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News Release from: Cranfield School of Management
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 November 2003
Cranfield University gets confidence
vote in funds
In a major vote of confidence, the UK government has allocated Cranfield University GBP 8.5m for upgrading its science and research facilities.
In a major vote of confidence, Cranfield University has been allocated GBP 8.5m by the government towards investment in science and research This funding will support six projects across the Cranfield and Silsoe campuses involving new-build, refurbishment, equipment and communication network facilities
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 7 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Cranfield's six successful projects are: Strategic development of aerospace engineering laboratories - The School of Engineering is revitalising its research infrastructure and facilities through a GBP 3m programme of work, combining a large extension and a total internal refurbishment combined with new lab equipment, state-of-the-art lecture theatres, seminar rooms, computer area and a virtual reality and video-conferencing facility.
Integrated Research Centre to investigate crashworthy lightweight vehicles - The Advanced Materials department has been awarded GBP 3m to develop a new centre dedicated to lightweight vehicles.
The centre will further develop the Cranfield Composites Group, adding new capabilities specifically for automotive research and design using advanced composite materials.
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Nanotechnology - The Advanced Materials department have been awarded GBP 636,000 to refurbish, upgrade and extend its current nanotechnology facilities and equipment.
Replacement and improvements to existing IT infrastructure and equipment - The IT department has been awarded GBP 489,000 to provide a second computer suite, helping to enhance the file store available to research staff and providing a second hub to the campus local area network.
Off-road vehicle dynamics facility - The National Soil Research Institute at Cranfield's Silsoe campus has been awarded GBP 1.2m for a new off-road test facility which will provide further investment to an area of research that has successfully underpinned the work of Silsoe for 30 years.
Strong financial support for the project also comes from the off-road automotive (Land Rover) and sub-sea telecommunications (Global Marine Systems) industries, with encouragement from military sponsors (QinetiQ and DSTL) for its construction.
In-vivo diagnostics laboratory - The Institute of Bioscience and Technology at Cranfield's Silsoe campus is at the forefront of the development of new technologies for the diagnosis of diseases, and has been awarded GBP 754,000.
This sum will be used to create a new in-vivo diagnostics laboratory equipping chemists and biomedical scientists with tools to verify entities at the heart of new diagnostics (NMR analysis) and examine their effect on cellular processes (confocal microscopy).
Cranfield University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Frank Hartley, spoke of his delight at receiving the funding: "This funding is a tremendous achievement for Cranfield - it reinforces our cutting-edge reputation.
The new facilities and equipment will contribute towards Cranfield's current world-class facilities and constantly evolving programmes of research." The funding has been received through the government's Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF), which aims to support and invest in the UK's science and research infrastructure.
SRIF is a joint initiative between the Office of Science and Technology (OST) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) under the Higher Education Funding Council for England (hefce).
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