• Sixteen African entrepreneurs with community-transforming innovations are awarded support to accelerate their businesses and help shape the continent
• Shortlist will compete for the £25,000 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

A low-cost water-powered ventilator, dissolvable bio plastic and 3D printed prosthetics are among the innovations chosen to receive crucial commercialisation support from the Royal Academy of Engineering after being shortlisted for its 2021 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.

Top row L-R: Dr Atish Shah, Armelle Sidje, Yusuf Bilesanmi, Jacob Azundah
Bottom row L-R: Elohor Thomas, Eyram Amedzor, George Boateng, Faith Adesemowo

The Africa Prize recognises ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges and this year’s shortlist represents nine countries including, for the first time, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Ethiopia and the Gambia. Six of the 16-strong shortlist are female innovators.

Launched by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014, each year the Africa Prize programme provides a unique business support package to innovators who are transforming their communities. The Africa Prize has a track record of identifying engineering entrepreneurs with significant potential, many of whom have gone on to achieve greater commercial success and social impact.

Top row L-R: Taofeek Olalekan, Marie Ndieguene, Tshepo Mangoele, Juka Fatou Darboe
Bottom row L-R: Noel N’guessan, Olugbenga Olufemi Olubanjo, Indira Tsengiwe, Pazion Cherinet

The benefits of shortlist selection include eight months of comprehensive and tailored business training, bespoke engineering mentoring, media and communications training, funding and access to the Academy’s network of high-profile, experienced engineers and business experts in the UK and across Africa. This year marks the first fully digital programme, providing intensive expert guidance and community support through a mixture of online group and one-on-one sessions.

Emma Wade Smith OBE, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa at the UK Department for International Trade, said: “It makes me very proud to be part of this initiative that demonstrates so clearly and practically the power of partnerships between Africa and the UK. The range of innovations and innovators in this year’s shortlist offer an insight into Africa’s extraordinary diversity and talent and illustrates the importance we all place on nurturing and supporting Africa’s self-starters to create and scale sustainable and inclusive products and services that will help us rebuild our economies to be greener, cleaner and more resilient.

“The Africa Prize helps to accelerate entrepreneurial capacity and ecosystems. I am excited to follow the progress of this year’s cohort, and am certain we will see many of these inventions go on to create and sustain jobs and benefit our societies, as so many of the previous participants in the Africa Prize have done.”

Alumni of the Prize are projected to impact over three million lives in the next five years and have already created over 1500 jobs and raised more than $14 million in grants and equity.

Four finalists will be selected from the shortlist in June and invited to pitch their improved innovation and business plan to the judges and a live audience. A winner will be selected in July to receive £25,000, and three runners up will receive £10,000 each.

The Africa Prize supports innovators developing life-changing technologies that may otherwise have gone unrecognised and under-resourced. Unlike conventional grants or accelerators, the Africa Prize does not dictate the types of innovation that are eligible. Instead, its focus is on the socio-economic impact of the overall business. The Prize provides tailored support to entrepreneurs specifically seeking to address challenges identified in their own communities. Africa Prize alumni include engineers tackling issues as diverse as safe transport, financial service accessibility, agricultural resilience and the healthcare system.

Africa Prize alumni have also played an important role in supporting the continent’s COVID-19 pandemic response, with the programme’s training and additional Academy funding helping them pivot their businesses and address community needs. Together, they reached over 220,000 people with innovations including affordable hand sanitiser, remote education, 3D-printed PPE, access to finance for smallholder farmers and a track and trace platform allowing worshippers to attend religious services.

The 2021 shortlist includes innovations that provide solutions for pressing challenges in essential sectors addressing most of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s shortlist includes companies that are improving recruitment opportunities in the media and software development sectors through digital platforms, reducing agricultural waste by transforming it into products ranging from packaging to a plastic substitute, and using artificial intelligence to improve healthcare therapies.

The shortlisted technologies and candidates are:

• Aevhas, Jacob Azundah from Nigeria – A high-efficiency machine used to process cassava roots into the West African diet staple, garri.
• Biopackaging, Armelle Sidje from Cameroon – A sustainable manufacturing process which transforms banana and plantain stems to biodegradable paper packaging products.
• BlueAvo, Indira Tsengiwe from South Africa – A digital platform which connects creative brands and people in the media industry with local content creators and provides a digital workspace for collaboration and project development.
• CodeLn, Elohor Thomas from Nigeria – An automated tech recruitment platform that supports software engineering recruitment by connecting companies with talented people in the field and helps test their coding abilities.
• Dissolv Bioplastic, Tshepo Mangoele from South Africa – A bioplastic made from plant waste material which is compostable and dissolves in water at pre-determined rates.
• I3S, Marie Ndieguene from Senegal – A sustainably-made and affordable storage space solution made from diverted landfill waste designed to solve the problem of post-harvest loss in agriculture.
• Jumeni Field Service Software, Eyram Amedzor from Ghana – Software which assists service-based businesses by providing a three-part cloud-based application to help increase the productivity of their field teams.
• KubeKo, Noël N’guessan from Côte d’Ivoire – A low-cost biowaste processing machine designed for smallholder farmers to efficiently manage and monetise biowaste.
• Make3D Medical, Juka Fatou Darboe from The Gambia – Cost-effective locally 3D-printed customised orthopaedic, medical and assistive equipment for patients and healthcare workers.
• Mkono-1, Dr Atish Shah from Tanzania – A locally 3D-printed prosthetic hand which provides an affordable solution for people living with upper limb amputations.
• Orbit Health, Pazion Cherinet from Ethiopia – A digital health platform which manages and stores patient data and dispenses medication, allowing for seamless continuity of care.
• Reeddi, Olugbenga Olufemi Olubanjo from Nigeria – An energy system used to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to households and businesses operating in energy-poor communities.
• RealDrip, Taofeek Olalekan from Nigeria – An intravenous therapy solution combining the Internet of Things and AI to monitor dosages, flow rates and intake time.
• ShiVent, Yusuf Bilesanmi from Nigeria – A low-cost, non-electric and non-invasive ventilator for patients with respiratory difficulties.
• Social Lender, Faith Adesemowo from Nigeria – A digital financial services solution that uses a social reputation score to provide access to formal financial services for those without access to a smartphone or bank account.
• SuaCode.ai, George Boateng from Ghana – A smartphone application which uses artificial intelligence to teach coding remotely.

Ends 

Note to editors:

A full set of photographs 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 in 2014, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to developing African innovators and assisting them to maximise their impact. It awards crucial commercialisation support to ambitious African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to address 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 UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund, having been supported by The Shell Centenary Scholarship Fund from 2014 to 2020. Further information can be found here:
https://www.ukri.org/research/global-challenges-research-fund/
https://www.shellcentenaryscholarshipfund.org/

Judges, mentors and expert reviewers of the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation have provided over 2,312 hours of support to entrepreneurs since the prize was established – this equates to a value of roughly £1,156,050 in support. This year, the judges 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 Raspberry Pi Foundation

Emma Wade-Smith OBE, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Africa at the UK Department for International Trade has recently joined the judging panel.

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.

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 / ben@proofafrica.co.za
+27 83 557 2322 / +27 64 742 0880

UK and International
Rachel Ng, April Six on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering
africaprize@aprilsix.com
+44 7485 317 148

A total of 136 innovators from 14 countries have been selected to participate in the 2020–21 Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) programme. The LIF programme aims to build the entrepreneurial capacity of individuals to commercialise their innovations that help to address social and economic challenges in their home countries.

The programme will bring a cohort of these innovators together, selected for the excellence and potential of their innovation and their qualities as an applicant. They will benefit from a focused period of training in entrepreneurship as well as access to expert coaches both online and via residential training and networking to help them develop their business plans. In the long term, they will benefit from ongoing support from their national institutions and access to an international network of peer innovators and mentors as they implement their commercialisation plans.

LIF is run by the Royal Academy of Engineering and funded by the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Newton Fund programme. It is delivered in partnership with multiple in-country entrepreneurship and innovation organisations.

The Academy’s Senior Manager of Entrepreneurship for Development, Mahmoda Ali, said: “It is a tremendous achievement for the Academy and each of its in-country partners to have put in place a version of the LIF programme that can be delivered remotely. The impact of LIF continues to grow each year and we are pleased that by supporting these exceptional innovators, we are helping progress towards many of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.”

Now in its seventh year, this cohort joins a thriving community of over 1,100 alumni from 17 countries. Together, LIF alumni have raised nearly USD $85,000,000 in follow-on funding for their innovations and created thousands of new jobs, boosting their local economies.

A full list of the 136 Leaders in Innovation Fellows and the national institutions who are the Academy’s partners in the LIF programme can be found here.

Notes for editors

1. The Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) programme brings together emerging leaders who have an engineering-based innovation that has the potential to contribute to the social and economic development of their country through commercialisation. The programme provides them with access to high-quality skills training focused on commercialisation, a network of peers in their own country, the UK and around the world, and a rich and varied experience with immediate and long-term benefits for their innovations.

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.

Media enquiries to: Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering
Tel. +44 207 766 0745 Email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk

A UK–Germany energy symposium, organised by the Royal Academy of Engineering in October 2020 with the German Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), has led to the launch today of ten collaborative projects aimed at transitioning energy supplies to more sustainable sources.

Supported by funding from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, each project features a newly formed UK–Germany coalition that will seek to address a specific transition challenge common to both countries, such as the deployment of energy storage solutions, approaches to public interaction, the use of peatlands for carbon storage and the decarbonisation of urban freight transport.

Last year’s energy symposium brought together 60 engineers, scientists, policymakers and energy professionals from the two nations to explore how to deliver the energy transition in a large European economy.

At a time when the UK is redefining its relationship with the world, it is important that mechanisms are in place that allow the UK’s world-leading engineers and scientists to remain at the forefront of international action to solve global challenges such as climate change. The UK and the European Union share not only many of the same challenges and ambitions in transitioning to more sustainable forms of energy, but also the same supply infrastructure. The Academy continues to operate at the interface of industry and academia and believes collaboration will be key to achieving success.

Sir Jim McDonald FREng FRSE, President of the Academy, said: “No-one can be in any doubt that there is a need for colossal transformation if we are to decarbonise the energy industry to meet required targets. These ten new projects are part of that process

“The Royal Academy of Engineering places huge importance on international partnerships such as these and we are working hard to ensure these relationships remain strong following Brexit and just as strong in the face of other barriers to collaboration that we may encounter, like the current global pandemic.

“UK institutions must step up and do what they can during what is a big year for climate action and diplomacy. By the time the UK co-hosts COP26 in November in my home city of Glasgow, I hope that our two countries will have compelling examples to show other nations what can be achieved.”

The ten projects receiving funding are:

Dr Aram Kalhori, GFZ German Research Centre for Geoscience, Germany
Quantifying nature-based carbon storage potentials of organic soils by various peatland management scenarios

Dr Conrad Kunze, Free University of Berlin, Germany
Mainstreaming community energy and renewable energy efficient measures with State Programs – a collaboration between the UK and Germany (MCEEM)

Dr Lars-Peter Lauven, University of Kassel, Germany
Integration of offshore wind power

Professor Xiaohong Li, University of Exeter, UK
Flow battery and green hydrogen as energy storage system in coupling renewable energy source

Dr Colin Nolden University of Oxford, UK
Energy demand governance for zero carbon

Dr Danny Otto, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany
Trust in technologies for a zero carbon future

Dr Aidan Rhodes, Imperial College, UK
A comparison of consumer attitudes and incentives for demand response and flexible tariffs in the UK and Germany

Dr Adriano Sciacovelli, University of Birmingham, UK
Realizing the whole-system value of energy storage in UK and German future low carbon grids – initial assessment of long duration storage through Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) and thermal energy storage

Dr Hawal Shamon, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
Effectivity of decarbonisation measures in the household heating sector in UK and Germany

Dr Aruna Sivakumar, Imperial College, UK
Sustainable and Multimodal Urban Freight Logistics

Ends

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.

Media enquiries to: Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0745; email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk

How can spinouts help cement the UK as a ‘science superpower’? New analysis grows understanding of what it takes for a spinout to thrive.

• New examination of the UK spinout landscape includes data on top sectors, geographic spread and nationality of leadership
• Findings indicate trend towards more follow-on funding, increasing importance of grants, and lack of diversity in founding teams

Read the full report (10.44 MB)

Four universities – Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial College London and University College London – account for a third of all UK spinout companies, according to a report published today by the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub and Beauhurst. Pharmaceuticals, research tools and medtech are some of the UK’s largest spinout sectors, and the data also highlights a rapidly developing AI sector.

Spotlight on spinouts: UK academic spinout trends

examines where and how effectively innovations developed in universities are being turned into real-world products, processes and commercial successes. Gathering evidence together in one place for the first time on the current state of the UK spinout landscape, the report identifies a potential trend towards spinouts attracting less new investment but more follow-on funding. The data compiled includes which universities are successfully generating spinouts, their geographic spread, top sectors, investments and who is making them, survival and growth rates and exits, Innovate UK grants, and gender and nationality of leadership. The IP policies and stakes taken by universities are also examined.

Findings in the report include:

• Spinout companies raised a record £1.30 billion equity investment in 2018. The number of deals secured remained similar in 2019, but the amount invested decreased by 18%. While the data for 2020 remains incomplete and the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on spinout success and investment trends remains to be fully understood, the significantly increased average investment size could suggest a trend of more follow-on funding and less new investment.
• Grants are becoming increasingly important as sources of funds for spinouts.
• On average it takes a spinout almost 10 years to exit by IPO or acquisition, and 41% of spinouts ceased activity between 5 and 10 years of age.
• Only 20% of founding teams included a female member and only 12% of spinouts have at least one female director.
• Ethnicity data on spinout founders and directors presents a clear gap, limiting our ability to understand and improve D&I.
• A surprisingly small number of investors account for the bulk of activity, the largest of which collapsed earlier this year.
• Over half of spinouts incorporated since 2015 saw a university take an equity stake. Where this was the case, the average stake taken by a UK university in the year of spinning out is 22% – but this varies greatly by institution and by type of spinout.

Building on its own work to boost innovation through its Enterprise Hub, the Royal Academy of Engineering intends to use the evidence to inform the wider debate about UK innovation and enterprise. The data will be updated annually to track progress, identify the impact of any changes and draw firmer conclusions on the state of UK spinouts.

Science Minister Amanda Solloway said: “Accelerating the time between concept and commercial application is critical to the UK’s productivity, growth and social benefits. I’m delighted that this report will help shine a light on what is required to build successful university spinouts, including how we increase diversity and maximise the commercial opportunities presented by the UK’s exceptional academic institutions.”

David Cleevely CBE FREng, Chair of the Enterprise Committee at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Spinouts are a key vehicle for getting the incredible ideas and innovations developed in our UK universities into real-world products and processes. As a national academy for engineering and technology, we want to understand how that is being achieved across the country, where learning could be shared, and what best practice might look like. This report aims to provide a baseline understanding of UK spinouts – how many, how much, who and where – and provides food for thought as to where we go from here. I look forward to future work from the Academy as we work with others to develop our understanding – through what I hope will become an annual report.”

Maria Dramalioti-Taylor, Partner at Beacon Capital LLP and project steering group member, said: “For investors, spinout companies represent cutting edge technology and innovation. These companies also represent a particularly interesting intersection of people and skills – people with incredible science and engineering know-how who are also entrepreneurially-minded and driven to transform the industries they are working in and monetise their innovations.”

Since the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub was established in 2013, it has supported over 230 researchers, recent graduates and SME leaders to startup and scaleup their businesses. As an organisation without a stake in the companies it supports, it is uniquely placed to provide an independent voice whose understanding is rooted in the experiences of both academia and industry.

This report forms the first part of a project on IP and commercialisation for university spinouts being undertaken by the Academy.  A practical guide for entrepreneurs wishing to spin out from their universities will be published in autumn 2021, based on the experiences of Enterprise Hub members. A series of workshops, masterclasses and blogs on related topics will accompany the guide.

Notes for Editors

The Royal Academy of Engineering and Enterprise Hub

The Royal Academy of Engineering is the UK’s national academy for engineering. We are 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 driving innovation and building global partnerships, influencing policy and engaging the public, and growing talent and developing skills for the future. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.

The Enterprise Hub supports the UK’s brightest technology and engineering entrepreneurs to realise their potential. Our goal is to encourage creativity and innovation in engineering for the benefit of all. By fostering lasting, exceptional connections between talent and expertise and lifelong access to an unrivalled community of mentors and alumni, we aim to create a virtuous cycle of innovation that can deliver on this ambition.

For more information please contact:

Tom chamberlain at Seven Hills

E: tom.chamberlain@wearesevenhills.com

T: 07854 461301

• New report from Engineering X shows scale and complexity of problem is poorly understood

• Diverse and inclusive community of practice needed to address the many challenges

A major global study of what happens to consumer goods and other engineered products at the end of their useful life has found widespread use of unsafe management and disposal practices and calls for urgent action to address the risks posed to human life and health.

The Engineering X Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life warns that the biggest threat is from the open burning of solid waste which is damaging the health of “tens of millions” of people worldwide but a lack of data means that the true scale of the problem is unknown and more research is urgently needed.

Half a billion tonnes (24%) of all the municipal solid waste generated on earth is not collected, and a further 27% is mismanaged following collection. Much of this is disposed of by open burning. Uncontrolled burning of waste is particularly widespread in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where collection and disposal systems are often poor or completely absent.

Waste is burned close to homes, within industrial or commercial premises, and in large uncontrolled dumpsites. The hazardous cocktail of emissions released into the atmosphere and onto land threatens the environment and the health of those who live and work nearby. The review found evidence of emissions from open burning that are classed as persistent organic pollutants, as well as those that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, cause immunological and developmental impairments, and may lead to reproductive abnormalities.

Thought to be the first study of its kind, the Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life
was commissioned by Engineering X, an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation. The research was carried out by a team from the University of Leeds in partnership with specialist organisations, including the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA). The researchers examined the challenges to occupational and public safety by identifying the ‘pathways’ that resulted in people becoming exposed to potential harm from plastic waste, medical waste, electronic waste, construction and demolition waste, and land disposal.

Open burning is one of three interconnected challenges that emerged from the research along with dumpsites and the hazards facing the world’s 11 million ‘waste pickers’. These are the men, women and children who make up the vast informal workforce the world relies on to collect more than 90 million metric tonnes of waste for recycling each year but who are often stigmatised or even criminalised for their activities while being exposed to huge risks, including from open burning.

The review found that there is little accurate data or empirical evidence on where, what and how much solid waste is currently burned, what is released during burning, and what impact burning has on people and the environment locally or on a wider scale. Simply banning open burning will not solve the current safety issues and a large-scale response is needed. Current estimates indicate that ending the practice of open burning could add up to a billion tonnes of solid waste to be treated and disposed of worldwide.

The authors also considered the complex motivations behind burning of waste that must be understood if interventions to improve safety are to be successful, sustainable and work for everyone. People, businesses and governments have come to rely on the burning of waste for a wide range of reasons and perceived benefits. For instance, medical waste containing both PVC and potentially fatal pathogens is often burned – this avoids the risk of infection from blood-borne viruses but also releases dioxins from the PVC.

The review makes recommendations for urgent action to mitigate harm and for further research and the Engineering X Safer End of Engineered Life programme will develop activities to raise awareness of the global safety challenges associated with the burning of waste, the management of dumpsites and ways to give protection to informal workers. It will convene a multidisciplinary community of practitioners, academics, policy makers and related stakeholders to develop holistic, strategic ways to address the impact on human health and safety.

Professor William Powrie FREng, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Southampton and Chair of the Engineering X Safer End of Engineered Life programme, said: “This global review contains a wealth of information that will help to inform our activity going forward. There is no doubt that the handling of humanity’s waste and its impact on health and safety should be much higher up the global agenda. It beggars belief that we are still using crude and ancient methods of disposal to deal with our 21st century waste problem. This is not just a technical issue–economics and human requirements also play a part. We have been reminded time and again during the preparation of the report that we must work to create appropriate solutions that work in local contexts to reduce harm and not assume that we in higher-income countries have all the answers. We must listen to all voices and build diverse communities around these critical issues and I urge people to join us.”

Dr Ruth Boumphrey, Director of Research at Lloyd’s Register Foundation said, “Now is the time for collective action. It is unacceptable that in today’s world we do not have a proper understanding of how to safely and responsibly manage the waste from engineered items. We hope that this report will shine a spotlight on these long-neglected issues and help us build new partnerships that lead to action.”

Dr Costas Velis of the University of Leeds, who wrote the report with Ed Cook, said: “Over the past 200 years or so, affluent countries have developed waste management to a point where new research and potential improvements are directed at resource recovery and the development of a circular economy rather than on safeguarding public and occupational health and safety. We need to remember that in other parts of the world the disposal of man-made materials, products and structures once they become ‘waste’ at the end of their engineered life can still be a dangerous and harmful business for those involved in the process but much more research and robust data is needed to fully understand the scale of the problem. In particular, open uncontrolled burning is a huge public health challenge we cannot afford to keep ignoring.”

Alongside the publication of with the global review report, the full appendices on plastic waste, medical waste, electronic waste; construction and demolition waste; and land disposal are being made available in a pre-publication repository.

Notes for editors

1. Engineering X Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life ISBN 978-1-909327-4, Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation, December 2020 is available to view on the Academy’s website:
   Global Review on Safer End of Engineered Life (13.87 MB)

2. Five appendices covering the five areas researched are available in pre-print:

   Plastic waste:
   – Mismanagement of plastic waste through open burning in the Global South: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health– Plastic waste reprocessing for circular economy: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health from legacy substances and extrusion
   E-waste:
   – Physical processing, dismantling and hydrometallurgical treatment of e-waste: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health– Thermal deconstruction, open burning and disposal of e-waste without pollution control: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health

   Medical waste:
   – Medical and healthcare waste generation, storage, treatment and disposal: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health

   Construction and demolition waste:
   – Construction and demolition waste management: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health

   Land disposal sites:– From dumpsites to engineered landfills: A systematic review of risks to occupational and public health

2. In partnership with ISWA, Engineering X will run two workshops on open burning in January 2021 to discuss the review and with the aim of starting a community of practice that will bring together stakeholders from around the world and from a range of disciplines. More information on the workshops can be found on the programme’s website.

3. 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.

   Engineering X Safer End of Engineered Life is a five-year programme with the mission to reduce the number of incidents, accidents and casualties that happen as a result of safety issues by improving existing waste management practices and supporting design-for-waste principles and safer, more sustainable waste policies in the longer term. Its objectives are:
   – to understand and apply practical interventions to improve safety at end of engineered life
   – to build an international community of knowledge and good practice across national and sectorial boundaries for the improvement of safety in end of engineered life
   – to raise awareness and public understanding of these issues

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. The University of Leeds worked on this research with the International Solid Waste Association, D-Waste, and Independent Safety Services Limited.

Media enquiries to: Pippa Cox at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0745; email: Pippa.Cox@raeng.org.uk

Congratulations to the following Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List 2021 for their services to engineering research, industry and wider society:

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire DBE

Joanna DA SILVA OBE FREng, Director, Arup Group Ltd. For services to Engineering and International, Sustainable Development

Knight Bachelor

Lewis HAMILTON MBE HonFREng, Formula One Racing Driver. For services to Motorsports.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire CBE

Professor S Ravi Pradip SILVA FREng, Director, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey. For services to Science, to Education and to Research

Officers of the Order of the British Empire OBE

Professor Robert BUCKINGHAM FREng, Robotics Director, UK Atomic Energy Authority. For services to Robotic Engineering

Professor Mohan Jayantha EDIRISINGHE FREng, Bonfield Chair of Biomaterials, University College London. For services to Biomedical Engineering

Professor Eleanor STRIDE FREng, Statutory Professor of Biomaterials, University of Oxford. For services to Engineering

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.

For more information please contact:

Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering

Tel. +44 207 766 0636

E:  Jane Sutton

Following a highly competitive selection process, the Academy is delighted to announce that seven successful applicants will join the fourth cohort of its prestigious Policy Fellowships programme:

• Bernard McKeown, Head of Future Sectoral Policy for the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy, Principal Officer, Northern Ireland Civil Service
• Eleanor Brown, Veterinary Head of TB Policy Advice, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
• Jonathan Baker, Head of Programme Policy and Strategy, DEFRA
• Matthew Pullen, Infrastructure Planning Manager, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
• Oliver Marsh, Head of Data Adequacy (EU/EEA), DCMS
• Owen Jackson, Deputy Director, Global Issues and Opportunities, GO-Science
• Tom Wells, Deputy Director, Emerging Technology, Futures and Projects Organisation, GO-Science

The Policy Fellows will join the programme virtually between January and April 2021. They will take part in a series of development activities including: one-to-one meetings with experts, coaching sessions and group workshops, to help them make rapid progress on their chosen policy challenges.  They will learn first-hand how engineers solve problems using techniques such as systems thinking and have an opportunity to expand their personal networks with the Academy’s community of innovators and leaders. Collectively they will meet over 80 leading engineers handpicked from the Academy’s UK and international networks.

Dr David Cleevely CBE FREng, Chair of the Policy Fellowships Working Group, said: “The Academy’s Policy Fellowships programme is entering its second year with a strong new cohort from central government, agencies, local authorities and the devolved administrations. We hope to inspire and enable them to apply engineering and systems thinking to some of the most complex and urgent policy challenges facing the UK. I am excited by the potential of this unique network of to transform policy through engineering.”

Policy Fellowships: a network of policymakers connected with the nation’s leading engineers
The Policy Fellowships programme has a growing influence on policymaking practice. It is now a network of 26 alumni.

Next cohort: applications open until 30 January 2021
The next cohort of Policy Fellows will start in April 2021. Applications are now open and will close on 30 January 2021. For more information about the programme and how to apply please visit www.raeng.org.uk/policyfellowships or email policyfellowships@raeng.org.uk.

Launch of the first Policy Fellowships Insights Report
On 13 January 2021, we will launch our first Policy Fellowships insights report, co-written with alumni at a special event hosted by them. Policy Fellows and guest speakers will come together to discuss how engineering perspectives transform policymaking practice. For more information about this online event and how to register please visit our events page.

Notes for editors

1. About the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Policy Fellowships

The Royal Academy of Engineering’s Policy Fellowship is an intensive professional development programme open to civil and public servants with responsibility for policy design in any sector. The programme connects policymakers with the nation’s leading engineers. It offers policymakers a unique opportunity to make rapid progress on a chosen policy challenge, to expand their personal networks with the Academy’s community of innovators and leaders, and to learn first-hand how engineers solve problems using techniques such as systems thinking.

As the UK’s national academy for engineering and technology, the Royal Academy of Engineering brings together the most talented and successful engineers, finest systems thinkers and outstanding talent in technology for the benefit of society.

The next cohort will run from April 2021. Applications are now open and will close on 30 January 2021.

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 more information, please visit www.raeng.org.uk/policyfellowships or email policyfellowships@raeng.org.uk.

Honest public debate is needed to enable the safe development of autonomous transport – from driverless cars and delivery drones to uncrewed ships, according to a paper published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre. The journey to an autonomous transport system: identifying challenges across multiple modes says that developing technologies and services that are trustworthy, ethical and inclusive will require extensive consultation, multidisciplinary collaboration and culture change.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated innovation in autonomous systems, with a surge in demand for the services of pavement delivery robots, such as Starship Technologies operating in Milton Keynes. In the US, Nuro, a self-driving delivery van, was recently granted a fixed-term regulatory exemption enabling it to operate on the roads autonomously without features that allow a driver to take control.

UK codes of conduct are already in place to support the testing of autonomous surface ships and self-driving vehicles. These are considered to set a minimum standard, with some developers going significantly above the requirements, moving towards anticipated market expectations. Government is currently assessing the safety of the Automated Lane Keeping System, a system that can take over control of a vehicle, keeping it in lane on motorways – increasing the level of automation but creating new challenges due to shared control.

The paper highlights that autonomous systems can create safer, more efficient and lower carbon transportation systems. It points out however that realising these benefits depends on how the future transport system is envisioned, engineered, and implemented. There are lots of efforts underway to get the environment right for autonomous systems with research funding, technology demonstrators and regulatory collaborations. The following key challenges are identified that need to be overcome before widespread deployment is possible:

• fostering collaboration between different transport modes and across disciplines. This would enable different perspectives to be made and collective decisions to be shared that merit public support and ensure alignment across infrastructure, levelling up and decarbonisation agendas
• developing a training pipeline that creates, reskills and upskills the engineering profession to develop, deploy and maintain these autonomous transport solutions throughout their operational lifetimes while simultaneously evolving and maintaining technical and ethical competencies
• establishing oversight mechanisms to attribute responsibility and improve transparency and information sharing across the whole transport system

Professor Paul Newman FREng, Chief Technical Officer of Oxbotica and a member of the NEPC’s Safety and ethics of autonomous systems project working group, says:

“Autonomous systems offer so many opportunities in transport: if we can join up road freight, ports and maritime operations there is potential for significant efficiency gains. However, as a developer I know these systems, while potentially superhuman, are not supernatural – they will inevitably make some mistakes (albeit far fewer than humans) and these will likely be different in nature to the mistakes humans tend to make. We need an open public conversation on how these systems will perform in order to build a culture of trust.”

Read the paper at www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/the-journey-to-an-autonomous-transport-system

Professor Paul Newman will be in discussion online with Dave Short, Technology Director at BAE Systems, about the opportunities for autonomy at 17.00 – 18.00 on Tuesday 8 December 2020  https://www.raeng.org.uk/events/events-programme/2020/december/royal-academy-of-engineering-and-bae-systems-joint

Notes for Editors

1. The journey to an autonomous transport system: identifying challenges across multiple modes was compiled following a roundtable discussion on the development of autonomous systems in transport with input in particular from the British Computer Society, the Engineering Council, the Institute of Agricultural Engineering, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

This paper exploring the issues around autonomous systems in transport is the first of a series of deep dives to help develop a wider understanding across different sectors, on which to base recommendations to support the safe and ethical development and deployment of autonomous systems across the UK. Further deep dives are planned covering healthcare and social media.

For more details of the work of the NEPC’s  Safety and ethics of autonomous systems project visit www.raeng.org.uk/policy/safety-and-ethics-of-autonomous-systems

2. The National Engineering Policy Centre

We are a unified voice for 43 professional engineering organisations, representing 450,000 engineers, a partnership led by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

We give policymakers a single route to advice from across the engineering profession.

We inform and respond to policy issues of national importance, for the benefit of society.

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 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:

Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering

T: +44 207 766 0636

E:  Jane Sutton

• Virtual exhibition opens this week hosted by the National Science and Media Museum
• Photographer Jude Palmer captures the people behind innovations making a difference across the UK and globally

A new online exhibition opens this week at Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum, featuring a series of fascinating and evocative images of the engineers who dropped everything to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioned by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the images were captured by Leeds-based photographer Jude Palmer, who is more used to photographing rock stars and sporting events. The collection illustrates the human effort across the UK to develop and manufacture ventilators and testing kits, construct field hospitals and protect healthcare workers and the public, all in record time.

The exhibition is available to view here:

Science and Media Museum: Engineering a response to COVID-19

From a consortium of some of the UK’s biggest companies working together to build ventilators to an off-duty engineer who designed an ingenious hook to help healthcare workers open doors safely, the scale and variety of the engineers’ work is vast. University teams around the country have worked tirelessly to design new ways to test for the virus and even to develop a desktop vaccine factory for the future.

The one thing that unites all the engineers featured in Jude’s photographs is their determination to tackle the pandemic using their engineering knowledge and training. They are also recipients of the President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service Awards, presented by the Academy in recognition of their exceptional dedication to fighting COVID-19.

Photographer Jude Palmer says:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a moment in time I hope we will not live again, it has impacted upon every human being on this planet in some way, and the people on the front line of tackling this disease have rightly been praised for their heroic work. Engineers have worked silently and diligently, with equal passion, but they are not always in the headlines. This project was about putting them into sharp focus and placing them also at the forefront of this battle.

“All had such passion for their role in fighting this pandemic. All were so modest about their contribution. After each shoot I left feeling totally overwhelmed with what I had seen and heard. I am totally in awe of these human beings who were saving lives in the best way they knew how – through their engineering skills and talents.”

Charlotte Howard, Interpretation Developer at the National Science and Media Museum, commented:

“Covid-19 has been a shock to the system. While many of us tucked ourselves away in our homes during the first lockdown, engineers all over the country rolled up their sleeves and got to work. These photographs give us a glimpse into their working lives and the people behind the inventions. The achievements of the 19 awardees are inspiring and the museum is honoured to offer itself up as a platform to share these outstanding achievements.”

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.”

Notes for Editors

1. 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.

2. The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, West Yorkshire, opened in 1983, and has since become one of the most visited UK museums outside London. The Museum explores the science and culture of image and sound technologies, creating special exhibitions, interactive galleries and activities for families and adults. It is home to three cinemas, including Europe’s first IMAX cinema screen and the world’s only public Cinerama screen outside the USA. Entry to the Museum is free. www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk

For more information please contact: Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0636; email: jane.sutton@raeng.org.uk

From a Luke Skywalker-inspired hand prothesis to a smart cane and a wearable mobility device, the Global MedTech Showcase, which took place on 18 November, was an impressive feast of health tech innovation from all corners of the globe.

Taking place online, and watched by over 170 investors, corporates, funders and government stakeholders, the Showcase was the culmination of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Leaders in Innovation Fellowships (LIF) Advance Programme which was delivered by SETsquared, under the theme of  ‘disability inclusion and reducing inequalities in healthcare’. The programme aimed to provide further training and support to some of the best LIF alumni as well as giving them a landing opportunity into the UK innovation ecosystem.

Twelve innovators from 12 different countries took part, all with a technology or business model that contributes towards eliminating inequalities in access to healthcare, or towards empowering people with disabilities and chronic health conditions to participate fully in society.

To close the event, guest speaker Sheana Yu, CEO and founder of Aergo, told her own entrepreneurial story and how she was inspired to develop a seating system which helps young wheelchair users sit more comfortably and be better supported. Sheana was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship in 2018 and has also received a Women in Innovation award in 2019 from Innovate UK.

Find out more about the pitching companies

Peruvian Enzo Romero is Founder & CEO of Giving a Hand. He develops affordable personalised hand prostheses that are manufactured 75% faster than current processes and sold at a third of the price of commercially available prostheses.

He said of his experience of pitching at the Showcase: “As a person with a disability who develops engineering solutions, I was really proud to take part in this showcase with my fellow pitchers from around the world. They showed me that there are many of us who are looking for accessible technological solutions for those who need it most. As a company we are expanding by building a team and investing in the equipment needed to develop personalised assistance technology – no matter what type of amputation someone has – we can develop an affordable prothesis which restores their mobility.”

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who opened the Showcase, said: “We believe that engineers can transform society for the better – by tackling the greatest challenges of our age and helping to make the world a safer, fairer and more sustainable place to live. The Leaders in Innovation Fellowships programme has drawn on the Academy’s expertise in supporting technology entrepreneurs in the UK, to work with partner organisations in Newton Fund countries and build a thriving global community of innovators.”

Karen Brooks, Programme Director at SETsquared, commented: “We are incredibly proud to have been the delivery partner for this programme and to support such an inspiring group of entrepreneurs who are making a difference to people’s lives around the world. We’ve worked closely with the participants since April, helping them to develop their business models, refine their pitches, and connect them with UK partners, customers and academics. This Showcase was the pinnacle of the programme and gave them a high-profile platform to showcase their innovative healthcare solutions to a wide audience of investors, corporates, potential mentors, partners and Government funders. We look forward to continuing to support them on their journey to success.”

Notes to editors

1. The LIF Advance Programme is part of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowships Programme (LIF) brings together the emerging leaders in the global innovation community, providing them with access to high-quality skills training focused on commercialisation, a network of peers in their own country, the UK and around the world, and a rich and varied experience with immediate and long-term benefits for their innovations. The programme welcomes individuals with an interest in entrepreneurship and have an engineering based innovation that has the potential to contribute to the social and economic development of their country.
2. 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.
3. SETsquared Partnership is an enterprise partnership between the five-leading research-led UK universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton, and Surrey. Ranked as the Global No. 1 Business Incubator, it has a long track record of successfully incubating high tech, high-growth start-ups as well as dedicated support for innovative SMEs. Since 2002, SETsquared has helped secure over £1.8bn investment, with its start-ups and scale-ups raising £439m in investment and acquisitions in 2019 alone.