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WMG at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ is to use a laser scan of 30 miles of Coventry roads to test driverless pods as part of a .

WMG will work with RDM Group - the UK’s only designer and manufacturer of driverless Pods - in a project called INnovative Testing of Autonomous Control Techniques (INTACT).

The project, funded by Innovate UK, will enable Coventry based automotive innovation experts RDM to test its vehicles on one of the world’s most adaptable and advanced driving simulators at WMG.

Today’s publication of a new report by the has found that Tesco ‘seriously breached’ a legally-binding code to protect grocery producers. Tesco opted to prioritise their own finances over the equitable treatment of their suppliers.  

Tesco’s over-focus on operating margin is the potential root cause of many of the issues highlighted in the report. It demonstrates the danger of pursuing a financial metric in isolation. With UK boards (both Executive and Non-executive) dominated by leaders with financial and commercial backgrounds, it is not surprising that FTSE listed companies are biased towards financial measures and fail to understand the longer term impact on the broader supply chain. Of greater concern is the impact that such commercially biased leadership has on the culture of the whole organisation, and the broader industry. Suppliers in the broader retail sector express concern that the ‘Tesco-buyer’ phenomena is becoming increasingly prevalent and potentially undermining the supply chain.

WMG is proud to announce the arrival of Professor Richard McMahon who joins from Cambridge University.

As WMG’s first Professor of Power Electronics, Professor McMahon will set up and lead a power electronics research group widening WMG’s Energy and Electrical Systems research. He will bring with him his team from Cambridge, and a wealth of knowledge in power electronics, especially using wide band-gap devices, and their application in the automotive sector, energy use and storage, power distribution and renewable generation from both wind and wave power.

Professor McMahon comments: “Power electronics is a relatively new area of research for WMG, and I’m looking forward to using my expertise to help to grow and expand the existing Energy and Electrical Systems research.”

The ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ has been selected to be a partner in the largest miscarriage research centre in Europe.

Funded by the leading pregnancy charity, Tommy’s, researchers from the and Warwick Medical School (WMS), will be joining doctors from University Hospital, Coventry to investigate the causes of early miscarriage.

The Institute of Digital Healthcare, at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ, will develop a clinical database, led by , to support the work of the Centre and improve on outcomes based on information-driven approaches.

WMG at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ are delighted to be part of a £19.4m project to support the development of next-generation electric vehicle batteries in the UK, funded through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC UK Ltd).

The funding will support leading edge manufacturing research focussed around Nissan's Sunderland battery manufacturing plant - the largest full scale automotive Li-ion battery manufacturing facility in Europe. WMG researchers will play a key role in helping Nissan take forward this opportunity and will receive £1m for the research.

The consortium led by Nissan with WMG at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ, Hyperdrive, Newcastle University, and Zero Carbon Futures (ZCF), will bring together engineers, researchers, new technology and existing facilities, assets and knowledge to create and prove new and improved manufacturing processes for the next generation of automotive batteries.

WMG has particular skills around battery chemistry and the manufacturing processes used to scale this up to high volume production. WMG role in the project will be to investigate potential improvements to battery chemistry and increasing manufacturing yield, and to optimise automated manufacturing processes to enable Nissan to remain at the forefront of electric vehicle technology.

has been awarded a prestigious Tartessos Award from the Spanish Society of Virtual Archaeology for his ‘pioneering work and life-long contribution to the field of Digital Cultural Heritage’.

The Spanish Society of Virtual Archaeology is a non-profit scientific association with the aim of combining all professionals from different disciplinary areas related to archaeology, cultural heritage and new technologies.

Professor Chalmers was presented with the award at the Digital Heritage 2015 international conference in Grenada last year.

Professor of Experiential Engineering, Paul Jennings comments on

Self-driving, or autonomous, vehicle technology is developing at a rapid rate. Many of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers are already unveiling self-driving car solutions and are being joined in the race by new players such as Google, Tesla and UK initiatives such as those by RDM Automotive LTD.

The need for a consistent set of regulations and international testing standards, as identified by the $4bn US DoT initiative for common rules, is critical in bringing self-driving cars to our roads. We know for example that current rules require the use of trained drivers for testing, but we have to consider how to engage end-users early on in the testing of self-driving vehicles. I believe these factors are key to increasing public acceptance and trust in autonomous driving technologies.

at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ is to play a significant role in a new £23 million interdisciplinary Research Hub designed to drive forward UK research in the Internet of Things (IoT). Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy has today (Wednesday 6^th January 2016) confirmed that the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ is one of nine leading UK universities in the PETRAS consortium which will work together over the next three years to explore critical issues in privacy, ethics, trust, reliability, acceptability, and security.

Funding for the Hub includes a £9.8 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) which will be boosted by partner contributions to approximately £23 million in total.

WMG at the ÉñÂí¸£ÀûӰƬ has begun a new programme to take Turkish airlines staff through its Engineering Business Management Master Program and demand for the course is so great that there is already a queue.

The first 26 students have joined the course which will is taught and delivered by WMG and Yıldız Technical University in Istanbul. Twenty more Turkish Airlines staff are about to join the programme and a further 100 are now on a waiting list to take part.

has appointed Sue Parr as its Business Development Director to develop the .

Sue, who joined WMG in December, brings a wealth of knowledge with her, after 12 years at the Open University where she was Director of Executive Education. It was there that she successfully created and developed a division responsible for delivering customised solutions for private and public sector organisations from SMEs to global businesses. She also developed an impressive portfolio of innovative online and blended programmes.

Prior to the Open University, Sue spent many years working with organisations in management learning and development, also coaching middle and senior managers in a range of organisations. Sue began her career in publishing, holding senior management and board roles in international companies. She later ran a small business creating e-learning courses, some of which were award winning, for organisations.