UCL signs agreement with Arup

UCL (University College London) today signs an agreement with global firm Arup to boost collaboration and training in a number of fields including design, engineering and sustainable development.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) builds on projects including The Thames Gateway Institute for Sustainability, a research institute to be set in the heart of a new sustainability industries park at Dagenham Dock, as part of the regeneration of the area.

The MoU will encourage researchers from the two organisations to work jointly on projects, exchange personnel, jointly-supervise doctoral training programmes and enable students to spend time in each place, and share thinking on innovation. It also aims to boost knowledge transfer to businesses. The MoU comes into effect on 15 July 2009 and runs for five years until 2014.

Arup and UCL are world-leading organisations with complementary activities and skills. Arup is a global consultancy with more than 9,000 staff working in engineering, design, technology and sustainable development. UCL is a preeminent UK university with a broad portfolio of expertise in disciplines ranging from science, engineering, medicine and healthcare to the humanities.

UCL President and Provost Malcolm Grant says: "This agreement is tremendously important to our future prospects. One way to come through the recession is to invest in key staff and continue to plan for growth. This partnership will ensure our innovations in the laboratory translate to the real world, while our new Institute for Sustainability should act as a magnet to attract industry to the area and business opportunities beyond."

Arup Chairman Phillip Dilley says: "Formalising our relationship with UCL through this agreement, acts as direct recognition of the growing importance of our long term collaboration. We anticipate that this will increase opportunities for secondments and joint projects, and will help both organisations realise the potential of collaborative research to address the societal and environmental challenges that we face today."

Notes for Editors

1. For more information or to set up a UCL interview, please contact Jenny Gimpel in the UCL Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 9726, mobile: +44 (0)7747 565 056, out of hours +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: j.gimpel@ucl.ac.uk.

2. For more information or to set up an interview with Arup, please contact Vicky Maunder in Arup's press office on tel: +44 (0)207 755 6649, mobile: +44 (0)7880 871 136, e-mail: vicky.maunder@arup.com

3. For more information on the Institute for Sustainability, please visit www.instituteforsustainability.co.uk.