Research in Industry

• Atkins

• Strategic Advisory Services

• Research

– What I learned…

– What’s in it for Industry…

• Headline messages

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United Kingdom and Europe

Our areas of focus include

aerospace, defence, education,

environment, infrastructure design,

transportation and water.

9,590People employed in the United Kingdom

and Europe

£943.6mRevenue

* Figures at 31 March 2016. Headcount numbers are rounded to the nearest ten.

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London 2012 Games

Olympic Park

We helped to create a venue for the

Games and transformed it into a park that

the local community can enjoy.

We provided multidisciplinary engineering

infrastructure design, project managing

enabling works, site clearance and

remediation, environmental impact

assessment and overseeing the technical

legacy transformation.

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High Speed 2

United Kingdom

Preliminary designs for tunnels, ‘green’ tunnels

and two high speed lines across a 91km

stretch of track, plus Environmental Impact

Assessments

Image courtesy of HS2

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Crossrail

United Kingdom

Detailed design of twin bored tunnels,

and design and specification Tottenham Court

Road and Custom House stations and

Plumstead depot

Image courtesy of Crossrail

Strategic Advisory Services Research• Focus on research and innovation

– Developing new lines of service

– Anticipating and responding to client needs

– Forming & managing project teams

– Winning work

• Projects in three areas:

– Chemicals in the aquatic environment

– Research programme design and management

– Policy, regulation and risk

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Our

responsibility

My research

• Computer models (Biotic Ligand Models or BLMs) developed to predict metal toxicity in river waters.

• BLMs make assumptions that could be quite incorrect under certain circumstances.

• My research explored the effect of sewage effluent on metal speciation and toxicity.

• Important implications for how the water industry manages metals in effluent

– Risks and Opportunities

– New treatment technologies

– Discharge permitting

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(Some of) What I learned….

• Metal speciation, environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology

• Laboratory skills

• Working in the field

• Mathematical modelling and statistics

• How to write and articulate an idea

• Critical thinking

• An appreciation of opportunity

• Coping with criticism….

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Research: What’s in it for Industry?

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– What is the problem that needs a solution?

– What do we need to know?

– Will it work?

– Will it make a difference?

– Does anyone care?

• Systematic investigation to establish facts.

• Research is fundamental to the creation of

new products, services, and IP.

• Workforce training.

• Identifying opportunities for further research

(new knowledge, products, services and IP).

• Collaborative partnerships.

• Plan to Publish.

Catchment Management

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Atkins, UKWIR, AMEC, Plymouth

University

Chemicals in the Environment

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Atkins, UKWIR, Brunel University,

Plymouth University

Wastewater treatment

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Atkins, Severn Trent Water,

Cranfield University

Headline messages• Research is fundamental to the creation of knowledge, products, services,

and intellectual property.

• Knowledge provides a means to solve complex problems (useful in itself).

• Research is usually collaborative, with different sectors pursuing different measures of success:

– Revenue / Margin / Intellectual Property / Prestige

– Papers / Funding / Prestige / Training

• Research training will equip you to work in either Industry or Academia.

• Understand the potential life cycle of the idea/product/service your research is developing…

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Thank you

If you’d like to find out more visit:

www.atkinsglobal.com

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© Atkins except where stated otherwise

Published by Atkins Group Communication, February 2016