Industrial Award

This Award recognises individuals or societies whose success in forging industrial links has had a significant impact on their fellow students. Their activities encourage skills development and employability, offer an insight into possible careers paths and support the transition from education to employment.

There is the possibility of awarding a Continued Excellence in Industrial Award at the judges’ discretion. This Award would recognise the same criteria as listed above but over a sustained period of time, and would be in addition to the Award for achievements of the 2020/21 academic year.

As societies of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences we work closely with companies to gain experience and expertise in our fields. Many of our societies organise guest speakers, careers events, industrial visits or even secure financial support from corporate contacts. These relationships are vital for both our students’ education and preparation for life after university.

Individuals, sub-committees and entire societies can be nominated for this Award.

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See an example of a great nomination:

A great example of a strong nomination for the Industrial Award is the Birmingham Energy Society who are the 2020 trophy-holders:

The committee has recognised a real interest from students to gain insight into energy and green technologies, and have made it their mission to form strong links with employers. They hosted four huge talks with influential people in energy, providing insight into key global challenges. They’ve launched a LinkedIn page to further connect with local SMEs and consequently were invited to attend three conferences. Most notably, BES were special guests at the ‘Ofgem Smart Futures Conference’ and offered their opinion on how the government should reform initiatives to encourage renewable technologies. Their relationship with Birmingham Energy Institute is flourishing and has resulted in three summer placements, and Eon have partnered with them on their UoBe SMART Campaign. Their headline event should have been the Energy Insight Day but sadly this had to be cancelled due to COVID019. However, they were not dismayed for long and are now working with a start-up to help design energy systems for use in making affordable ventilators for developing countries. They are part of important conversations and provide a holistic home for students interested in the sector at a time when it has never been more pivotal to our future.

Plus the Continued Excellence in Industrial Award was presented to UBRacing for their successes over the years:

UBRacing has continued to deliver world-class industrial links for students and sponsors. The team must source sponsorship to help the manufacturing and development of the car. As a huge project that is run entirely by students, UBRacing works with a large number of highly regarded businesses, enhancing the reputation of the team, the University and the Formula Student competition. This year, the team has secured ten new sponsors in technical, software and monetary support while retaining 98% of their existing sponsorship network, bringing the total number of companies they work with to 64. This year also saw increased interaction with their title sponsor, Mahle Powertrain. Team members were invited to their facility in Northampton for a three-hour presentation on electric vehicle development. Their carbon fibre sponsor Mulholland Composites Ltd provided invaluable manufacturing facilities, which enabled first-year students to learn how to make parts for the car. A new sponsor, Central Scanning, provided 3D scanning services for the full car, tyres and chassis which enabled comparison of physical components with CAD programs. Gold sponsors MathWorks gave a group of students the opportunity to undertake a commercial two-day Simulink course at their headquarters in Cambridge to help develop the team’s simulation capabilities. Team members have been given tours at several of their sponsors’ sites including McLaren Racing and Racing Point Formula One teams, providing an excellent opportunity to experience what working in high-calibre automotive teams is like. The industrial relationships development by UBRacing have enabled 100% of their graduating members to go on to full-time employment – a phenomenal achievement!

More strong examples can be found in the 2020 Shortlist brochure.