The Clean Revolution: Building Northern Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industry
2022-09-06 10:30 (Europe/London) | A&L Goodbody, 42-46 Fountain Street, Belfast, BT1 5EB
Join RenewableNI for a free seminar to mark the launch The Clean Revolution, our new offshore wind report.
This free event, sponsored by A&L Goodbody, brings together experts in offshore wind as Northern Ireland prepares to create a new section of the renewable electricity industry.
The Northern Ireland Energy Strategy committed to attracting ‘investment opportunities in offshore and marine developments in Northern Ireland waters’. RenewableNI’s new report The Clean Revolution: Building Northern Ireland’s Offshore Wind Industry explores the economic and environmental benefits.

The session will be opened by Niamh Kenny, Chair of RenewableNI’s Offshore Wind working group, and Project Director for SBM Offshore‘s proposed 400MW North Channel Wind floating wind project.
John Tougher, Senior Associate, A&L Goodbody, will set out the opportunities and challenges of offshore wind.
Report authors BVG Associates will then present the key findings of the report and provide expert analysis and details.
Finally, there will be a question and answer session from the audience.
Refreshments will be provided before and after the seminar.

Printed copies of the report will be available at the launch and then available for free online.

23rd TAROS Conference
2022-09-07 - 2022-09-09 | Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, OX14 3DB, United Kingdom
UKAEA’s RACE will host the 23rd TAROS – the longest running UK-hosted international conference on Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS). It is aimed at the presentation and discussion of the latest results and methods in autonomous robotics research and applications.
TAROS offers a friendly environment for robotics researchers and industry to take stock and plan future progress. It welcomes senior researchers and research students alike, and specifically provides opportunities for research students and young research scientists to present their work to the scientific community.
Deadlines

20th May 2022
Submission deadline (5pm BST)

10th June 2022
Confirmation of acceptance

15th July 2022
Camera-ready paper submission (5pm BST)

Professional and Financial Services Innovation CR&D Competition Briefing Event
2022-09-08 09:00 - 13:00 | Online
Innovate UK will open a new £7m CR&D competition on 5th September, to support digital innovation in Professional and Financial services.
Key themes of the competition are to enable services to under-served and excluded communities, individuals and businesses and to make provision of these professional and financial services more efficient and effective.
The competition will be open for applications from the 5th September until 9th November.

Opportunities in the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder Scheme
2022-09-08 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
Innovate UK KTN in collaboration with the UK Research Office (UKRO) and the UK National Contact Point for the European Innovation Council, Innovate UK would like to invite you to a webinar on the 8th of September which will give you an overview of the EIC and EIC Pathfinder.
The EIC pathfinder programme supports the exploration of bold ideas for radically new technologies. It welcomes the high-risk / high gain and interdisciplinary cutting-edge science collaborations that underpin technological breakthroughs.
Grants of up to 3 to 4 million euro support early stage development of future technologies (e.g. various activities at low Technology Readiness Levels 1-3), up to proof of concept. Pathfinder projects can also receive additional funding for testing the innovation potential of their research outputs.

Who is this Event for?

Applicants participating in EIC Pathfinder projects are typically visionary scientists and entrepreneurial researchers from universities, research organisations, start-ups, high-tech SMEs, or industrial stakeholders interested in technological research and innovation.
Projects typically involve consortia of researchers and other partners from at least three different countries, but there are also opportunities for individual teams and small consortia (two partners).

What is it About?

Blazej Thomas, Senior European Advisor NCP, UKRO will provide an overview of Horizon Europe. Claire Griffin, UK National Contact Point, EIC, Innovate UK will be giving an overview of the EIC, focusing on the Pathfinder scheme, including eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria and on how to move results up the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

SBRI: INFORMATION EVENT - HARNESSING TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE POLICY DEVELOPMENT
2022-09-12 14:00 - 16:00 | Northern Ireland
The DfE is looking for an innovative solution to support the delivery of its 10x Economic Vision for Northern Ireland

The Department for Economy has a 10X Economic Vision for Northern Ireland, seeing to deliver innovation led, sustainable and inclusive growth.
In the past identifying programme and policy indicators, and linking those to measurement of achievement has been a largely manual process.
DfE is keen to work with innovative companies to create a technical solutions that allows for easy identification of indicators, and allows for intelligent and efficient tracking of performance.
The DfE has been awarded £150,000 to undertake an SBRI research project to assess the technical feasibility of solutions that can capture, baseline, track and report on carbon emissions across the EA’s estate.
The competition is open to all organisations in the EU and UK and Phase 1 will run from September 2022-March 31 2023.
This free to attend session will provide information on the SBRI programme in Northern Ireland, the DfE’s project and how to apply.
For more information about the DfE and 10X Economic Vision:
For further information about SBRI in Northern Ireland and how to apply go to: www.matrixni.org/sbri

Briefing Event: SBRI Healthy Ageing Scaling Social Ventures Competition
2022-09-14 10:00 - 10:45 | Online
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is pleased to announce the launch of the upcoming SBRI Healthy Ageing Scaling Social Ventures Competition, from UKRI and our Healthy Ageing Challenge.
The healthy ageing market we are investing in is diverse. It ranges from helping people remain physically active through to managing the impacts of ageing, such as hearing loss and cognitive impairment. On the way, innovations will help people live independently in their own homes for longer and enable them to remain engaged with their communities. These solutions will address Healthy Ageing’s ‘seven themes of ageing,’ described here.
Launching on 5 September, the competition aims to help companies achieve this mission by awarding a total of £3m. With grants for eligible project costs being allocated across one funding stream aimed at scaling existing products and services. Businesses will be able to apply for grants between 250K and 500K.
To discuss this further, an online briefing event is being held on 14 September to explain how the SBRI for Scaling Social Ventures will work, how businesses can apply and what UKRI are seeking.
During the briefing event there will be an opportunity to register for a 1-to-1 session with Innovate UK colleagues to address specific questions.
Agenda
10:00 – General introductions
10:05 – Healthy Ageing Challenge overview
10:15 – Introduction to Scaling Social Ventures SBRI competition
10:35 – SBRI overview
10:45 – IFS application process
Headed up by our Investment and Technology Innovation Lead, Dr Helen Crampin
The 100% funding provided by this competition, recognises the valuable contribution social enterprises make to society. I’m really looking forward to supporting you through the competition process and ensuring you get the best chance possible of securing this great funding opportunity.
Are you eligible? Do you meet the following requirements?

Exist to provide benefits to society
Have stated commitment to social outcomes for an identified set of beneficiaries related to the social mission
Have objects in constitutional documents, which form a constitutional lock, that protect the mission
Have the policy to distribute profits after tax, or plan to have one, so surpluses are used to achieve social or environmental impacts
Have the capacity and capability to scale your product or service by 25% of the current baseline activity

After the event our online networking tool, Meeting Mojo will be available for use for you to speak to the meeting hosts.

Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Industry Update Event
2022-09-22 10:00 - 16:00 | Online
The Department for Transport, Innovate UK and Innovate UK KTN would like to invite you to an important CMDC industry engagement event on the 22nd September 2022 in London. There will also be the option to join this hybrid event virtually.
Following on from the successful Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Rounds 1 and 2, the organisers would like to welcome stakeholders across the maritime sector and supporting industries to attend this important event about the next stages of the programme through to March 2025. The event will explain the latest opportunities to engage with the CMDC programme and deliver the transition to clean maritime.
All stakeholders across the UK’s clean maritime eco-system are strongly urged to register to attend.
The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition programme is a multi-year R&D funding initiative. In March 2021, the Government allocated £23m of funding to 55 projects across the UK as part of CMDC1. These projects totalling £33m of public and private investment supported the design and development of zero emission shipping technologies and greener ports through a series of technology trials and feasibility studies to accelerate clean maritime. The competition ended on 31 March.
In May 2022, the new £206m UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) in DfT committed to a number of interventions to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector including further rounds of the CMDC over the next three financial years. This included launching CMDC2 with £12m of government funding for feasibility studies and pre-deployment technologies in clean maritime. The application window was closed on 14 July and bids are being assessed. Successful projects will run from January 2023 to August 2023.
UK SHORE committed to a third round of the CMDC later in 2022 aimed at large technology demonstrations and a fourth round in 2023.
Stakeholders are asked to register for this save the date now, as we are expecting high demand.

Smart Energy Conference 2022
2022-10-06 | Clayton Hotel Belfast, 22 Ormeau Ave, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT2 8HS, United Kingdom
RenewableNI is pleased to announce the date of this year’s Smart Energy Conference – Thursday 6 October.
Taking in place in the Clayton Hotel, in the heart of Belfast, the conference will focus on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Energy Strategy.

The full-day conference includes a networking lunch and ends with a drinks reception in a private bar area.
Panel discussions on the agenda are the NI Planning System and Markets, with plenty of time for audience questions.
We will be examining what has been achieved from the 2022 Action Plan, what the key milestones are, and what major obstacles are and how to overcome them.
The agenda will include:

Keynote speech from Mark Ennis, SSE.
Markets Panel Discussion – facilitated by the Chair of the RenewableNI Markets Working Group, Richard Murphy, Pinsent Mason.
Planning Panel Discussion – facilitated by the Chair of the RenewableNI Planning Working Group, Sara Tinsley, Energia.
Launch of RenewableNI’s new strategy.
Address from event partner Carson McDowell.
Networking lunch in Clayton Hotel restaurent.
Drinks reception in a private bar.

Critical conversations: End of life for data and the internet of things
2022-10-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
In this conversation, we will explore the legal, ethical and safety challenges created by the immortality of digital data and how the engineering community can address them.
In the next online event as part of the Critical conversations series, Academy CEO, Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, will be joined by Professor Ana Basiri, Professor in Geospatial Data Science at the University of Glasgow and Safer End of Engineered Life Champion.
Unlike most engineered products, when digital data reaches the end of its useful life it can be stored indefinitely. In this conversation, we will explore the legal, ethical, and safety challenges created by the immortality of digital data and how the engineering community can address them. The conversation will also look whether ‘digital is always greener’ when data storage and maintenance is energy intensive and has such an environmental impact.
Addressing safety challenges in the decommissioning or disposal of engineered products is part of the Engineering X Safer End of Engineered Life mission.
Recording notice
Please note this event will be recorded and published on the Royal Academy of Engineering website. Your video will be off and your account will be muted throughout the entire event. Only the speakers and presentations will be visible on your screen.
Accessibility
It is very important to the Royal Academy of Engineering that our events are accessible to all. If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the Events team at events@raeng.org.uk at your earliest convenience so that necessary arrangements can be made.

NICON22
2022-10-19 - 2022-10-20 | La Mon Hotel & Country Club, 41 Gransha Road, Comber, Northern Ireland, BT23 5RF, United Kingdom
The Northern Ireland Annual Conference and Exhibition 2022 (NICON22) provides a unique opportunity for colleagues and partners from across the health and care system, as well as the private and voluntary and community sector to come together, share ideas, reflect, network, and learn.
At this year’s conference, entitled ‘Recognition | Ambition | Mobilisation’, you can expect to hear from a wide range of local leaders, international speakers and frontline staff across over 40 sessions. Over the two days, we hope to inspire and connect you as we recognise the contribution of our workforce, explore our shared ambition for our health and social care services and agree how to mobilise to tackle waiting lists and deliver a world-class service for our citizens.
Speakers this year will include:

Peter May, Chief Executive of the HSC; Permanent Secretary, Department of Health
Robin Swann MLA, Minister of Health for NI, Department of Health
Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; National Director, Elective Recovery, NHS England
Dr Anna van Poucke, Global Head of Healthcare, KPMG International; Healthcare Senior Partner, KPMG Netherlands
Alison McKenzie-Folan, Chief Executive, Wigan Council
Prof Kate Ardern, Director of Public Health, Wigan Council
Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation
Maria McIlgorm, Chief Nursing Officer, Department of Health
Prof Siobhan O’Neill, Mental Health Champion for NI

Agenda
A copy of the conference agenda and delegate mini guide are available to view below.
NICON22 Conference Agenda
NICON22 Conference Mini Guide
Who should attend?
If you are a manager, clinician, service user, or partner in health and social care, we would be delighted to welcome you to conference.

A Future Economy Powered by Clean Hydrogen
2022-10-19 09:30 - 13:00 | Stormont Hotel, 587 Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3LP
As a region with a history of innovation and engineering excellence, Northern Ireland is now presented with the opportunity to be at the forefront on the next revolution in driving a future economy powered by clean energy.
This event will look at the exciting prospect of a Hydrogen economy; its potential to drive economic development, secure and sustain high-skilled, well-paid jobs, develop indigenous resilient energy security and most importantly, reduce greenhouse emissions contributing to Northern Ireland’s net-zero goals.
Two complimentary reports from The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre and Matrix – The Northern Ireland Science Industry Panel, examine the changes needed to provide the policy, oversight, governance and investment to transform the Northern Ireland economy from being heavily reliant on fossil fuels to attaining energy independence through locally produced, clean renewable energy.

Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI Autumn School
2022-10-24 - 2022-10-28 | Ulster University Magee Campus, Northland Road, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, BT48 7JL, United Kingdom
The Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI Autumn School will be held from 24-28 October 2022, in person at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre in Ulster University, Magee campus. There will also be an option for online attendance.
Application deadline: 1st September 2022 (online and in-person).
Decision for in-person applicants (limited to 40): 9th September 2022.
Background
There have been rapid advancements and investments in research and development in brain sciences, neurotechnology, neural data modelling and neuro-inspired artificial intelligence (AI).
These advancements have not only led to deeper understanding of brain functions and disorders, but also the development and application of powerful AI and machine-learning algorithms that affect our everyday life. In fact, historically, AI was inspired by how intelligence arises from the brain.
The Computational Neuroscience, Neurotechnology and Neuro-inspired AI (CN3) Autumn School aims to train the next generation of researchers on these state-of-the-art developments. This short course will touch on the areas of computational neuroscience, neural data science, neurotechnology and neuro-inspired AI.
The School is unique in that important and timely topics either not delivered in other Schools or taught courses, or delivered only individually, will be delivered here in an integrated way, from pedagogical to advanced levels. These topics include computational modelling of neural-glial systems, neuromodulators, cognition, neurotechnology, neuromorphic computing, self-repaired intelligent machines, spiking neural networks and cognitive robotics. Mathematical foundations, coding exercises, ethics and entrepreneurship will also be covered. Moreover, although neural computation and neuro-inspired AI research are conducted in the island of Ireland, there is very little relevant training and taught courses, especially for early career researchers, in the region; this School aims to bridge this gap.
For enquiries, please contact KongFatt via e-mail (k.wong-lin@ulster.ac.uk).

Science, Climate Policy & COP27
2022-10-26 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
The United Nations COP27 climate conference will be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November 2022. In this event, The Foundation for Science and Technology will look at the latest climate science, and the contribution that science needs to make in COP27 and beyond.

Leadership in Tomorrow's World - Foundation Future Leaders Conference 2022
2022-11-01 09:00 - 16:00 | Online
The major challenges confronting society do not have simple resolutions. They are multi-faceted and long term, requiring cross-cutting analysis with the ability to work across traditional divides and develop innovative approaches. This conference will look at how these problems, such as climate and biodiversity, can be addressed, as well as examining the skills and structures needed to deliver. Designed specifically for early- to mid-career professionals in the civil and wider public service – as well as in industry and the research community – this conference will discuss these issues, with panellists drawn from senior leaders and the Future Leaders Programme of the Foundation for Science and Technology.

Professor Sir Adrian Smith FRS
President of the Royal Society and Director of the Alan Turing Institute

Tamara Finkelstein
Permanent Secretary, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Professor Sarah Main
Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE)

Professor Gideon Henderson FRS
Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Professor Sir Brian Hoskins FRS
Chair, Grantham Institute, Imperial College

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE
Chief Executive, Royal Academy of Engineering

Isabel Allgeyer
Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

An Innovation Strategy for Scotland
2022-11-07 12:30 - 17:00 | Online
The Scottish Government is shortly to publish an innovation strategy. What are the key challenges for promoting innovation in Scotland, and how will the new strategy tackle these? What are the key contributions needed from the Scottish Government, industry, higher education and others? What can Scotland learn from a similar strategy in Wales, and how does this fit in with plans of the UK Government? In this discussion event, we intend to explore these questions, and look forward to the new Scottish innovation strategy.
Speakers

Ivan McKee MSP
Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Scottish Government

Professor Sir Jim McDonald
Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, and President of the Royal Academy of Engineering

Professor Julie Fitzpatrick OBE
Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland

Dr Deborah O’Neill
Chief Executive Officer, Novabiotics

Professor Rick Delbridge
Professor of Organizational Analysis, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University

Hardtech and High-Value Manufacturing
2022-11-09 17:30 - 21:30 | Online
What is the role of hardtech and high-value manufacturing companies to the UK economy? How do these companies work with the UK research base? How do they contribute to the innovation strategies of the UK and devolved governments, to skills development, and to levelling up, as part of the post-Covid recovery? And what should policymakers, funding agencies and the companies themselves be doing do to ensure that we maximise the value to the UK from these innovative companies? These are just some of the questions we hope to explore in this discussion event.

Digital Leaders Innovation Week
2022-11-14 - 2022-11-18 | Online
A virtual summit to share case studies, know-how and proven methodologies to help you innovate in your organisation and beyond.
Innovation is the creation, development and implementation of a new product, process or service, with the aim of improving efficiency, effectiveness or competitive advantage. Innovation is difficult for well-established organisations. As a Digital Leader managing, leading and promoting innovation is an important skill that can deliver game-changing creativity. Hard as it is for organisations to innovate, some do.

Irish Human Computer Interaction (iHCI) Symposium
2022-11-18 08:00 - 17:00 | Ulster University Belfast, York Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT15 1ED, United Kingdom
The annual Irish Human Computer Interaction conference will take place on Friday 18th of November 2022 at the Conor lecture theatre, Belfast School of Art, Ulster University
We invite you to a one day ‘face to face’ event that will bring together leading voices from the field of HCI and provide an overview of HCI research in Ireland, Northern Ireland and further afield.

We will have keynotes, a paper presentation track for showcasing a selection of publications by researchers at leading international venues of HCI research, a rapid fire or poster session, industry talks and a lot of opportunities to network in Belfast.
The event is supported by the ACM SIGCHI Chapter Ireland and Ulster University (Belfast School of Art and the School of Computing).

HSC staff can attend the conference for free (buffet dinner not included). To register please contact ka.boyd@ulster.ac.uk

SBRI: Information event - Delivering a wastewater smart network for NI
2022-11-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
NI Water is the sole water and wastewater provider for Northern Ireland and is committed to ensuring its treatment is efficient, and that wastewater returned to the environment is safe.
NI Water has been awarded £200,000 ex VAT of SBRI funding to support up to 4 suppliers to undertake research to develop a smart wastewater network.

Find out more about this competition.

The project is intended to understand existing data sets from the wastewater networks to identify and provide early warnings allowing reaction to problems and effective mitigation.
This free to attend, online event will provide an overview of the SBRI programme in Northern Ireland, information about the project, and details of the application process.

Northern Ireland Economic Conference
2022-11-30 | Hilton Hotel, Templepatrick, Paradise Walk, Templepatrick, BT39 0DD
The Northern Ireland Economic Conference, now in its 27th year, is Northern Ireland’s premier economic analysis event and is unique in being the only forum that takes a high level look at the performance of, and prospects for the local economy. It is firmly established as the annual autumn summit for Northern Ireland’s economic community, including policy makers and business leaders. This year’s conference will take place at a time of unprecedented change and is the not to be missed event for all the latest information and perspectives on the local economy.
Matrix will partner with this event and our Chair, Dr Robert Grundy will present our latest foresight report Northern Ireland’s Future Hydrogen Capability and Demand.

SBRI Wales Health Programme 2022-2024: Briefing Event on New Challenges
2022-11-30 13:00 - 15:00 | Online
SBRI Health Programme 2022-2024 – An overview of the exciting new challenges launched by the SBRI Centre of Excellence.
The SBRI Centre of Excellence has recently launched three new exciting challenges. This event will give you the opportunity to hear from the Challenge Owners directly on their particular problem and put any questions that you may have to them to enable you to complete your applications.
For full details of the challenges and to apply, please click the following links:

Patient Comms Challenge
Improving Ergonomics for ENT Surgeons
Safe and Ethical Disposal of Nitrous Oxide and Entonox Medical Gases

AICON 2022
2022-12-01 09:00 - 17:00 | Titanic Belfast, 1 Olympic Way, Queen's Road, Belfast, Belfast, BT3 9EP, United Kingdom
AI Con Hosted by Kainos will investigate the adoption of Artificial Intelligence across society. As acceptance of the technology continues to grow, this year is about considering what’s needed to integrate AI responsibly and sustainably into all avenues of business and public life.
What’s needed to further public trust, and how we can mitigate any questions of risk or threat will be the underlying message when we return in December 2022. We know, through the now mainstream use of transformative technologies such as electricity, aviation, and automobiles, that public sentiment can and does change both with time and the continued evolution of technology. This can be assisted by identifying sensible safeguards and committing as a sector to education.
It is in this vein that we will convene the AI ecosystem, including those involved in application, policy, regulation, and every senior role in between. With input from global experts in the field, AI Con Hosted by Kainos is where crucial conversations around the need to foster diversity and inclusion across the sector, build moral foundations that underpin it, and govern the potential for societal harm within AI will take place.
Following this new approach in 2022, the event will get to the heart of AI’s relationship with data usage and privacy and will allow us to determine a way forward in line with policy activity across Europe, the UK, and the US.

Developing evidence capabilities to improve decision-making and policy impact
2022-12-06 12:00 - 13:30 | Online
Demands for policy advice and evidence are increasingly expected at the forefront of the UK’s national, regional and local government. More tools, resources and knowledge mobilisation activities are being geared towards supporting decision-makers to implement evidence-informed and impactful policy. Yet knowing what processes, capabilities and methodologies can be used to determine what works, when, why and how is difficult for civil servants facing mounting pressures to deliver quickly, with impact and at scale.
In partnership with the Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE) programme and the Chief Scientific Adviser’s (CSA) Office at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), Nesta is excited to launch a new interactive toolkit on Engaging With Evidence – a practical resource to strengthen capabilities for evidence use and expert engagement. Through a combination of theory, case studies and interactive activities, the toolkit is designed to help decision-makers learn about what evidence and expertise can be mobilised towards the right purposes at the right time. It provides a practical, easy-to-use resource for governments, knowledge intermediaries and others interested in advancing capabilities for evidence use and expert engagement.
This event is for anyone working in local, regional or national government or those interested in developing capabilities for engaging with both evidence and evidence producers, and understanding how improved evidence literacy and expert engagement can support the development of policy to ensure outcomes are effective in generating a meaningful social impact.
Confirmed speakers:
Prof. David Halpern, BIT CEO and What Works Centre National Advisor
Sarah Chaytor, Director of Strategy & Policy, UCL Research, Innovation & Global Engagement
Prof. Alan Penn, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Dr Ine Steenmans, Associate Professor in Futures, Analysis and Policy at the University College London (UCL)
Kuranda Morgan, Evidence Lead at Nesta

Hunter Memorial Lecture - Hydrogen and its application for rail propulsion
2022-12-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
The UK railway is committed to removing diesel only fleets from the network by 2040. In railway terms, this is a pressing deadline, as new vehicles built today would easily be expected to have an economic service life of 40 years, well beyond the 2040 deadline. This means new carbon free traction systems need to be developed to deliver autonomous traction on routes without overhead electrification. Hydrogen is emerging as a strong contender to provide this traction capability. The HydroFLEX train has demonstrated its viability and is ready to enter service trails on the mainline network. This presentation will give an overview of how the technology works, its strengths and weaknesses and what types of application it is best suited for, and where you should electrify.
Speaker
Professor Stuart Hillmansen is Professor in Railway Traction Systems within the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham. He completed a PhD in Imperial College London. His main area of research interest is in traction systems for use in railway vehicles, and modeling and measurement of energy consumption for railway systems (both AC and DC). His team have developed the 1st Hydrogen Fueled locomotive in the UK, and is currently heavily involved in the industry’s efforts to decarbonize.
This event was organised by the Midlands Power Group.

The Co-Centre Programme
2022-12-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Online
The Co-Centre Programme is an exciting opportunity for researchers to build strategic collaborative partnerships across Ireland, Great Britain and Northern Ireland through the formation of a Co-Centre. The programme will establish virtual Centres of distributed excellence linking researchers across academia and industry to perform cutting-edge research in areas of mutual economic, societal, health and environmental importance. Co-Centres will be structured according to the existing SFI model and will be funded by by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and co-funded by industry.
A webinar outlining the Co-Centre Programme 2022 call and its application process will take place on Thursday 8th December 2022 at 10:00am

Energy-smart places: delivering net zero
2022-12-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Online
Learning and inspiration from the Prospering from the Energy Revolution Programme

The Prospering from the Energy Revolution programme, delivered by Innovate UK and EPSRC, has invested over £100m in developing and demonstrating local approaches to energy, with over 80 projects involving hundreds of organisations.
This one-day conference and exhibition will help tell the projects’ stories and give insight into what has been learnt and achieved. The event will bring people together from across the energy landscape, to look at how the potential of local smart energy systems can be realised on the journey to net zero.
Joining this event will be a great way to learn more about the opportunities and issues around place-based approaches to energy, to share experiences with others to take inspiration and key insight back to your area’s net zero delivery plans.
There are two ways to take part in this event: in person or online. There is no charge to attend for either format.
Joining in person:
Venue capacity is limited, and we aim to achieve a group of attendees that reflect the diversity of the net zero/local energy systems landscape. If you pre-register to attend in person, we will advise you in January whether we have been able to allocate you a place.
Joining online:
The main stage presentations will be streamed and there will also be online exhibition and networking zones. It’s important to highlight that there is no audience limitation for online attendance.

Artificial intelligence research to enable UK’s net zero target
2022-12-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
This webinar is targeted at academic researchers (UK research organisations only). It will provide further information and questions and answers opportunity to prospective applicants of the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) cross-council funding opportunity ‘artificial intelligence research to enable UK’s net zero target’.
Attendees from a variety of research disciplines and career stages are welcomed, but an interest in investigating solutions to net zero challenges using artificial intelligence is essential.
Projects will explore the use of artificial intelligence in addressing net zero challenges across 4 themes with research proposals crossing any 2 council’s remits of EPSRC, NERC, BBSRC, ESRC. The 4 themes are:

energy
transport
environment
agriculture and food systems

Prospective applicants will find out further information regarding the opportunity scope, proposal requirements, eligibility, as well as the type of projects and themes that UKRI is looking to support.
Applicants to the opportunity must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for funding during the duration of their project.
The Zoom link for the webinar will be provided post registration. Registrations for webinar attendance open 2 December 2022.

Women in Tech
2022-12-13 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Grow your network and connect with others in your industry, outside of the workplace!
As part of our Women in Industry Round Tables, we welcome all Women in Tech to join us for a virtual forum to discuss the current topics, challenges, and upcoming developments in the world of Tech.
Whether you are involved in computer programming or network security, take the opportunity to share in other women’s experiences, ask those questions on your mind and offer valuable support to women within your industry.
Why don’t you bring along a colleague? This is a biannual catch up (not to be missed!) with key take away information to support your professional development and to help continue your networking beyond the screen.
Our virtual events take place on Zoom, once booked you will receive the zoom meeting link via your email as well as the confirmation page at the end of the checkout process.

Jim Al-Khalili - The Joy of Science
2023-01-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Mandela Hall, 77 University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NF
Join New York Times bestselling author – and one of the UK’s top physicists – Jim Al-Khalili, as he discusses his latest book, The Joy of Science. A Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics, Jim’s fascinating insights into how science can help make life easier to navigate, based on eight scientific methods, might just transform how you approach your life.
Covering everything from how to handle uncertainty and doubt, to coping with the general complexities of modern living, the BBC host will show you how to think more like a scientist and learn how to adopt a more confident approach in the day-to-day.
Don’t miss out on this chance to pick up some top tips from one of Britain’s leading scientific minds.
About
Jim Al-Khalili is Distinguished Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Surrey and one of Britain’s best-known science communicators. He has written numerous books, including The World According to Physics (Princeton); Quantum: A Guide for the Perplexed; and Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology. He is a fellow of the Royal Society and lives in Southsea, England.
Matrix is a partner of this event

NI KTP Innovation Showcase
2023-01-12 09:00 - 14:30 | Dunadry Hotel And Gardens, 2 Islandreagh Drive, Dunadry, Northern Ireland, BT41 2HA, United Kingdom
Join us in-person to discover how the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Programme can help grow and scale your business.

The Northern Ireland KTP knowledge providers (Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, SERC, SWC, NWRC, NRC, Belfast Met, CAFRE, and Open University) are delighted to invite the business community to this insightful event.
The event will highlight the many benefits that an organisation can gain by partnering with a University or Further Education College through KTP.
KTPs are a three-way partnership between an innovative business, an academic knowledge provider, and a highly skilled graduate to deliver the business’ strategic growth plans. Projects are part-funded by Innovate UK, Invest NI and the company partner.
The KTP Programme can be applied to any business function (including management, engineering, R&D, finance, data, production etc.) across all industry sectors. This event will focus on three current themes:

Digital and Business Innovation
Net-zero and Sustainability
Advanced Manufacturing

You will hear from a variety of academic and business partners on how to accelerate business growth through KTP, and gain useful insights on how the programme could be used in your organisation.
You will have the opportunity to talk with KTP funders and Northern Ireland knowledge providers to get advice on business support mechanisms currently available from our local Universities and Colleges.

Register below to secure your place or contact Aoife Lynch for more information.
This free event is aimed at SMEs and Large companies across Northern Ireland. Early registration is encouraged.
We look forward to meeting you.
