Research
A marriage made in research
Relationships between universities and companies in the rail industry have never been so strong. Here,Dr Tanya McCallum explains the role of RRUKA
I
n a growing landscape where research, development and innovation are vital to meeting the rail industry’s future needs, Rail
Research UK Association (RRUKA) has become an established focal point for universities and industry alike. Set up in 2010 to be a partnership
between the GB rail industry and UK universities, RRUKA has been steadily developing its operation and profile. From a small core of researchers with a strong history of railway research, RRUKA now has nearly 35 universities and research institutes in its membership. Colin Dennis, director
Bespoke events for industry’s issues This was demonstrated at RRUKA’s first workshop, held in December 2011, where Network Rail asked RRUKA to bring together academics who could propose solutions to the issue of how to safely minimise the time spent undertaking maintenance and renewals, to maximise line availability. Healthcare logistics experts, nanotechnologists and space technology experts took their places alongside traditional railway experts to explore the issues, and RRUKA is now seeing the emerging results of three feasibility projects funded by RSSB after the workshop, looking at optimising possessions, and more effective use of data. The opportunity to explore issues
on behalf of industry at bespoke events continues to be a core part of RRUKA’s activities. In July, economists, modellers and engineers were brought together at an event instigated by ATOC, looking at ways to reduce the whole life cost of the train system. At a time where cost is continually
being questioned, alternative ways of approaching train specification and train design to drastically cut costs are keenly sought. ‘I was very encouraged by the range of expertise of the people who participated in the event and of the breadth and scope of the ideas that were submitted and we were able to support,’ commented Louise Shaw, head of Engineering at ATOC, following the funding of three further feasibility studies.
of Policy Research and Risk, RSSB, and co-chair of RRUKA said: ‘When RSSB and Network Rail agreed to fund RRUKA, we were keen to reach out to all universities who could contribute to the future development of the rail industry. The fact that we have such a diverse membership, growing all the time, will allow the considerable knowledge already in the rail sector to benefit from the research and solutions being developed in other industries.’
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Simon Iwnicki, Professor of Railway Engineering at the University of Huddersfield and academic co-chair of RRUKA reflected: ‘At all of the events, we have been pleased to hear how open the industry seems to be at being challenged. ‘Don’t be constrained by the way we do things right now’ is becoming an increasingly common direction. This is very welcome for researchers, who are well-placed to propose innovative solutions. Much of the research funded after these workshops has explored more novel ideas than would usually be considered for funding within the usual railway industry business.’
Industry priorities focus universities’ research RRUKA has recently turned its attention to the newly published Rail Technical Strategy 2012 (RTS), which provides something vital for researchers: long- term direction. By understanding rail’s priorities over a 30-year time horizon, researchers can direct their research to tackling those issues. Since industry has funding available to support the achievement of its vision, researchers are keen to understand how they can play their part. In February, 90 researchers from
25 universities gathered to form their response to the RTS 2012 and create an academic-led research strategy. This is expected to help industry understand where university strengths lie in helping it to deliver on the RTS and to fund research appropriately in the areas where expertise is lacking.
Strength in depth The unique selling point of RRUKA is its breadth of capabilities and its collaborative network. This was showcased at its first Annual Conference in November 2012, where researchers shared the diversity of research being carried out with a mixed audience of university and senior industry figures. Keynote speeches from Professor Richard Parry-Jones CBE, chairman of Network Rail, Francis How, technical director, RIA, and Paul Stein, chief scientific officer, Rolls-Royce showed how other influential people are engaging with RRUKA. Bringing the different disciplines
together at one event gives people context for their own area and allows them to gain an understanding of the different issues facing other parts of the railway. The networking made possible at this type of event paves the way for future partnerships and projects.
World-leading research in UK RRUKA is now ready to take steps into new areas. Its new business plan outlines its focus, including enabling access to opportunities.
One of the areas it will explore is
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