A Ghanaian technology entrepreneur has won the Royal Academy of Engineering’s prestigious 2020 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation. Charlette N’Guessan is the first ever woman to win the Africa Prize, and the first winner from Ghana.

The 26-year-old N’Guessan and her team developed BACE API, a software that uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. The software can be integrated into existing apps and systems and is aimed at financial institutions and other industries that rely on identity verification when providing services.

The BACE API software uses a phone or computer’s built-in camera and does not need special hardware, and in contrast to global AI systems, has been developed specifically to identify Africans.

While facial recognition software isn’t new, BACE API specifically uses live images or short videos taken on phone cameras to detect whether the image is of a real person, or a photo of an existing image.

N’Guessan wins the first prize of £25,000 (192,000 GHS). At the virtual awards ceremony held on 3 September 2020, four finalists delivered presentations, before Africa Prize judges and a live audience voted for the most promising engineering innovation.

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK in 2014, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation, and has a proven track record of identifying successful engineering entrepreneurs. Now in its sixth year, it supports talented sub-Saharan African entrepreneurs with engineering innovations, that address crucial problems in their communities in a new and appropriate way.

N’Guessan and her co-founders developed the software in 2018 after research they did during their studies revealed that Ghana’s banks have a significant problem with identity fraud and cybercrime. The research estimated that approximately $400 million is spent annually by Ghanaian financial institutions to identify their customers.

In partnership with a data controller that deals with certified government-issued identity documents, BACE API has access to Ghanaian passports and other identity documents to use during its verification processes.

Two financial institutions are already using the software to verify customers’ identities, and the software is being tested on an event platform to confirm attendee registrations.

During the global pandemic, BACE API has emerged as a viable alternative to the in-person verification processes used by most businesses, such as fingerprints or personal appearances. Companies can now authenticate and onboard new or existing customers without ever meeting them.

The Africa Prize mentorship and training has helped the team focus more on their business development, and since being shortlisted, the team has defined strategies to improve BACE API’s market position. They have also signed key partnerships with local financial institutions, improved the accuracy of the model, and reduced the verification time.

James Duddridge MP, Minister for Africa, UK, said: “Congratulations to all the participants in this year’s Africa Prize. The UK is a hub of engineering innovation, and home to a wealth of entrepreneurial talent and experience. By partnering this talent with the most promising African innovators we can create local solutions to global challenges, transforming lives and improving economies.”

Fifteen shortlisted Africa Prize entrepreneurs, from six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, received eight months of training and mentoring, during which they developed their business plans and learned to market their innovations. The group received coaching on communicating effectively, focusing on customers and approaching investors with confidence.

The Africa Prize also connects the shortlist to individuals and networks in the UK and across Africa who can accelerate their business and technology development – from fellow entrepreneurs and mentors to potential investors and suppliers.

The Africa Prize supports the brightest minds across the continent, equipping them with skills to reshape and rethink their businesses.

“We are very proud to have Charlette N’Guessan and her team win this award,” said Rebecca Enonchong, Africa Prize judge and Cameroonian entrepreneur. “It is essential to have technologies like facial recognition based on African communities, and we are confident their innovative technology will have far reaching benefits for the continent.”

The three runners up, who each receive £10,000, are:

• Farmz2U, Aisha Raheem from Nigeria – a digital platform that provides farmers with tailored agricultural data to improve their experience and efficiency.
• PapsAI, Dr William Wasswa from Uganda – a low-cost digital microscope that speeds up cervical cancer screening diagnosis, and systems to improve patient record management.
• Remot, David Tusubira from Uganda – a system that manages off-grid power grids by monitoring the condition of solar arrays.

“Being part of the Africa Prize has given us such confidence,” said N’Guessan. “We focus on Africa because we want to make sure BACE API is used by our people, and works for them. We are so grateful to the Academy, and cannot wait to take our innovation to new heights.”

To date, the 86 Africa Prize alumni businesses have raised more than 14 million USD in grants and equity and created more than 1500 new jobs, with over 50% of these going to women and a significant proportion to disabled people and youth.

The seventh Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open. Individuals and teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa, and who have an engineering innovation, are invited to enter. The deadline for entries is 14 September 2020.

Find out how to apply for the Africa Prize 2021

Notes to editors:

The other 11 candidates shortlisted for the Africa Prize 2020 were:

• Aquaprotein, Jack Oyugi from Kenya – an affordable protein supplement for animal feed, made from invasive water hyacinth
• CATHEL, Catherine Tasankha Chaima from Malawi – an affordable antibacterial soap made from agricultural waste and other plant-based extracts
• CIST Ethanol Fuel, Richard Arwa from Kenya – a clean cooking ethanol made from invasive water hyacinth
• DryMac, Adrian Padt from South Africa – a containerised drying system that uses burning biomass instead of electricity to dry and preserve crops
• Eco Water Purifier, Timothy Kayondo from Uganda – a digital system that turns bones, cassava peelings, coconut shells and other waste into an activated carbon water filter
• EcoRide, Bernice Dapaah from Ghana – bamboo bicycles made by Ghanaian women and youth from sustainable materials and recycled parts
• Garbage In Value Out (GIVO), Victor Boyle-Komolafe from Nigeria – automates and digitises the collection, processing and sale of recyclable materials
• GrainMate, Isaac Sesi from Ghana – a simple handheld meter to accurately measure the moisture content of grains to prevent rotting, insect infestation and quality reduction
• Lab and Library on Wheels, Josephine Godwyll from Ghana – a mobile, solar-hybrid cart with gadgets and e-learning resources to encourage reading and teach STEAM subjects in under-resourced schools
• Safi Organics, Samuel Rigu from Kenya – a novel chemical process that turns crop waste into a range of affordable fertilisers
• Tree_Sea.mals Mini-Grid, Tracy Kimathi from Kenya – a solar system that powers communal refrigeration storage spaces in rural Kenya

  Access the full set of photographs and b-roll of the shortlisted ntrepreneurs

1. About the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
   The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It awards crucial commercialisation support to ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges, demonstrating the importance of engineering as an enabler of improved quality of life and economic development.

   An eight-month period of tailored training and mentoring culminates in a showcase event where a winner is selected to receive £25,000 along with three runners-up, who are each awarded £10,000.

   The Africa Prize is generously supported by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund and the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund.

   Judges and mentors of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation have provided over 1,970 hours of support to entrepreneurs since the prize was established – this equates to a value of roughly £985,000 in support. This year, they are:

   Chair of judges: Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng, Past President of the Energy Institute, Chair of EngineeringUK
   Dr Ibilola Amao, Founder and Principal Consultant, Lonadek Global Services
   Rebecca Enonchong, Founder and CEO, AppsTech
   Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, Chair, Enza Capital, What3Words and KindLink

   The shortlist judging panel also included Mariéme Jamme, co-founder of Africa Gathering and founder of #iamtheCODE and SpotOne Global Solutions. Jamme has recently stepped down as Africa Prize judge.

2. About the Royal Academy of Engineering
   The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

   Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

For media queries and interview requests, please contact:

Africa
Anzet du Plessis, Proof Africa on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering
anzet@proofafrica.co.za
+27 83 557 2322

UK and international
Alex Stephenson, April Six on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering
africaprize@aprilsix.com
+44 7506 022 367

Eight researchers and their collaborators have been awarded funding in the 2020 round of the APEX awards. The grants, which promote collaboration across science, engineering, social sciences and humanities, are jointly awarded by the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society, with the generous support of the Leverhulme Trust.

The APEX award scheme offers up to £100,000 to researchers wanting to pursue interdisciplinary and curiosity-driven research that benefits wider society.

This year’s cohort also includes the first recipients of additional funding, worth £10,000, to support researchers to deliver public engagement activities related to their APEX award.

The eight successful applicants are:

Dr Philip Cox
University of York
Functional morphology and the biomechanics of feeding in squirrels
Awarded additional funding towards public engagement activities    

Dr Simon Gill
University of Leicester 
What controls magma pathways through the Earth’s crust        

Professor Christine Hine
University of Surrey 
Emergent everyday ethics in infrastructures for smart care
Awarded additional funding towards public engagement activities  

Dr Jennifer Hiscock
University of Kent
The role of qualitative research approaches in enhancing interdisciplinary teams’ reflexivity and creativity in the gendered environment of supramolecular chemistry
Awarded additional funding towards public engagement activities   

Dr Marco Iglesias
University of Nottingham
Thermophysical imaging for the characterisation of buildings’ walls thermal performance

Dr Lisa Mol
University of the West of England, Bristol
Remote scientific support for sustainable conservation of heritage damaged by explosives
Awarded additional funding towards public engagement activities

Dr Douglas Stewart  
University of Leeds
Probing biogeochemistry of alkaline waste impacted systems

Dr Jamie Ward
Goldsmiths, University of London
Exploring social interaction using theatre and wearable sensing
Awarded additional funding towards public engagement activities

The 2021 APEX award round is now open for applications, and the additional funding for public engagement will also be available to the successful 2021 applicants. Further details about the APEX award scheme are available here and via a webinar for prospective applicants on 7 September 2020 at 11am. For further information please contact apex@royalsociety.org.

ENDS

Media enquiries:

For more information about the British Academy
Sean Canty
Press Officer
020 7969 5273
s.canty@thebritishacademy.ac.uk

For more information about the Royal Academy of Engineering
Pippa Cox
Communications Manager
pippa.cox@raeng.org.uk
020 7766 0745

For more information about the Royal Society
Bryony Ravate
Assistant Press Officer
Bryony.ravate@royalsociety.org
0207 451 2508
 

Notes to editors

The Leverhulme Trust was established by the Will of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of Lever Brothers. Since 1925 the Trust has provided grants and scholarships for research and education. Today, it is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing approximately £80m a year. For more information about the Trust, please visit www.leverhulme.ac.uk and follow the Trust on Twitter @LeverhulmeTrust

The British Academy is the voice of the humanities and social sciences. The Academy is an independent fellowship of world-leading scholars and researchers; a funding body for research, nationally and internationally; and a forum for debate and engagement. For more information, please visit www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk. Follow the British Academy on Twitter @BritishAcademy

Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. http://royalsociety.org

Follow the Royal Society on Twitter (@royalsociety) or on Facebook (facebook.com/theroyalsociety).

The objectives of the APEX awards are to

• promote collaboration across disciplines, with an emphasis on the boundary between science, engineering, and the social sciences and humanities
• support outstanding interdisciplinary research which is unlikely to be supported through conventional funding programmes
• support researchers with an outstanding track record, in developing their research in a new direction through collaboration with partners from other disciplines
• enable outstanding researchers to focus on advancing their innovative research through seed funding

Public engagement for new APEX award holders

The Leverhulme Trust and the Academies are keen to encourage and facilitate public engagement activities within the APEX award programme. Successful APEX award holders in each round will be able to apply for a Public Engagement Grant to undertake public engagement projects based on their APEX award research. These awards will also help to increase the knowledge, skills and confidence of researchers undertaking public engagement projects. Successful recipients will also benefit from expert review and advice on their proposed public engagement plans. 

The Engineering X Pandemic Preparedness Programme, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, has awarded nearly £0.5 million in grants to projects which address the challenges of recovering from the outbreak of COVID-19 and building preparedness for future pandemics.

Twenty-five awards of between £15,000 and £20,000, made to existing awardees of the Academy from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, India and the UK, will enable the development of new engineered solutions to a range of pressing needs. These include the measurement and reduction of viral loads in confined spaces, systems to protect health workers from infection, and innovative low-cost designs for essential equipment such as ventilators, masks and diagnostic devices.

Sustained community transmission is a key challenge in the recovery from the current pandemic and there is a much greater awareness of the important role of engineering in infection control now than before COVID-19 struck. Engineers themselves have learned a great deal about how to mobilise and offer their skills and expertise where appropriate. Grants have been awarded to 14 projects focused on engineering solutions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, ranging from new techniques for vaccine delivery and diagnostic testing to technology aimed at reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious agents in our workplaces, transport systems and public spaces.

Several projects awarded to engineers in sub-Saharan Africa propose innovative adaptive measures which could enable large swathes of the labour force affected by lockdown measures to return safely to work, from street hawkers in Nairobi to university lecturers in Accra.

Professor Peter Guthrie FREng, Chair of the Engineering X Pandemic Preparedness Programme Board, said, “With these new grants, Engineering X is supporting projects with potential for significant impact, with engineers bringing innovative approaches to the challenges of the pandemic, particularly focusing on ways of easing lockdown.

“Beyond the immediate impacts of these grants, we also want to ensure engineers are equipped to be at the forefront of global efforts to fight future pandemics. Engineering X aims to generate an evidence base of engineering interventions and to develop a global community that will help develop collective resilience and ensure we are in better shape to navigate future pandemics and systemic shocks of a similar nature.”

Engineering X is an international collaboration, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. This latest initiative from Engineering X has benefited from input from meetings hosted by the Academy for international networks of science and engineering academies (CAETS and Euro-CASE). The purpose of the meetings is to share insight into how engineers across the world are responding to the pandemic, and to connect organisations and individuals delivering critical solutions and products. The Academy intends to build on this work with similar collaborations in the future.

The twenty-five projects which address issues relating to infection control, medical innovation, establishing a ‘new normal’ and effective collective action can be found here.

Notes for Editors

1. Engineering X is an international collaboration, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, that brings together some of the world’s leading problem-solvers to address the great challenges of our age. Our global network of expert engineers, academics and business leaders is working to share best practice, explore new technologies, educate and train the next generation of engineers, build capacity, improve safety and deliver impact.

2. Engineering X Pandemic Preparedness Programme, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is supporting the UK and global engineering community to learn from the current COVID-19 pandemic through global sharing of lessons on disruptive solutions and best practice approaches in the prevention, preparedness, response and recovery from pandemics.

   There are two streams to this Programme, made possible through funding from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy:

15 projects are being supported through Stream 1 which is funded under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and is aimed at tackling global or local pandemic-related challenges that manifest in countries approved as recipients of UK aid funding. A list of eligible countries can be found in this link. This call was open to lead applicants in DAC list countries or the UK with an existing relationship with the Royal Academy of Engineering – this may be as a current or previous grant award holder, collaborator, partner or member of the Fellowship.

10 projects are being supported through Stream 2 which aims to fund innovation projects in UK universities. It is funded by the Investment in Research Talent Fund. This call was open to awardees and other affiliates of the Academy who may collaborate with partners internationally.

3. The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with its Fellows and partners, the Academy is working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age by growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships and influence policy and engaging the public.

Media enquiries

Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering: 

• Africa Prize finalists tackle food waste, improve cervical cancer screening, secure banking through artificial intelligence, and ensure off-grid energy is easy to use and maintain.

A more affordable, effective cervical cancer screening device, a digital platform to help farmers plan and distribute crops, a new way to secure banking through facial recognition, and a tool that monitors the condition of solar PV installations; these are the four innovations selected as finalists for the Royal Academy of Engineering’s 2020 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

The finalists were selected from a shortlist of 15 African innovators effecting positive change in their communities, who have all received eight months of training and support through the Africa Prize. All four finalists have developed innovative ways to solve global problems, and are developing their ideas into strong businesses that can benefit entire communities.

“Despite a global pandemic placing immense pressure on entrepreneurs worldwide, we’ve been inspired by these four innovators’ ability to adapt, collaborate, and thrive,” said Rebecca Enonchong, Africa Prize judge and Cameroonian entrepreneur.

The Africa Prize supports the brightest minds across the continent, equipping them with skills to reshape and rethink their businesses. It is the continent’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation, and has a proven track record for identifying successful engineering entrepreneurs.

“The Africa Prize is more than just an award,” added Enonchong. “It is designed to upskill and support entrepreneurs in the long term, building capacity across the entire innovation ecosystem in Africa. Supporting one innovator can transform a community, and we believe that, together, our network of innovators will help transform the continent.”

To date, the 86 Africa Prize alumni businesses have raised more than 14 million USD in grants and equity and created more than 1500 new jobs, with over 50% of these going to women and a significant proportion to disabled people and youth.

The finalists

This year’s finalists hail from Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda:

• From Nigeria, Farmz2U is a digital platform that reduces food waste by helping farmers plan their crops. Data expert Aisha Raheem developed Farmz2U after a health scare prompted her to eat more healthily. She is determined to reduce food waste and improve people’s nutritional intake.

  During the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption of traditional distribution channels has driven farmers and the rest of the agricultural supply chain online. Farmz2U has used support from the Africa Prize and the Academy’s Project CARE (COVID Africa Rapid Entrepreneurs), to ensure that it is well positioned to respond to the increased demand for its services.

• BACE API is a Ghanaian platform that uses facial recognition and artificial intelligence to verify identities remotely. Tech entrepreneur Charlette N’Guessan and her cofounders developed the software after their research revealed that Ghana’s banks have a significant problem with identity fraud and cyber-crime, with approximately $400 million spent annually by Ghanaian financial institutions to identify their customers.

  While facial recognition software isn’t new, BACE API can use live images or short videos taken on phone cameras to detect whether the image is of a real person, or a photo of an existing image. During the global pandemic, digital platforms like BACE API have become essential in replacing in-person verification processes like fingerprinting. N’Guessan’s team has signed key partnerships with Ghanaian financial institutions since joining the Africa Prize shortlist, and is using the training to refine the company’s market strategy.

• In Uganda, Remot is helping Ugandan schools, businesses and solar companies manage off-grid power systems more effectively. Created by David Tusubira and his colleagues, the system provides more than just data about energy use. Remot examines the system itself for inefficiencies and potential problems, monitoring the condition and performance of solar PV installations.

  Manufactured on site at their offices in Kampala, the hardware device nicknamed ‘Davix’, after its co-founder, is running in nearly 500 schools, 11 solar maize mills, and solar water pumps on office blocks in the DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Uganda. Despite the pandemic hampering sales targets, Tusubira’s team has added nine employees since being shortlisted for the Africa Prize, and a local assembly plant is being built in Kampala, Uganda.

• Also from Uganda, Dr William Wasswa’s PapsAI speeds up cervical cancer screening, diagnosis and patient record management, making it more affordable and reliable. While digital microscopes are most effective for screening for cervical cancer, they are expensive and are rarely used in low-income countries.

  PapsAI’s digital microscope slide scanner quickly scans high-resolution cervical cell images from pap smears. Dr Wasswa also developed an analytical tool for diagnosis and classification of images, and the software assesses the likelihood of a patient contracting cervical cancer given their risk factors. A separate system manages and archives patient records using artificial intelligence. Dr Wasswa has used the COVID-19 lockdown to assess workflow at the hospital where PapsAI is being trialled, and has hired four full-time staff.

The 2020 finalists will pitch their innovations to a panel of judges and a live online audience on 3 September 2020. The winner will be announced at the virtual event, and will receive £25,000, with £10,000 awarded to each of the runners-up.

The seventh Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation is now open. Individuals and small teams living and working in sub-Saharan Africa who have a scalable engineering innovation that can solve a local challenge are invited to enter. Interested entrants can find more information here. The deadline for entries is 14 September 2020.

The shortlist

The other 11 candidates shortlisted for the Africa Prize 2020 were:

• Aquaprotein, Jack Oyugi from Kenya – an affordable protein supplement for animal feed, made from invasive water hyacinth
• CATHEL, Catherine Tasankha Chaima from Malawi – an affordable antibacterial soap made from agricultural waste and other plant-based extracts
• CIST Ethanol Fuel, Richard Arwa from Kenya – a clean cooking ethanol made from invasive water hyacinth
• DryMac, Adrian Padt from South Africa – a containerised drying system that uses burning biomass instead of electricity to dry and preserve crops
• Eco Water Purifier, Timothy Kayondo from Uganda – a digital system that turns bones, cassava peelings, coconut shells and other waste into an activated carbon water filter
• EcoRide, Bernice Dapaah from Ghana – bamboo bicycles made by Ghanaian women and youth from sustainable materials and recycled parts
• Garbage In Value Out (GIVO), Victor Boyle-Komolafe from Nigeria – automates and digitises the collection, processing and sale of recyclable materials
• GrainMate, Isaac Sesi from Ghana – a simple handheld meter to accurately measure the moisture content of grains to prevent rotting, insect infestation and quality reduction
• Lab and Library on Wheels, Josephine Godwyll from Ghana – a mobile, solar-hybrid cart with gadgets and e-learning resources to encourage reading and teach STEAM subjects in under-resourced schools
• Safi Organics, Samuel Rigu from Kenya – a novel chemical process that turns crop waste into a range of affordable fertilisers
• Tree_Sea.mals Mini-Grid, Tracy Kimathi from Kenya – a solar system that powers communal refrigeration storage spaces in rural Kenya

Notes to editors

A full set of photographs and b-roll of the entrepreneurs can be found here.

1. About the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. It awards crucial commercialisation support to ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges, demonstrating the importance of engineering as an enabler of improved quality of life and economic development.

An eight-month period of tailored training and mentoring culminates in a showcase event where a winner is selected to receive £25,000 along with three runners-up, who are each awarded £10,000.

The Africa Prize is generously supported by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund and the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund. Further information can be found here:

https://www.shellcentenaryscholarshipfund.org/

https://www.ukri.org/research/global-challenges-research-fund/

Judges and mentors of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation have provided over 1,970 hours of support to entrepreneurs since the prize was established – this equates to a value of roughly £985,000 in support. This year, they are:

• Chair of judges: Malcolm Brinded CBE FREng, President of the Energy Institute, Chair of EngineeringUK
• Dr Ibilola Amao, Founder and Principal Consultant, Lonadek Consulting
• Rebecca Enonchong, Founder and CEO, AppsTech
• Dr John Lazar CBE FREng, angel investor and technology start-up mentor

The shortlist judging panel also included Mariéme Jamme, co-founder of Africa Gathering and founder of #iamtheCODE and SpotOne Global Solutions. Jamme has recently stepped down as Africa Prize judge.

More information can be found here: www.raeng.org.uk/africaprize

2. About the Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

Further information can be found here: www.raeng.org.uk

For media queries and interview requests, please contact:

Africa

• Anzet du Plessis, Proof Africa on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• anzet@proofafrica.co.za
• +27 83 557 2322

UK and International

• Engineering’s ‘COVID 19’ – exceptional individuals and teams of engineers to be honoured

• Pandemic service achievements span the whole field of engineering from ventilators and vaccines to hospital building and infection tracking 

The Royal Academy of Engineering has awarded 19 individuals and teams of engineers with the President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service for exceptional engineering achievements in tackling COVID-19 throughout the UK.

The awards have been made to teams, organisations, individuals, collaborations and projects across all technical specialities, disciplines and career stages within the UK engineering community who have contributed to addressing the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specially commissioned silver medals will be presented to all 19 winners later this year.

The President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Services

The winners are:

• Ventilator Challenge UK Consortium. Dick Elsy CBE led the initiative to combine the knowledge and skills of 33 UK technology and engineering businesses across the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors, to produce more than 13,000 Smiths and Penlon ventilator devices for the NHS. 
• University College London-Ventura CPAP breathing aids were developed by a team led by Professor Rebecca Shipley and Professor Tim Baker working with Mercedes–AMG High Performance Powertrains. The team manufactured 10,000 breathing aids for use in UK hospitals and shared the designs with organisations from 105 other countries at no cost.
• University of Cambridge Open Ventilator System Initiative team led by Dr Tashiv Ramsander developed a high-performance ventilator for manufacture in low and middle-income countries that became the first intensive care quality ventilator to be manufactured in Africa.
• University of Southampton for PeRSo. The engineering team developed the Personal Respirator Southampton, a respirator for healthcare workers providing a much higher level of protection than surgical masks.
• Babcock International Group Plc for the rapid development and manufacture of a new medical ventilator product, Zephyr Plus, coordinated across several major companies in the UK and Germany, with 39 suppliers and MoD logistics. 
• Jean Morris and a team of young engineers from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) took a central role in building and testing prototype ventilators against a developing MHRA specification.
• Dr Antony Robotham at the University of Plymouth, who designed an environmentally friendly face shield, manufactured from recycled materials that are compostable or recyclable at the end of life.
• Dr Dominic Pimenta is a cardiology registrar at one of London’s busiest hospitalswho led the design and manufacture of face shields with the team at Makerversity for frontline NHS and care home staff. His charity, HEROES, has produced 100,000 reusable face shields as well as thousands of reusable gowns and scrubs.
• Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge. The IfM team helped local hospitals to make the best use of their resources, streamlining logistics for sourcing and storing vital PPE, informing decision-making on emergency demand, and developing a ventilator sharing system to be used in emergencies. 
• Tharsus for Bump, a social-distancing system providing real-time alerts when wearers get too close. Led by CEO Brian Palmer FREng and CTO Dave Swan, the technology’s smart data insights inform rapid decision making, allowing employers to maximise workplace capacity and providing data on team contact in the event of an outbreak.
• Dr Ravi Solanki and Raymond Siems, volunteers for the charity HEROES. In less than two days, their team turned an idea into a platform with genuine impact: a secure website through which more than 543,000 items of much-needed support have been provided to NHS workers, from sustainable PPE to counselling services and child care.
• Professor Chris Toumazou FREng FRS FMedSci of Imperial College London for developing a rapid, affordable COVID-19 test based on a lab in a cartridge technology that provides test results in just over an hour. A total of 5.8 million tests are now being deployed throughout NHS in preparation for the flu season. 
• Professor Zhanfeng Cui FREng and his team from the University of Oxford for the Oxford rapid viral RNA test for COVID-19. It can detect SARS-CoV-2 infection in 30 minutes and could be invaluable in developing countries because no specialist equipment is needed.
• Professor Harris Makatsoris from King’s College London for developing a ‘factory-in-a-box’ that allows the rapid manufacture of synthetic RNA vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and minimises the space required for high-volume vaccine production.
• Professor Catherine Noakes from the University of Leeds for her role in advising the NHS and the government at the highest level during the pandemic, shaping life-saving guidance based on her expertise in environmental and engineering controls.
• Sewers4COVID from the University of Exeter: a team led by Professor Dragan Savic FREng applied machine learning to sewer epidemiology to estimate the number of infected people in a certain geographical area to track the spread of infection.
• BOC Customer Engineering Services, who maintained the oxygen supplies to treat COVID-19 patients across the UK. BOC engineers set up oxygen systems at six Nightingale centres, including the largest medical oxygen system ever installed.
• Matt Benson, Elliot Dervish and Jonathan Parker of Teledyne-e2v, who developed and manufactured the Handy Hook for front line NHS staff across Essex and London, to limit their interaction with surfaces carrying the virus. 
• Martyn Frackelton and Ian Watkins from Mott MacDonald, who project managed both NHS Nightingale London and NHS Nightingale North West, enabling the massive field hospitals to care for patients within two weeks of being announced.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says: “The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest public health crisis of our time and has presented society with multiple challenges. Engineering expertise and innovation has been central to the global fight to save lives and protect livelihoods. 

“I am also incredibly proud of engineers everywhere who have worked round the clock to maintain essential services, critical supply chains and infrastructure in unprecedented circumstances, using their training and skills to find innovative solutions to a host of problems and to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our daily lives.”

Professor Raffaella Ocone OBE FREng FRSE, Chair of the Academy’s Awards Committee, says: “Engineering skills—including innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration—have proved to be of vital importance during the current pandemic. We were delighted that the breadth of nominations for these awards reflected so much of the extraordinary work engineers have been doing. 

“While I am delighted that we are able to recognise some of these outstanding achievements with these awards I am mindful that the important work of the vast majority of engineers will remain largely outside the public’s consciousness. They are all deserving of our thanks and admiration for their continuing positive contribution to society.”

Notes for editors

1. The President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service were overseen by the Academy’s Awards Committee, which identifies winners for all of the Academy’s prizes and awards (with the exception of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and the MacRobert Award for UK Engineering Innovation). 

• Professor Raffaella Ocone OBE FREng FRSE (Chair)
• Dr Alan Belfield FREng
• Professor Mojtaba Ghadiri FREng 
• Tony Graham FREng
• Professor Yike Guo FREng 
• Professor David Johnson FREng 
• Dr Raouf Kattan FREng 
• Professor Andrew Lewis FREng
• Alan Newby FREng
• Professor Graham Reed FREng
• Dr Richard Taylor FREng
• Dr John Tubman FREng 
• Jane Wernick CBE FREng

2. The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with its Fellows and partners, the Academy is helping to tackle the greatest challenges of our age by growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. 

For more information please contact: 

Enhanced radar detection of drones and other small objects using electromagnetic metamaterials and modelling the role of wood jams in natural flood management are among the research areas supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering through 16 new engineering Research Fellowships announced today. Together with projects such as novel techniques to enhance the safety and security of nuclear and radioactive materials, they have the potential to make a significant contribution to health, transport, next generation computing, safety and measurement systems and decarbonisation.

The Academy’s Research Fellowships are designed to advance excellence in engineering by enabling early-career researchers to concentrate on basic research in any field of engineering. Each awardee receives five years’ worth of funding to advance their research careers. They also receive mentoring from experienced Academy Fellows, providing valuable advice and industry links that will enable the researchers to establish themselves as future leaders in their fields.

Professor Philip Nelson CBE FREng, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships Steering Group, says: “I am delighted to announce the award of Research Fellowships to 16 of the most promising global research talents selected from a competitive application process. The variety and impact of the research being done by these awardees demonstrates the depth and breadth of world-leading engineering expertise we have within our universities. We would like to thank the government for the Investment in Research Talent initiative, which has provided the Academy with a significant increase in funding to attract and retain the best research talents in the UK and support their research and career development.”

The full list of Research Fellows and their projects is as follows:

• Dr Humberto Almeida Jr, Queen’s University Belfast

Uncertainty quantification in the design of future composite aerostructures

• Dr Giorgia Bosi, University College London

Engineered patient stratification and therapeutic planning: application to atrial fibrillation

• Dr Yang Cao, University of Edinburgh

Making database systems learn and making them robust

• Dr James Ewen, Imperial College London

Controlling friction through molecular engineering

• Dr Elizabeth Follett, Cardiff University

Structure and function of wood jams for natural flood management

• Dr Rand Ismaeel, University of Southampton

Monitoring of ocean methane through optical fibre isotope detection

• Dr Himanshu Kaul, University of Leicester

The Lung Pharmacome

• Dr Aurora Maccarone, Heriot-Watt University

Underwater three-dimensional optical imaging based on quantum detection

• Dr Peter Martin, University of Bristol

Transforming the national infrastructure for detecting, characterising and mapping radiation

• Dr Timothy Moorsom, University of Glasgow

Active topological plasmonics for computer processors

• Dr Greg Mutch, Newcastle University

Advancing facilitated-transport membranes for disruptive carbon dioxide separation

• Dr Auro Perego, Aston University

Novel tuneable dissipative optical frequency combs: from visible to mid-infrared

• Dr Alexander Powell, University of Exeter

Electromagnetic metamaterials for enhanced radar detection of small objects

• Dr Timothy Runcorn, Imperial College London

New fibre optics for advanced biomedical imaging

• Dr Nidhi Simmons, Queen’s University Belfast

Enabling mission-critical applications through an intelligent URLLC framework

• Dr Yuriko Suzuki, University of Oxford

Robust visualisation of blood vessels in patients with vessel-narrowing disease

Notes for editors

1. The Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships support early-career researchers to establish successful research careers and become future research leaders in their fields. The scheme provides funding for five years to allow awardees the freedom to concentrate on basic research in any field of engineering and establish a track record in the field. Funding for the Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships is provided by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Engineering for Development Research Fellowships through the government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

The scheme is currently open for applications until Monday 21 September 2020. In this round, we have a joint sponsorship with Orthopaedic Research UK to support research in the musculoskeletal field. The current round therefore accepts applications for any one of the following research fellowship schemes:

• RAEng Research Fellowship
• RAEng Engineering for Development Research Fellowship
• RAEng/Orthopaedic Research UK Research Fellowship

For more information, please visit: RAEng Research Fellowships

2. The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

For more information please contact:

Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering

T: 020 7766 0745

E:  Pippa Cox

The Royal Academy of Engineering has announced seven outstanding engineering researchers as recipients of its prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships. They will work on a wide variety of engineering projects, from sustainable coastal protection and reducing air pollution in cities to AI-driven developments in healthcare.

The Fellowships, which are supported by the Leverhulme Trust, allow awardees to focus on full-time research for up to a year by covering the costs of a replacement academic to take over their teaching and administrative duties. This not only allows mid-career engineers to reinvigorate their research interests, but it also gives other junior academics an opportunity to gain valuable teaching and administrative experience.

Professor Stephen McLaughlin FREng FRSE, Chair of the Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships selection panel, said: “Academic career progression can result in increased administrative and teaching commitments, at the expense of the time available for personal research projects. The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships are awarded to enable mid-career academics to focus on such projects by relieving them of additional workload responsibilities.

“I am very pleased to see such a diverse range of topics covered by this year’s awards, from tackling environmental issues such as coastal protection, CO₂ emissions and air pollution, to developing and improving healthcare provision. These are research projects that could deliver significant benefits to society and the economy.”

The full list of 2020/21 Royal Academy of Engineering Leverhulme Trust Research Fellows is as follows:

• Dr Christopher Edwin Blenkinsopp, University of Bath

Dynamic Revetments: Sustainable coastal protection by working with nature

• Dr Mahsa Derakhshani, Loughborough University

Machine learning solutions for scalable, mission-critical wireless networks

• Dr Suhaib Fahmy, University of Warwick

Accelerated Distributed Machine Learning for Real World Systems

• Dr Carolina Font-Palma, University of Chester

ICED: Integrated Cryogenic separation for CO2 Emissions Decrease

• Dr Alison Jones, University of Leeds

Engineering tools for analysis of impingement in the human hip joint

• Dr William Andrew McMullan, University of Leicester

City-scale air pollution; from simulation to virtual reality

• Dr Barbara Villarini, University of Westminster

AI-Driven Organ Reconstruction and Morphological Features Extraction from Medical Images

Notes for editors 

1. The Leverhulme Trust was established by the Will of William Hesketh Lever, the founder of Lever Brothers. Since 1925, the Trust has supported grants and scholarships for research and education. Today, The Leverhulme Trust is one of the largest all-subject providers of research funding in the UK, distributing over £60m a year. The Trust provides funding across a range of academic disciplines such as arts, sciences, engineering and social sciences, with an aim of supporting talented individuals to realise their personal vision in research and professional training.

Details of researchers awarded RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships since 2012 are available here: RAEng/Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowships

2. The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

For more information please contact: 

Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering

T: 020 7766 0745

E:  Pippa Cox

Engineering X gives £1 million worth of grants to projects across 14 countries to boost quality of engineering education and training

Engineering X – an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation – has awarded grants of up to £50,000 each to 21 projects in 14 different countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America to support the delivery of skills and education programmes. The projects will help develop domestic engineering capability and ensure that critical infrastructure can be built, operated and maintained safely without an over-reliance on multinational organisations and temporary, expatriate labour.

Previous research by Engineering X published in the Global Engineering Capability Review found that for many countries there is no problem with the number of engineers they produce. However, the quality and relevance of the training of their engineers is inadequate to meet national requirements, and the engineering skills needed and training required can vary greatly between countries.

As the pace of technological change accelerates, no nation can afford to ease up on their efforts to conduct engineering in a safe and innovative way. The projects funded today are collaborative partnerships that will use potentially disruptive ideas to support domestic infrastructure and help local engineers to develop the skills and capacity to adopt emerging and life-improving technologies at scale.

Some of the projects will help to increase the uptake of engineering among school children by promoting the provision of high-quality STEM teaching. Others aim to enhance quality, challenge-oriented education in engineering institutions such as vocational/technical colleges, apprenticeship providers, and engineering universities, including furthering the impact of Africa’s first post-graduate fire safety engineering degree.

Also among those receiving grants are projects to upskill the existing engineering and technician workforce to improve safety practices and enhance their ability to use emerging technologies. These include a plan in Uganda to build entrepreneurship, leadership and management skills of women engineers and technicians through housing innovation.

A scheme to teach cybersecurity engineering in Ghana typifies projects that support policy and partnerships to develop capacity to take advantage of opportunities to tackle existing or emerging engineering and safety challenges at scale.

A full list of all the projects can be found here.

During the application process, some applicants asked—and were granted–permission to change their projects in response to the emerging COVID-19 crisis. For example, a project in Kenya to train electrical technicians on one particular off-grid solar access project proposed instead that training should switch to the installation and maintenance of solar systems for use in healthcare facilities. The project also aims that 50% of trainees should be female.

Professor Peter Goodhew CBE FREng, Chair of the Engineering X Engineering skills where they are most needed Board, said: “Many countries struggle to develop a supply of engineering talent that matches their growing and diverse needs. Prior to the current pandemic, only in some quarters was it recognised that a radically new approach to engineering education and training was required in many countries if they were ever to close their existing skills gap. Now there is a much wider acknowledgement that appropriate domestic engineering skills are vital if countries are to survive future pandemics and similar systemic shocks.

“This grants process was well under way when COVID-19 struck. We had already chosen an impressive range of projects but the ingenuity and adaptability of applicants to pivot their ideas to deliver projects in the changed circumstances makes me even more optimistic that countries have the right individuals with the ideas and talent to effect change and to ensure that their engineers enter the workforce with the right mix of skills. The aim of Engineering X is to help them and others like them to do this.”

Notes for editors

1. Engineering X is a new international collaboration, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, that brings together some of the world’s leading problem-solvers to address the great challenges of our age. Our global network of expert engineers, academics and business leaders is working to share best practice, explore new technologies, educate and train the next generation of engineers, build capacity, improve safety and deliver impact.

Engineering skills where they are most needed is a programme within Engineering X with the mission to implement capacity-building initiatives in countries that have identified engineering skills gaps and an over-reliance on multinational organisations and temporary, non-domestic workforces which limits their capability to operate and maintain critical infrastructure safely and prevents the adoption at scale of emerging and life-improving technologies.

2. Global Engineering Capability Review [A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit ISBN 978-1-909327-48-1, Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, February 2020] Using the Engineering Index 2019, this measures the abilities of 99 countries to conduct key engineering activities in a safe and innovative way. It focuses on six measures of engineering capability around the world: the strength and sophistication of the country’s engineering industry, the availability and diversity of its engineering labour force, its knowledge base, built and digital infrastructure and safety standards. PDFs of the report, methodology and dataset can be found here.
   Engineering X welcomes feedbackon the Review and expressions of interest to join the programme’s community of practice.
    
3. Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with its Fellows and partners, the Academy is working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age by growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships and influence policy and engaging the public.
    
4. Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity with a unique structure and an important mission: engineering a safer world. We reduce risk and enhance the safety of the critical infrastructure that modern society relies upon in areas such as energy, transport, and food. Our vision is to be known worldwide as a leading supporter of engineering-related research, training and education that makes a real difference in improving the safety of the critical infrastructure on which modern society relies. In support of this, we promote scientific excellence and act as a catalyst working with others to achieve maximum impact. We meet our aims by awarding grants, by direct activity, and through the societal benefit activities of our trading group, which shares our mission. Through our grant making we aim to connect science, safety and society by supporting research of the highest quality and promoting skills and education. www.lrfoundation.org.uk

For more information please contact: Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. 020 7766 0745; email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk

The Academy has launched a campaign aimed at delivering a Fellowship that is Fit for the Future by the time it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026. This is defined as a Fellowship that embodies the full breadth and diversity of engineering excellence. To achieve this ambition, the Academy is seeking to elect more outstanding candidates who:

• Are from under-represented groups, including female, Black, Asian and minority ethnic, LGBT+ and disabled engineers.
• Have come into engineering via vocational and non-traditional routes.
• Are achieving excellence at an earlier career stage than is typical.
• Work in emerging technologies and new industries, including areas that are important to address major societal challenges.

The Academy has set an aspiration that at least half of all candidates elected each year will be from these target groups, while recognising that this may not be achieved in the early years of the campaign.

To achieve this, the Academy will:

• Temporarily raise the number of Fellows that can be elected in any one year from 50 to 60, starting with the Fellows who will be elected in 2021 and concluding in our 50^th anniversary year in 2026.

• Scale up efforts to support the important work of the Proactive Nominations Panel in stimulating nominations from candidates who come from under-represented groups, including creating an augmented search process to help identify more candidates who are Black or from minority ethnic groups.

• Increase the number of Honorary Fellows that can be elected in 2021 from one to five.

In order to allow these changes to be implemented in the forthcoming membership cycle, the deadline for submission of nominations for Fellowship will be extended from 1 September to 1 October 2020.

Professor Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says:

“It is essential that our Fellowship represents the very best of UK engineering in all its breadth and diversity. Our relevance, credibility and impact are all entirely dependent on our ability to elect and engage Fellows who embody all dimensions of engineering excellence. Engineering is a living discipline which continues to evolve, and we need to make sure our Fellowship continues to be connected to the frontiers of our discipline as well as reflecting the strength of our engineering heritage.”

Based on the available data, the Academy Fellowship comprises of 6.4% female and 6.5% Black, Asian and minority ethnic engineers, and the average age at election has been around 55 for several years. Work is underway to collect more data on the Academy Fellowship and those supported by Academy programmes, with an Academy Diversity Data Report due to be published later this year. Current data on the Fellowship does not fully reflect the engineering workforce in the UK. According to data published by EngineeringUK and drawn from the ONS Labour Force Survey, 12% of engineers are female and 9% of engineers are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. There is no equivalent data for LGBT+ and disabled engineers.

Find out more about the Fellowship here

Current Academy Fellows and Presidents of the Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs) are the only people allowed to make nominations for Fellowship. In addition, the Academy will be seeking suggestions for potential candidates from the leaders of major engineering employers and a range of networks, trade bodies and associations who could help to identify candidates who may be less well known to existing Fellows.

As progress on identifying excellent candidates who are Black, Asian or from minority ethnic groups has been slower than hoped, David Waboso CBE FREng will act as a champion for this aspect of the campaign. He will support efforts to identify such candidates and ensure that processes give these candidates a fair chance of success.

Notes for Editors

The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

What we do

TALENT & DIVERSITY

We’re growing talent by training, supporting, mentoring and funding the most talented and creative researchers, innovators and leaders from across the engineering profession.

We’re developing skills for the future by identifying the challenges of an ever-changing world and developing the skills and approaches we need to build a resilient and diverse engineering profession.

INNOVATION

We’re driving innovation by investing in some of the country’s most creative and exciting engineering ideas and businesses.

We’re building global partnerships that bring the world’s best engineers from industry, entrepreneurship and academia together to collaborate on creative innovations that address the greatest global challenges of our age.

POLICY & ENGAGEMENT

We’re influencing policy through the National Engineering Policy Centre – providing independent expert support to policymakers on issues of importance.

We’re engaging the public by opening their eyes to the wonders of engineering and inspiring young people to become the next generation of engineers.

For more information please contact: Victoria Runcie at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. 0207 766 0620; email: victoria.runcie@raeng.org.uk

An award-winning Royal Academy of Engineering programme to boost the employment prospects of engineering graduates from diverse backgrounds has resulted in at least 250 engineering employment opportunities over the last five years, including internships, graduate placements and jobs, according to figures published today.

The Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme (GEEP) targets university engineering students and has reached over 800 students from 66 universities since it was launched in 2015. Of the students already involved in the programme 28% are female and over 90% are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds.

Students interested in attending can apply here

The Academy has collaborated with more than a dozen leading engineering employers to provide students with training and networking opportunities that will help and encourage them to apply for engineering jobs. 

The programme will launch for its sixth year in August 2020 with a series of virtual events, starting on 19 August. These will include workshops, interview and assessment centre training, and insight sessions led by engineers. Each event also includes a speed networking session for students to meet engineering recruiters. Companies currently confirmed to support the scheme this year include AMEY, Buro Happold, National Grid, Network Rail, Rolls-Royce, Siemens, Teledyne e2v and WSP.

Engineering companies interested in the programme can contact Rachel Earnshaw for more information.

GEEP has been developed in partnership with engineering employers and is delivered by SEO London, with support from the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AfBE-UK) and the Women’s Engineering Society (WES). GEEP targets engineering undergraduates who are female or from socially disadvantaged or BAME backgrounds with a focus on universities outside the Russell Group. Research[1] shows that there is a stark difference in outcomes for engineering graduates of white and BAME origin entering engineering occupations, with 60% of white engineering graduates employed in engineering occupations after six months, compared with only 40% for BAME graduates. Following a successful three-year pilot, GEEP launched as a full-scale programme in 2018 and it was named winner of the Race Equality Award 2019 at Business in the Community’s Responsible Business Awards.

Academy CEO Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE says:

“The Graduate Engineering Engagement Programme is a vital part of our proactive work to bring diverse talent into engineering roles and we welcome the support of engineering employers in sharing best practice and promoting inclusion in the workplace. We continue to strive for greater diversity in the engineering profession and to advance engineering’s contribution to an inclusive economy that truly works for everyone.”

GEEP participant Damilola Fari-Arole, who is now a Systems and RAM Engineer at Network Rail, says:

“The support I received from attending the programme was incredibly beneficial in my applications and interview processes. The programme gave me an opportunity to expand my network within the industry and gain valuable insight into some of the top engineering firms — allowing me to make informed choices when applying for roles in the industry.

“Through GEEP, I eventually secured a graduate engineering job in Network Rail. I would highly recommend GEEP to engineering students and recent graduates who are looking to gain engineering opportunities, but also would encourage engineering firms alike, to get involved to access and attract top emerging talent into the industry.”

Read more about Damilola’s experience here

Notes for Editors

The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone.

In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public.

Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

What we do

TALENT & DIVERSITY

We’re growing talent by training, supporting, mentoring and funding the most talented and creative researchers, innovators and leaders from across the engineering profession.

We’re developing skills for the future by identifying the challenges of an ever-changing world and developing the skills and approaches we need to build a resilient and diverse engineering profession.

INNOVATION

We’re driving innovation by investing in some of the country’s most creative and exciting engineering ideas and businesses.

We’re building global partnerships that bring the world’s best engineers from industry, entrepreneurship and academia together to collaborate on creative innovations that address the greatest global challenges of our age.

POLICY & ENGAGEMENT

We’re influencing policy through the National Engineering Policy Centre – providing independent expert support to policymakers on issues of importance.

We’re engaging the public by opening their eyes to the wonders of engineering and inspiring young people to become the next generation of engineers.

For more information please contact: Victoria Runcie at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. 0207 766 0620; email: victoria.runcie@raeng.org.uk