#TakeOnTomorrow
Spring 2019 • northumbria.ac.uk
Issue 18
FLIPFLOPI SETS SAIL
DESIGNED FOR LIFE
BREXIT EXPERTS HAVE THEIR SAY
Boat made entirely of plastic waste raises awareness of plastic pollution in the oceans. Turn to page 7 for the full story
Take a look inside Northumbria’s new £6.8m Architecture studios.
Northumbria academics discuss what a post-Brexit Britain might look like.
Turn to pages 12-13 to read more
Turn to pages 18-19
NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY CITY CAMPUS
New dawn for green research As global demand for electricity is constantly increasing, the world is looking for innovative new ways to power devices and vehicles. More than 40 billion smartphones, tablets, fitness trackers and other portable devices, which need to be recharged frequently, will be in use by 2024. This means there is an urgent push to find smart, green solutions for these devices that will convert energy to power them wherever and whenever they are being used. Recognising the need to find new, sustainable ways to power these devices, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded £5.2 million to a
Northumbria’s reputation for renewable energy research has been confirmed with the announcement that the University will lead training for the UK’s next generation of researchers in this field. consortium led by Northumbria University to open ReNU, a new national Centre for Doctoral Training in renewable energies. This will train the next generation of PhD students looking to develop scientific careers in this area. Over the next five years, more than 60 PhD students will undertake
their doctoral training in the centre, working with experts from Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham universities. Their aim is to create new materials that can be mass-produced, making them sustainable and inexpensive to use. Global businesses including Airbus, Siemens and Shell are
keen to be involved as these new technologies could be used in their future products. As such, they have also made investments in ReNU, taking the total value of the project to £11 million. Continues on pg. 3
“RENU WILL ENABLE DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS TO DEVELOP THE ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO DRIVE UK PRODUCTIVITY IN THE AREA OF CLEAN GROWTH.” PROFESSOR ANDREW WATHEY CBE