foundation, alongside Kusuma and City Bridge Trust, is proud to have supported In2Science. Our funding has allowed the organisation to develop digital materials and onboard additional students. What is clear is that the impact of COVID-19 on the education of young people has not been spread equally. The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on young people from disadvantaged and low-income backgrounds. In the run-up to this summer, In2scienceUK had received a record-breaking 2700 applications from young people seeking advice and support and received more applications from researchers and STEM professionals wanting to make the difference. The young people our partners work with need support now more than ever before and we are enormously proud to continue to work with them to deliver outcomes that transform the lives of talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and support diversity and inclusion across the STEM sector. --- - Published: 2020-07-31 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/clark-prize-school-wins-five-national-awards-in-one-year/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA Foundation recognised Gordon Taylor contributions to STEM learning earlier this year when we awarded him the 2020 Clark Prize. Gordon is a teacher who has used his 25 years of experience to bring engineering to life in his classrooms at Walton Priory Middle School. Since then, Walton Priory Middle School has gone on to celebrate another four additional STEM prizes this year. The majority of these prizes recognise the schools focus on STEM subjects and the school will be spending a large portion of the £19,000 that the awards have brought in on improvements within their design and technology department. This year Walton Priory Middle School has been awarded: First prize in the OVO Energy Young Innovators Challenge. Finalists in the British Science Association's Youth Industrial Strategy Challenge. KS3 Winners of The National Enterprise Challenge. Runners-up in the Longitude Explorer Prize where they were awarded £10,000The ERA Foundation Clark Prize Speaking to Sky News; Gordon explained that "the children at Walton Priory are amazing. They're smart and confident, with the ability to explain clearly to judges all aspects of their highly technical projects. It's an absolute joy to work with such highly-motivated pupils" --- - Published: 2020-06-03 - Modified: 2020-06-03 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/statwars/ - Categories: Outreach The new programme from Primary Engineer will engage primary and secondary children in live projects involving data analysis. The schemes aim is to actively engage children by demonstrating the importance of being able to assemble facts, carry out analysis and visualisation to then inform action or to inform the design and development of new products or processes. We believe that STATWARS will help the development of both practical and cognitive skills in children and young people through engagement with engineering while promoting engineering careers and the development of STEM skills for teachers and practitioners. While this initiative was always important, the current COVID 19 Pandemic has closed schools and many young people are being homeschooled. The need to support high-quality online projects like STATWARS is now critical as they will provide schools, teachers, parents and pupils with the online resources needed to support STEM education. We hope the Foundations support will be instrumental in kick-starting the online campaign and drawing in other like-minded partners who also believe in the importance of supporting STEM initiatives in education. The driving force behind the next generation of data scientists. In the last 15 years, Primary Engineer has developed an engineering curriculum that spans Early Years and Primary education. Their new STATWARS programme will engage with over 7,000 primary and secondary children in live projects involving data analysis, demonstrating the importance of being able to assemble facts, carry out analysis and visualisation to then inform action or to inform the design and development of... --- - Published: 2020-05-25 - Modified: 2020-05-25 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/britains-export-boom-and-how-to-encourage-it/ - Categories: General Foundation News The ERA Foundation welcomes CIVITAS's latest report "Britain’s Export Boom and how to encourage it". The report, written by Marcus Gibson, Head of Gibson Index, explores the reality of Britains post-Brexit economy and argues a whole generation of organisations and individuals have been proved wrong as manufacturing experiences a revival after decades of government neglect and decline. The report is the first comprehensive index of small technology companies in the UK post-Brexit and shows that the 'Brexit Boom' is not only happening but accelerating in the face of immense national and international disruptions in trade and travel paralysing various sectors following the coronavirus outbreak. 'Brexit means Boom, not Doom'. Given the 10 Reasons listed in chapter 3, we believe the UK’s growing trade with non-EU countries will continue. Furthermore, the rise in exports is likely to accelerate at such a speed that it could make the UK the fifth largest exporter nation by 2024, up from its current 10th position. Gibson charts this export revival to changes before the Brexit vote when tens of thousands of Britain's smaller companies (SMEs) abandoned efforts to expand sales within the EU and moved their marketing firepower to countries beyond Europe. Gibson argues convincingly that the strongest evidence behind the growing strength of the post-Brexit economy is the rise in the UK's export volumes pioneered by the UK's SMEs. The report suggests a number of low-cost programmes the government could implement to promote an increase in UK exports: The creation of a Knowledge Commercial... --- - Published: 2020-05-04 - Modified: 2020-05-04 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/wise-launch-1-in-a-million-campaign/ - Categories: General Foundation News For the first time ever there are more than 1 million women working in STEM roles across the UK. WISE is celebrating this significant milestone by inspiring more women to become 1-of-the-million. The new campaign asks women in STEM to put their face to the million by allowing them to upload a photo via wisecampaign. org. uk and learn more about some of the inspiring women already making a difference in their fields. The campaign is a celebration of the fact that women now make up 24% of the core STEM workforce in the UK. While there is still work to do the milestone is significant. The number of women in Engineering has almost doubled from just over 25,000 to over 50,000 and there has been a total increase of 350,00 women in core STEM in the last ten years. You can upload your photo and story now on the WISE website and join the celebrations on Wednesday, June 10th when WISE will be holding a #1ofTheMillion day. In the meantime, we encourage your spread word of the campaign and share the campaign materials to encourage others to join. --- - Published: 2020-05-02 - Modified: 2020-05-02 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/covid-19-and-supply-chains/ - Categories: General Foundation News The Royal Academy of Engineering is aiming to better understand where engineers can best support the national response to COIVD-19. The exercise is in edition to work which the Academy, alongside its Policy Centre partners is currently conducting to support the response to Coronavirus in the UK. Specifically, the Academy is exploring how to better generate strong government interest is supply chains. The rapid information-gathering exercise across the sector is designed to anticipate potential blockages and limiting factors over the next six months. The organisation hope this will highlight displacement effects created by the repurposing of production lines to manufacture COVID-19 related products and shortages caused by the reduced operation of factories alongside other economic factors like issues with services and skills. The ERA is supporting the Acamdies call alongside its other Policy Centre partners. You can submit your response at raeng. org. uk/policy/engineering-response-covid-19-coronavirus. The survey is open until May 6th. --- - Published: 2020-04-28 - Modified: 2020-04-28 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/working-with-stem-partners-through-the-coronavirus-lockdown/ - Categories: Outreach Partnership has always been at the heart of the way we have worked to achieve our aims. As the world has adapted to remote delivery we have continued to support our partners to deliver resources to those who need them. Existing Projects - The Bristol STEM Accord Pilot: Initial results of the Bristol STEM Accord pilot have been excellent. However, the programme was heavily based on providing “hands-on” support to local schools. To keep their staff and students safe STEM Accord has temporarily furloughed its Bristol Pilot Project Manager but will keep in touch with potential industry supporters and use the coming weeks to complete its initial analysis report. We believe this will place us in the best position to restart the pilot once schools return. The Smallpeice Trust While projects may be delayed to next year the Arkwright Awards are going ahead using remote assessment of candidates. Design and Technology Association The Foundation has sponsored a series of short videos for this year to enthuse young people to take up Engineering Design and work is progressing on this remotely. The Foundation is now working with DATA on their exciting Blueprint1000 initiative with a view to supporting them over the next two years. STEM Learning The Foundation is discussing with STEM learning the potential to work together in a two-year pilot programme that could strengthen support from the government for more support for FE STEM education, something that would be welcomed by the industry. New Projects - In2scienceUK In2science is... --- - Published: 2020-03-26 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2020-clark-prize-winner-gordon-taylor-gavin-sharp/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize The ERA is delighted to announce that years David Clark Prize will go to both Gordon Taylor from Walton Priory Middle School and Gavin Sharp from St Bede’s Primary School. The prize recognises those that have gone beyond what is required in the teaching syllabus and have been able to demonstrate a strong track record of showcasing real-world engineering to students while inspiring them. While the prize has always been open to those working in primary schools, secondary schools or colleges, this year the board decided to award the prize to both a primary and secondary school teacher. Both Gordon and Gavin demonstrated an extraordinary vision for engineering and a high level of creativity in shaping their work with young people. Gordon Taylor Gordon has brought engineering to life in his classrooms at Walton Priory Middle School. Gordons' 25 years of experience in secondary education follows on his career as an industrial engineer. His passion and creativity have ensured that young people have been exposed to the very best engineering experiences and his field-trips have seen his pupils visit everywhere from factories, foundries, farms, production lines, logistics depots to Universities. He has enthused pupils through competitions and challenges. With pupils achieving success in the Shell Bright Ideas Challenge, BP Ultimate STEM Challenge, OVO Energy Innovators Challenge, Youth Industrai Strategy Competition, Rotary Technology Tournament, Airbus Faraday Challenge and the Perkins Engines Tennis Ball Challenge. Gavin Sharp Gavin is the driving force behind an engineering revolution taking place at St. Bede’s Catholic... --- - Published: 2020-03-26 - Modified: 2020-03-26 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2020-royal-society-entrepreneur-in-residence/ - Categories: Awards The ERA Foundation is pleased to announce that Virginia Hodge CEng FIET will be the Royal Society ERA Foundation Entrepreneur in Residence. The two-year secondment, which starts on 26th March, aims to increase the knowledge and awareness in UK universities of cutting edge industrial science, research and innovation. Virginia is a former Vice-President of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Director at Heron Associates, a consultancy providing mentoring and systems engineering expertise to customers in the Air Traffic Management and Defence industries. Her background in the field of systems engineering and computer science, and over 30 years of technical, strategic and managerial experience in sectors including aviation and defence, made her an excellent candidate for the award. Alongside this Virginia also has held a number of senior volunteer and trustee roles with professional bodies in the Engineering and Enterprise sectors, has experience and qualifications in coaching and, mentorship and has been an active champion of diversity promoting entrepreneurialism as an option for all students and staff regardless of their background. Virginia will begin the Entrepreneur-in-Residence secondment at the end of March 2020, at University of Southampton. Virginia will be embedded in the University’s School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) while serving as a Resident Mentor at the on-campus Future Worlds startup accelerator. Professor Paul Lewin, Head of ECS, said "we are delighted that Virginia has been appointed as Royal Society ERA Foundation Entrepreneur in Residence. She will provide commercial expertise that will enhance our education and research... --- - Published: 2020-03-19 - Modified: 2020-03-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/statement-on-covid-19-era-foundation-lunch-and-lecture/ - Categories: General Foundation News Although it was essential to do so, it was still a very difficult decision to forgo this annual opportunity to meet face to face, given the immense importance of all our partners, organisations and individuals to the Foundation. We are pleased to say that Phil Smith has already agreed to deliver his planned lecture when we all convene again in May 2021 The past year has been a very positive one for the ERA Foundation. In addition to continuing to work closely with colleagues from the Royal Academy of Engineering, The Royal Society and the Royal Commission of the Exhibition of 1851, we have been delighted with the progress of the STEM Accord Initiative which we launched together with our fantastic STEM skills delivery partners in coordination with EngineeringUK. We hope that STEM Accord will continue to grow, providing place-based support for existing national skills initiatives to fit local and regional industrial strategies. We were also very pleased to have been one of the main sponsors of Policy Connect and the Manufacturing Commission’s “Level Up Industry report, which emphasises the importance to the national economy of responding the specific opportunities and challenges in manufacturing and skills on a regional basis. May I close by wishing you good health and looking forward to seeing you in May next year. --- - Published: 2020-03-12 - Modified: 2020-03-12 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-changing-face-of-the-era-foundation/ - Categories: General Foundation News To mark its centennial year the ERA has refreshed its' branding. Alongside a new, modernised logo, we have relaunched our website. Making it easier to find out about the work the foundation does and dive into a 100-year history that has put the foundation at the forefront of promoting and supporting British Engineering. To celebrate we have dug into our archives to look at how the face of the ERA has changed since it was founded in 1920. The British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association The first known logo of the ERA dates back to the associations' formation in 1920. This logo marks the initial period of the foundation's history where it was known as the “The British Electrical and Allied Industries Research Association”. Below - the logo can be seen on the front of the Associations Perivale, Middlesex Auxiliary laboratory. As the association grew it required more space for its work. This laboratory was built in 1936 and was opened by the Duke of York. Its purpose was to supplement the research services that the Electrical Research Association provided from its headquarters with government support in the interests of the electrical industry and the community. However, while the Association was often referred to as the “The Electrical Research Association” (ERA) from the mid 1920s onwards. No record of its name being formally changed exists until 1940. The updated logo below reflects this change. The logo above was used by the association throughout the 1940s until at least 1969.... --- - Published: 2019-12-24 - Modified: 2019-12-24 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2019/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Arkwright Scholarships The Arkwright Engineering Scholarships are the most prestigious scholarship of their type in the country. Each scholarship is designed to inspire and nurture school-age students to be the country’s future leaders of the Engineering Profession. This year a total of 415 scholars received financial and mentoring support through their A-Levels and Scottish Advanced Higher qualifications, as part of a drive to inspire future leaders in engineering with The ERA Foundation directly supporting five Engineering Scholarship. Every scholarship is awarded to high-calibre 16-year-old students through a rigorous selection process and support students through the two years of their A levels, Scottish Advanced Highers or equivalent qualifications with winners are following a two-hour aptitude exam and a university-based interview. The ERA Foundations scholarships this year were awarded to Matthew Francis from Amersham, Constance Jordan from Guildford, Devin Karia from Barnet, MridhulaSridevi Prabhakar from Reading and AlexVeal from Cheltenham Since its inception, more than 5,700 young people have passed through the scholarship programme, including award-winning BBC presenter Steph McGovern, who forged a careerat Black & Decker before moving into business journalism. This year more than 1,370 students aged between 15 and 16 years old applied, following nominations from their schools. Scholarships were awarded to 126 female students, representing 30. 4% of all 2019 Arkwright scholars. ERA Executive Secretary Keith Robson said "the ERA Foundation is thrilled to again sponsor of the Arkwright Awards. We are very proud of our Arkwright Scholars this year. Each has demonstrated incredible commitment, energy, and innovation in their... --- - Published: 2019-12-15 - Modified: 2019-12-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-new-careeers-resources-launched/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Born To Engineer Born to Engineer has grown since the ERA launched its first Born to Engineer film in 2016. The Born to Engineer campaign has grown to reach a broader audience and now forms a central part of the Foundations outreach strategy. We have supported the growth of the Born to Engineer website alongside the development of our film series and have now launched a new set of resources aimed specifically at helping the next generation of Engineers navigate the often confusing career pathways into Engineering. Our intention is that Born to Engineer becomes a resource for both students, parents and teachers when looking at careers in Engineering. Alongside web resources, we have launched three new career ebooks aimed at GCSE aged students. University, Vocational Or Apprenticeship There’s arguably never been a better time be an engineer but there’s no one route into engineering. The question you should ask yourself is which Engineering Path Is Right For Me? The Different Types Of Engineering (And Their Career Paths) Explained Being an engineer doesn’t just encompass one job. In fact, engineering is a large family of careers How To Find The Right Engineering Pathway For You The different pathways into engineering are various – and each pathway is a valuable learning experience in its own way. Our belief is that by making this information available in one place students will be able to better understand the pathways they can take and plan for a future career in Engineering. --- - Published: 2019-11-15 - Modified: 2019-11-15 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/industrial-fellowship-shaun-smart/ - Categories: Awards - Tags: Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Shaun has worked at TWI, Cambridge for the last 10 years, before which he worked as a soldier and tradesman in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers of the British Army. He completed a BEng (Hons) while working at TWI. Shaun explains the award means he "can continue working while undertaking this research" and "the Industrial Fellowship is a great fit for and for his research in particular. Shaun's work centres around determining the boundary conditions of weld metal hydrogen cracking. Weld metal hydrogen cracking occurs when decomposed hydrogen created during welding produces hydrogen ions. These ions are absorbed into the molten weld pool and remain there during solidification. These diffusible hydrogen ions then interact with microstructural features, such as dislocations, grain boundaries and vacancies, resulting in high localised stresses and ultimately cracking of the weld metal if certain conditions are present While work has been done to understand certain types of hydrogen cracking, for example, Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) hydrogen cracking, there is little published data defining when weld metal hydrogen cracking becomes the dominant mechanism. Shaun will expand on knowledge of weld metal hydrogen cracking as a failure mechanism separate to HAZ hydrogen cracking and move towards defining control measures specific to its avoidance. What is the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Fellowship The ERA Foundation has worked with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to award an annual ERA Industrial Fellowship several years. The aim of the fellowship is to encourage profitable innovation... --- - Published: 2019-11-13 - Modified: 2019-11-13 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/eraf-supports-wise-awards-2019/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: WISE Awards Keith Robson, Executive Secretary of the Foundation, said “We were delighted to support this inspirational event, celebrating women in all aspects of science and engineering. There was a noticeable sense of momentum for change for the good in the air and the passion and commitment of all the speakers were palpable, reflected strongly by all those present”. WISE, the campaign for greater gender balance in STEM, says women are shaping our future with their technological, scientific and engineering discoveries and inventions. However, the organisation highlights that more needs to be done to ensure that more women do not miss out on these opportunities. Helen Wollaston, chief executive of WISE, says: “In 2020, we should not see situations where there is only one girl in a computer science class, or only one woman developer in a team, on a construction site, on an expert panel, or around the boardroom table. “Being a woman in science, tech and engineering, shouldn’t be the story; the story should be about the amazing science, tech, and engineering they do. Our finalists and winners demonstrate this; they are shaping the future, they are working on the science, technology and engineering that are changing the world. “We need to continue to work together to build inclusive workplace cultures that support diversity and give more women opportunities to shape our future. ” The annual WISE Awards recognise organisations and individuals who are actively working to promote STEM to girls and women as career options. Award finalists and winners... --- - Published: 2019-11-12 - Modified: 2019-11-12 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/supporting-made-here-now/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Made Here Now The ERA Foundation is joining 16 new sponsor organisations this year to support the fourth phase of the campaign. The ERA believes the work that Made Here Now is doing around recruitment efforts of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies is critical to the Engineering sector across the UK. The campaign was launched in 2014 and to date it has received backing from over 70 sponsors. This year sponsors also include 10 manufacturers - JCB, Goodwin, Tata Steel, William Cook, Renishaw, Croft Filters, James Cropper , Plessey Semiconductors, James Walker, Brompton Bicycle, Peratech;Comino Foundation; one financial services group - Walter Scott; one government/industry research organisation - High Value Manufacturing Catapult; one research and technology consultancy - The Technology Partnership; and one university - City University School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering. The primary target of the campaign is young people. The campaign should influence their future choices by showing them the excellent career opportunities that British manufacturing can offer and why it is a great sector in which to work in. --- - Published: 2019-11-01 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/philip-worsley-clark-prize-winner/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Philip was a tremendous teacher who provided inspiration to so many young people. The Foundation was proud to support his work and recognise his loss will be felt not only by his family and friends but by the students he inspired. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time and we hope that the esteem in which Philip was held by so many people will be of some comfort. --- - Published: 2019-08-22 - Modified: 2019-08-22 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/sad-news-dr-angelo-grubisic/ - Categories: Outreach Angelo, who was at the centre of one of our Born to Engineer films, had worked for NASA and the European Space Agency before becoming a lecturer of astronautics at the University of Southampton, where he was involved in work to develop safer and better-performing wingsuits. While Angelos professional focus was on engineering faster and safer wingsuits his legacy will go beyond this. He inspired students to consider careers in science and engineering. Angelo made many pioneering contributions to the University’s research into astronautics and was incredibly popular with his students and colleagues. Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this terrible time. --- - Published: 2019-06-01 - Modified: 2019-06-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/retirement-of-dr-tom-rowbothan/ - Categories: General Foundation News - Tags: Board Dr Rowbotham has been in the global communications sector for over 40 years and spent much of his career in BT, where he became their Director managing BT Laboratories. In 2000 he moved into venture capitalism, helping manage funds on behalf of St Paul Venture Capital and Vesbridge Partners. His focus is early stage technology and he has been involved in investing in many start-up companies in UK and USA, often serving on their Boards. He qualified in Microwave Physics from Belfast, Surrey and Nottingham Universities, and has been a visiting Professor at Nottingham and Kings College London Universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the IEEE, and a Fellow of the IET. He received the Frederik Philips Award from the IEEE for his management of R&D. Dr Rowbotham's first 9-year tenure on the Board was from 2002 to 2011. Dr Rowbotham returned to the Board to help with commercial ventures in 2013. His insights have been invaluable at guiding the foundation's strategy for over 15 years. Sir Christopher Snowden, Chair if the ERA Foundation Board said “Tom has provided immense support to the ERA Foundation Board, particularly in recent years where his commercial venture expertise was instrumental in helping to shape ERAF’s start up investment strategy. We are very grateful for the help he has given us” --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2019-05-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/royal-commission-for-the-exhibition-of-1851-adam-mckenzie/ - Categories: Awards - Tags: Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 The ERA Foundation has worked with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to award an annual ERA Industrial Fellowship several years. The aim of the fellowship is to encourage profitable innovation and creativity within British. The ERA Fellowship supports those working in the electro-technology sector and is awarded to selected, exceptional graduates with the potential to make an outstanding contribution to Industry for a programme of doctoral level research. We hope that the basis of Adam’s work with metal-organic chemical vapour deposition techniques will have applications in photonic devices, silicon photonics, and non-linear optics. --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2019-05-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2019-royal-society-era-foundation-short-industry-fellowship-dr-christopher-donaghy-spargo/ - Categories: Awards - Tags: Royal Society ERA Foundation Short Industry Fellowship The Foundation has long supported the Royal Society’s programme for short industry fellowships. These fellowships promote collaboration between academia and early-stage companies, something we feel should be particularly encouraged. The personal and corporate links established by the researcher between the two sectors in the UK will seed longer-term collaborations and contribute to their long-term future development. Dr Donaghy-Spargo’s work has potential benefits for the sustainability of supply of materials and reduction of environmental impact, as well as providing innovative new products for the partner company, Black and Decker. --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2019-05-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/mike-carr-joins-the-era-board/ - Categories: General Foundation News - Tags: Board Mike Carr is Chairman of Astigan Ltd, a start-up based in Somerset, President of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) and a member of the Enterprise Hub Board at the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is currently a Non-Executive Director for both Ordnance Survey Ltd and Ploughshare Innovations Ltd. Mike previously worked as the former Chief Science Officer for BT where he was responsible for the company’s world-leading research and commercial exploitation unit, including patent licensing and corporate venturing activities. He has several patents to his name in the field of video compression and is the holder of two prestigious BT awards; the Martlesham Medal for R&D and the BT Gold medal for leading multimedia product developments. From 1999 Mike was based in Silicon Valley, California, USA where he established BT’s US Technology office and Corporate Venturing activity. He returned to the UK in 2001 to lead BT’s Research & Venturing division. More recently he has been a Council Member of the EPSRC and a Board Member of Innovate UK. He received an OBE for “services to innovation” in 2017. --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2019-05-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/dr-paul-golby-joins-the-era-board/ - Categories: General Foundation News - Tags: Board Dr Golby trained and gained a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering. He held a series ofmanagement positions with Dunlop and BTR before becoming an Executive Director ofClayhithe plc in 1992. He joined E. ON UK plc (formally PowerGen) in 2001 where he heldthe position of Chairman and Chief Executive until his retirement in December 2011. A Chartered Engineer, he is a fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, theInstitution of Mechanical Engineers, the Energy Institute and City of Guilds. He was awardedan honorary degree from Aston University in 2007 and Cranfield University in 2008. He wasalso made CBE by HM the Queen in 2011. He is chairman of the National Air Traffic Service, Chairman of Costain Group plc, a Non-Executive Director of National Grid plc and a member of the Prime Ministers Council forScience and Technology. He is a past Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council andEngineering UK. --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2019-05-23 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-welcomes-new-chair-of-the-board-professor-sir-christopher-snowden/ - Categories: General Foundation News - Tags: Board Sir Christopher has been a director of the ERA Foundation board since 1st November 2010. He is also President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK and a distinguished engineer with wide experience of the international microwave and semiconductor industry. He was Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chaired the Academy’s Engineering Policy Group from 2008-2013 and President of the Institute of Engineering and Technology for 2009-10. Sir Christopher is a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Science and Technology. He is a member of the governing body of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board and was a member of the Council of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for six years. He is vice-president of Universities UK and Chaired the UUK Employability, Business and Industry Policy Committee for 5 years. He is a member of the Council for Industry and Higher Education and the Defence Scientific Advisory Council. He was Chair of Higher Education Research Opportunities (HERO) Ltd from 2006-8. He is a Patron of Surrey Youth Focus. He was the Chair of the Daphne Jackson Trust from 2005-9. He was a Governor of the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust. He has been a Non-Executive of several technology companies and advises several others. He has previously held the posts of Chief Executive Officer at Filtronic plc; Head of School and personal Chair of Microwave Engineering in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Leeds; Senior Staff Scientist at... --- - Published: 2019-05-23 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2019-clark-prize-haydn-hutchings/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Haydn Hutchings was one of three teachers shortlisted this year. Runners-up for the 2019 prize were James Jenner from Northgate High School Ipswich and Andrew Millicheap Deputy Head Teacher and Head of Sixth Form at Droitwich Spa High & Sixth Form College were runners-up. The foundation wishes to extend our congratulations to all three for their achievements and continued commitment to STEM teaching. Haydn is an outstanding practitioner and a real ambassador for Engineering at Merchant Taylors’ School. Just some elements of his success are the: The consistently high number of Arkwright Engineering Scholars that the school has Number of Design & Technology students who go on to study engineering at university; The success of his students at national and international competitions, Incredible standing and position of the Design & Technology department within the school and the curriculum at Merchant Taylors. The Foundation was also very impressed with the links he has formed with other schools who are encouraged to come to Merchant Taylors’ to use their outstanding facilities. We congratulate Haydn on his vision and approach to promoting engineering in an engaging manner and look forward to his future success as well as the impact he has on the next generation of young Engineers. --- - Published: 2019-05-14 - Modified: 2019-05-14 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/stem-accord/ - Categories: Outreach The STEM Accord initiative – Putting Knowledge to Work The STEM Accord has been created as a partnership between, WISE, STEM Foundation, Smallpeice Trust and the Design and Technology Association (DATA) to promote a wide STEM skills agenda. All of the partners have effective and high impact STEM programs. STEM Accord will provide the basis to coordinate activities to generate even greater impact for the benefit of the UK economy. The aim of STEM Accord is to create a small number of local pilot projects which will: Support teachers and parents in inspiring future generations of engineers Build on the government’s industrial strategy Bring a focus to regional & industry stem clusters Increase stem impact in disadvantaged areas STEM Accord is aligned with a growing sentiment for more cohesive action on the STEM challenge for the UK, reinforced by the updated Perkins Review and by initiatives such as the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) creation of the Engineering Policy Committee alongside the national work of Engineering UK (EUK). This will be the first multi-organization initiative to deliver STEM in line with the recommendations of the Perkins report, and the impetus already created by EUK and the RAE. Sir Christopher Snowden, ERA Foundation Chair, said: “ The ERA Foundation is very proud indeed to be playing its part with such high-quality partners in the creation of this coordinated initiative to open the door for many more young people into the high potential world of STEM careers”. STEM Accord – Reach Through... --- - Published: 2019-05-10 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/wise-annual-conference-2019/ - Categories: Outreach, Talks WISE’ success in helping women currently in the workforce to develop their skills and careers as well as attracting more young women into the STEM professions aligns closely with the Foundation’s priorities. The UK is in desperate need of more engineers and the work of WISE is helping tap into a vast pool of talented, innovative young women who may never have previously considered a career in that profession. Find out more about the conference at wisecampaign. org. uk Working in Partnership – Born to Engineer The Foundation has built its reputation on working in close partnership with a number of leading organisations. Major institutional partners include the Royal Society, The Royal Academy of Engineering, The Royal Commission of 1851, Engineering UK and the IET. Our STEM and Design skills delivery partners include WISE, STEM Learning, Smallpeice Trust and the Design and Technology Association (DATA). As an independent foundation with a highly experienced and commercially minded board, we can move quickly to help catalyse new and innovative areas of activity with which other partners can then engage and help place on a long term, sustainable footing. Our “Born to Engineer” campaign is aimed to create a high-quality cohort of leading engineering sixth formers and undergraduates to be the face of a national campaign to encourage more young people, and particularly girls, into engineering. Editors Notes. The ERA Foundation is grant-giving organisation which contributes to the economic vitality of the UK by supporting engineering skills development and by helping bridge the... --- - Published: 2019-05-10 - Modified: 2019-05-10 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-richard-browning-gravity-industries/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Born To Engineer Richard Browning grew up making model aeroplanes with his aeronautical engineer father. Inspired, he now is taking flight engineering and technology to the next level. Using the inherent capabilities of the human brain as a flight control computer, he’s designed and built the world’s most advanced body-controlled flight suit. ‘Born to Engineer – Richard Browning ’ is the latest film in a series produced for the ERA Foundation. --- - Published: 2019-05-03 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2385/ - Categories: Outreach, Talks - Tags: Clark Prize, Luncheon and Lecture Over a hundred guests attended the lunch. Dr Paul Golby, chairman of the National Air Traffic Service and chairman of Costain Group, delivered this year’s lecture on ‘Smart Infrastructure’. Speaking about the opportunities smarter infrastructure offers everything from complex manufacturing operations to national infrastructure projects. During the lunch, the ERA Foundation awarded the fourth annual Clark Prize prize and Fellowship to Haydn Hutchings (below center), Head of Design & Technology at Merchant Taylors’ School Northwood. James Jenner (right) from Northgate High School Ipswich and Andrew Millicheap (left) Deputy Head Teacher and Head of Sixth Form at Droitwich Spa High & Sixth Form College were runners-up. The foundation awarded Haydn this year’s Clarks prize to recognise him as an outstanding practitioner and a real ambassador for Engineering at Merchant Taylors’ School. Haydn has developed a consistently high number of Arkwright Engineering Scholars and number of Design & Technology students who go on to study engineering at university. We were also very impressed with the links he has formed with other schools who are encouraged to come to Merchant Taylors’ to use their outstanding facilities. In addition, the ERA awarded three other fellowships Royal Society ERA Foundation Short Industry Fellowship – to Dr Christopher Donaghy-Spargo of the University of Durham for his work on the use of ‘rare earth metal’ based permanent magnets for higher power density and efficiency brushless motors. Dr Donaghy-Spargo’s work has potential benefits for the sustainability of supply of materials and reduction of environmental impact, as well as... --- - Published: 2019-01-30 - Modified: 2019-01-30 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/era-enthuse-partnership-stem-learning/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: ENTHUSE Partnership|STEM|STEM Learning This January the ERA announced an additional £50,000 for STEM Learning to expand its ENTHUSE Partnerships in West Sussex, London, Liverpool and Derbyshire. The funding will allow for the development of four new ENTHUSE Partnerships and create new teaching resources for our Born to Engineer series. Sir John O’Reilly, Chair of the ERA Foundation, said: “A crucial part of the ERA Foundation’s long-term strategy is to forge even closer collaboration with our key partners to actively encourage more young people, and particularly young women, to take up engineering as a career. I am delighted that we have been able to work with STEM learning to support the development of four new Enthuse Partnerships, which have an excellent track record in reaching large numbers of high-potential students. ” The Foundation believes the ENTHUSE Partnership programme will improve the lives of more than 16,000 young people in total. Increasing their STEM knowledge, skills, confidence and career aspirations. The scheme should both help encourage more women into engineering and broaden the pool of skilled STEM students needed for the UK's advanced manufacturing sector. What is the ENTHUSE Partnerships? The two-year ENTHUSE Partnerships programme aims to bring together groups of up to 8 schools to improve quality of STEM teaching, create STEM Clubs, connect teachers and students with work experience opportunities and use STEM Ambassadors to bring real-life engineering contexts into schools. The Foundation’s latest investment follows our £15,000 support of a successful ENTHUSE Partnership in Coventry. This 2018 pilot scheme focused on increasing... --- - Published: 2018-12-13 - Modified: 2018-12-13 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/arkwright-engineering-scholarship-2018/ - Categories: Awards - Tags: Arkwright Scholarships The ERA Foundation is a proud supporter of the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. The award aims to identify, inspire and nurture future leaders in engineering and recognises talented 16-17-year-olds from all educational backgrounds. Winners are chosen following a two-hour aptitude exam and a university-based interview. This year saw 393 students - including a record-equaling 113 girls - achieved the award. Over 150 organisations supported the programme with The ERA Foundation directly supporting five Engineering Scholarship. ERA Executive Secretary Keith Robson presents the 2018 ERA Foundations Arkwright Engineering Scholarship to Morgan Manly, Emmanuela Onah, and Yusuf Salim at a aerospace-themed ceremony at the Institute of Engineering and Technology in London. Arkwright Trustee, Ian Jess awards Angus Jermyn the 2018 ERA Foundations Arkwright Engineering Scholarship at Edinburgh's International Conference Centre. ERA Executive Secretary Keith Robson said "the ERA Foundation is pleased to sponsor of the Arkwright Awards and very proud of our Arkwright Scholars this year who have all demonstrated incredible energy, innovation and commitment to pursuing a career in engineering. They represent a marvellous example to other aspiring young people who may also be interested in working in this very rewarding field. " --- - Published: 2018-07-30 - Modified: 2018-07-30 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/born-to-engineer-orla-murphy-jaguar-land-rover/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Born To Engineer As an engineer with Jaguar Land Rover, she's working on ways to ensure that the software that drives every function of modern vehicles can be downloaded remotely wherever they are in the world. Orla Murphy studied Electronic and Music Engineering at the University of Glasgow. She was the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s winner of the 2015 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award. ‘Born to Engineer – Orla Murphy ’ is the latest film in a series produced for the ERA Foundation. ‘Born to Engineer – Orla Murphy’ is part of the "Born to Engineer" series of films produced for the ERA Foundation by Duck Rabbit as part of a campaign to attract young people into engineering education and careers. These videos have been produced by creative video producers duckrabbit, under the sponsorship of the ERA Foundation, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology. --- - Published: 2018-05-20 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/the-era-foundation-luncheon-and-lecture-2018/ - Categories: Outreach, Talks - Tags: Clark Prize, Luncheon and Lecture Over a hundred guests attended the lunch and Warren East, CEO of Rolls-Royce, spoke about the challenges facing complex manufacturing operations and the opportunities provided by digital transformation. During the lunch, the ERA Foundation awarded the third annual Clark Prize prize and Fellowship to Jamie Costello, Sutton Grammar School. Neal Hammersley, Kingsway School, Cheadle and Tracy O’Connor, Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham were runners-up. Sutton Grammar School is to the south of Greater London and over the last 20 years, Jamie has worked to teach and promote STEM subjects. Through his championing of enrichment activities, his students have created high altitude balloons, satellite-tracked ocean drifters, remote space weather stations, solid-state particle detectors and remotely operated underwater vehicles. Last year 25% of Jamie's Sutton Grammar school leavers went on to study engineering degrees. His exceptional engineering provision has also helped Sutton Grammar produce some of the country’s best young engineers. In addition, the ERA awarded three other fellowships Royal Society ERA Translation Award - to Jonathan Rossiter from University of Bristol for his work on “Ultra-high strain electro-actuators and artificial muscles”. Royal Academy of Engineering ERA Enterprise Fellowship – To Jack Pearson, CEO of EngX and who is developing a tool for automating complex manufacturing, and which sprung out of a research project at the University of Bristol Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 ERA Industrial Fellowship – To Ben Janes for his project "Development of a practical method for manufacturing enhanced heat transfer surfaces on commercial heat exchangers. " --- - Published: 2018-05-12 - Modified: 2026-05-19 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/2018-clark-prize-jamie-costello/ - Categories: Awards, Outreach - Tags: Clark Prize Jamie Costello was one of three teachers shortlisted this year. Runners-up for the 2018 prize were Neal Hammersley from Kingsway School, Cheadle and Tracey O’Connor from Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham. We want to add our congratulations to all three for their achievements and continued commitment to STEM teaching. Over the last 20 years, Jamie has worked as to teach and promote STEM subjects. In the last decade, Jamie has focused his attention on the UK Engineering skills gap. Last year 25% of Jamie's Sutton Grammar school leavers went on to study Engineering degrees. His exceptional Engineering provision has also helped Sutton Grammar produce some of the country’s best young engineers. Jamie has championed enrichment activities. His students have created high altitude balloons, satellite-tracked ocean drifters, remote space weather stations, solid-state particle detectors and remotely operated underwater vehicles. Jamie is very proud that over 50% of his school’s KS4 pupils attend ‘STEM’ lessons after school each week which he attributes to creating a fantastic spirit amongst his pupils and staff. In 2014 Jamie organised one of the first school-based “Big Bang” science fairs. Having built on that success year-on-year; 2018 will see it become the first regional fair to be open to the public. The ERAF has previously supported Jamie’s work with professional engineers to develop project Vertigo - a small device that combines an accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS to tell you exactly where you have gone and how fast you were going. Through Project Vertigo he is working with... --- - Published: 2018-05-04 - Modified: 2018-05-04 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/applications-open-for-2019-enterprise-fellowships/ - Categories: Awards - Tags: Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowships programme is now open for 2019/20 candidates. The awards are designed to support innovative, creative, entrepreneurial exceptional engineers who want to develop further. The programme is built around equipping the awardees with the skills, confidence and experience develop their innovative ideas. There are fellowships to support researchers wishing to spin out a company from a university or research institute, recent graduates who want to create a company, and international PhD students based in the UK who want to spin out or startup. Each Fellowship provides up to £60,000 equity-free funding as well as a tailored mentoring and training regime; help with PR, marketing and promotion; and access to The Royal Academy of Engineerings drop-in workspace in central London. To date the academy has provided training, mentoring and £4. 5 million seed funding to 73 Enterprise Fellows ('Hub Members'). To find out more visit raeng. org. uk. Submissions close on September 4th, 2018. Find Out More --- - Published: 2018-04-01 - Modified: 2018-04-01 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/royal-academy-of-engineerings-enterprise-hub-celebrates-its-fifth-birthday/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Enterprise Hub|Royal Academy of Engineering The ERA Foundation helped support the creation of the Hub which aims to bring about a step change in the success of high-potential UK-based entrepreneurial technology start-ups by providing the brightest engineering and technology entrepreneurs with funding, training, networking and mentoring from the nation’s leading engineers, without taking a penny in return. In Acknowledgment of the support received the Hub created the ERA Enterprise Fellowships. With the support of the expertise, insight and networks of Academy Fellows, ERA Enterprise Fellows have raised nearly £17 million in investment and £2. 2 million in grants, as well as creating 39 jobs and generating over £440,000 in sales. While, in total, all entrepreneurs benefitting from Hub support have created 270 jobs and raised over £62 million in investment. Above - The Taylor Centre In February 2017, the Enterprise Hub formally opened a physical home, The Taylor Centre. The Centre is located in the basement of Prince Philip House, which has been completely transformed into a modern and professional workspace, and meeting area for Hub members use. Celebrating five years of the ERA Enterprise Fellowship Reflecting the ERA Foundation’s support, the Royal Academy of Engineering has awarded an ERA Enterprise Fellowship each year since 2013. Our Enterprise Fellowship is designed to stimulate excellence and encourage creativity and innovation in engineering by identifying and supporting the founders and leaders of tomorrow’s high-tech companies. Over the last five years we have awarded a number of fellowships. To celebrate the fifth anniversary we have taken a look... --- - Published: 2018-02-09 - Modified: 2018-02-09 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/press/john-wheal/ - Categories: Outreach - Tags: Born To Engineer Now he’s a systems engineer with NATS, the UK’s leading supplier of air traffic control services. He’s part of a team designing and building the next generation of air traffic control systems. And when those systems are the basis for the safety of 250 million air passengers every year, it’s vital that John and the team get it right. John Wheal studied Computer Engineering at the University of Portsmouth. He won the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2017 Technician of the Year Award. ‘Born to Engineer – John Wheal’ is the latest film in a series produced for the ERA Foundation. --- --- ## Industry Insights - Published: 2026-05-13 - Modified: 2026-06-02 - URL: https://www.erafoundation.org/news/industry-insights/focus-on-artificial-intelligence/ - Topics: AI Before we get into the most prominent topics of this month, we must highlight the positive start the UK manufacturing sector had to the second quarter of the year. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to a 47-month high of 53. 7 in April, its best level since May 2022 and little-changed from the earlier flash estimate of 53. 6. The headline PMI has posted above its neutral 50. 0 mark – signalling expansion – for six successive months.   Although UK manufacturing is experiencing its strongest growth and job expansion in nearly four years, the rebound is being threatened by severe supply chain delays and spiking input costs linked to Middle East conflict and rising domestic expenses.   Now, continuing with our first topic: Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly one of the biggest drivers of change in the sector. Of course, it’s not a newcomer to the manufacturing landscape but there’s no doubt that the last 12 months has seen a shift - experimentation has given way to expectation, ambition has shifted to delivery, and potential has yielded to proof. Adoption across manufacturing is accelerating, with three key areas emerging. First, AI is streamlining back-office functions such as finance, payroll and administrative processes. While this isn’t unique to manufacturing, it is helping firms reduce costs and improve efficiency at scale. More transformative, however, is AI’s growing role on the shop floor. Manufacturers are increasingly using AI to predict equipment failures, optimise maintenance schedules and connect production... --- ---