Challenging thinking
The independent design and engineering group
Arup sees benefit in backing research that challenges
conventional thinking and achieves broad impact
across society.
Arup’s global business is in three main
areas – infrastructure, building and
consulting – and it sees research as
an essential ingredient of business
development in all three. “But unlike
other organisations in these areas,
we don’t have any physical research
laboratories ourselves,” said Professor
Jeremy Watson CBE FREng – Director
of Global Research, Arup Group Ltd.
“We have always worked closely with
the Academy through long- term
partnerships, and have strategic
memoranda of understanding with
universities around the world. The
benefit from the university connection,
he said, is easy access to talent and
skills. The academics also value us in
introducing research projects with real
impact.”
The impact of research
The engineering design consultancy
behind some of the world’s most
striking structures, including the
Sydney Opera House and the ‘Birds’
Nest’ Beijing Olympic Stadium, Arup
has built its reputation by challenging
convention. This applies to its portfolio
of research funding as much as to its
management of engineering projects.
Arup’s co-sponsorship of Royal
Academy of Engineering’s research
chairs indicates the breadth of the
group’s interests and its willingness to
do things differently.
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Arup organises its research activities
through a directorate called the Arup
University, Professor Watson said.
“We have a group that looks over the
horizon at the emerging challenges:
climate change was one, but we see it
as a current challenge now. There is a
requirement to introduce new research
programmes and to work effectively
with research councils and universities.
Also, there is a requirement to
maintain ‘skills networks’ that convert
research outcomes into guidance
notes or engagement with real client
projects.”
The research chairs that Arup funds
jointly with the Royal Academy of
Engineering are ’the jewels in the crown‘
in a research network that includes up
to 150 research projects. “You can place
our research activities in the category
of ‘serendipitous research’. This is not
blue skies but is driven by academics’
own agendas, where we’d be looking
for emerging technologies that might
be applicable to our own business. The
other side is trying to shift their focus
on some real problems that need to be
answered. Arup’s joint appointments with
the Academy operate on both aspects,
but the questions they are answering
are perhaps more fundamental, and
have wider society benefits. That’s an
important aspect for Arup”, Professor
Watson said.
The ‘different thinking’ approach
by Professor Miles, one of the
joint research chairs, has led the
company to collaborate with a large
Japanese partner and become joint
owners of electric buses and their
associated wireless battery charging
infrastructure. This novel business
approach has addressed the common
problem of how to deliver promising
and unconventional solutions in
a real commercial environment.
Professor Watson said “We think of
it as a demonstrator and it’s very
exciting. The business opportunity is
in designing the infrastructure systems
for this type of installation and this is
also a practical way to test the concept
to justify the research”.
Measuring the impact
Professor John Miles, whose Research
Chair at Cambridge University is jointly
funded by the Academy and Arup’s
engineering design group, said that
the ties between himself, Arup and
other Academy Chairs are strong, and
the business ventures that are taking
on some of his work have significant
Arup involvement. More widely, there
are constant interchanges of human
resources between Arup and all its
academic partners.
Professor Watson said that the
company’s structure is based on