The South West Nuclear Hub is delighted to welcome the University of the West of England (UWE) and Cavendish Nuclear as new members, as it continues to expand after opening in September 2016.
Aiming at bringing together academia, industry and the whole of the nuclear supply chain, the Hub acts as the focal point for the regional nuclear community to address technical challenges faced by the industry. The Hub will play an ever more important role as the construction and development of Hinkley Point C in North Somerset gathers pace.
By welcoming two institutions based in the region, the Hub continues to bring together the best technical knowledge and capabilities in nuclear, adding value and enabling innovation in the South West.
Expansion of the South West Nuclear Hub
In response to this exciting development, Professor David Knowles, Co-Director of the South West Nuclear Hub said:
“Having a key player from the nuclear supply chain and a major local University join the South West Nuclear Hub continues to broaden both our expertise and engagement with the industry, particularly as the new build programme gains momentum.
The new members bring a varied skill set which will lead both to diverse areas of innovation and real impact in the sector at a national level”.
University of the West of England
Dr John Lanham, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Strategic Regional Partnerships at UWE said:
“I am delighted that UWE has built on its existing relationship and collaboration with the University of Bristol and joined the South West Nuclear Hub. The nuclear sector is a significant regional, national and international industry that offers a range of challenges and opportunities beyond the obvious technologies relating directly to reactor systems.
At UWE Bristol we are excited to bring the expertise of our staff and research teams to complement the capability of the existing hub-members.”
This ongoing collaboration between the University of Bristol and UWE includes the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, which is situated on the principal UWE site in north Bristol. Professor Tony Pipe, Deputy Director of BRL spoke on how this alliance would help the Laboratory:
"Membership of the Hub will be pivotal in enabling the research staff in the Bristol Robotics Laboratory to strengthen their substantial activities in helping to transform levels of intelligent automation in the decommissioning sector and deepen it to include new-build and existing asset maintenance."
Cavendish Nuclear
Cavendish Nuclear is pleased to be joining forces with the South West Nuclear Hub to open up new opportunities for innovation in the industry in the UK and overseas.
Mark Dearden, Engineering & Assurance Director for Cavendish Nuclear said: “Cavendish Nuclear brings the widest portfolio of work of any supplier in the UK and I’m looking forward to developing a partnership that will help transform the industry and make a significant contribution to the UK Government’s industrial strategy.”
Cavendish Nuclear is engaged on the majority of licensed nuclear sites in the UK, from the construction of new nuclear power plant through to the lifetime extensions of the current fleet and the decommissioning of redundant sites such as Dounreay and remediation of historic facilities in places such as Sellafield.
See also the Cavendish Nuclear press release: http://www.cavendishnuclear.com/news/cavendish-nuclear-and-south-west-nuclear-hub-become-partners-in-innovation/
About UWE
UWE Bristol (the University of the West of England) has approximately 30,000 students. The University has strong industry networks and connections with over 1,000 employers as well as a global and inclusive outlook.
Research at UWE Bristol focuses on real world problems and the University plays a pivotal role in the regional economy. With over £300 million invested in infrastructure, buildings and facilities across all Campuses, UWE Bristol is creating a place for learning that is innovative, ambitious, connected, enabling and inclusive.
About Cavendish Nuclear
Cavendish Nuclear is the UK's leading nuclear services company with a growing international presence. With a highly-skilled workforce circa 6,000 Cavendish is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and is located at offices and sites in the UK as well as internationally. It is licensed to operate thirteen nuclear sites in the UK; whilst also supporting other nuclear companies in the lifetime extensions of their fleet, and on delivery of new build nuclear power plants.
The breadth of Cavendish’s expertise means it is able to innovate to make nuclear safer, faster, at lower cost and deliver across all aspects of the nuclear energy life cycle, from design and build, through operations and maintenance, to decommissioning, waste management and remediation.
Cavendish Nuclear is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Babcock International. For more than a century, Babcock has been trusted to deliver bespoke, highly-skilled engineering support. Underpinned by a deep understanding of technology integration, infrastructure management, and specialist training, it helps customers around the world to improve the capability, reliability and availability of their most critical assets within the key market sectors of Marine, Land, Aviation, and Nuclear.