EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/L016656/1
Title: EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Communications 2: : Training Tomorrow's Internet Innovators
Principal Investigator: Bull, Professor D
Other Investigators:
Johnson, Professor OT Beach, Professor M Simeonidou, Professor D
Morris, Professor K
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
ADVA Optical Networking SE Agilent Technologies Ltd BAE Systems
BBC Bristol City Council BT
Centre of Res and Develop in telecoms GCHQ His Majesty's Government Communications
Imagination Technologies Ltd UK Mobile VCE National Inst of Info & Comm Tech (NICT)
National instruments NEC NMI (National Microelectronics Inst)
nVIDIA Ofcom Osaka University
Rohde & Schwarz UK Limited Roke Manor Research Ltd Setsquared
Technical University of Catalonia Technology Strategy Board (Innovate UK) Telefonica S.A
Thales Ltd Toshiba u-blox UK Ltd
West of England Local Enterprise Partner
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Organisation: University of Bristol
Scheme: Centre for Doctoral Training
Starts: 01 April 2016 Ends: 30 September 2023 Value (£): 3,078,571
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Digital Signal Processing Image & Vision Computing
Networks & Distributed Systems Optical Communications
Optical Devices & Subsystems RF & Microwave Technology
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Communications Information Technologies
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
23 Oct 2013 EPSRC CDT 2013 Interviews Panel J Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
We are living through a revolution, as electronic communications become ever more ubiquitous in our daily lives. The use of mobile and smart phone technology is becoming increasingly universal, with applications beyond voice communications including access to social and business data, entertainment through live and more immersive video streaming and distributed processing and storage of information through high performance data centres and the cloud. All of this needs to be achieved with high levels of reliability, flexibility and at low cost, and solutions need to integrate developments in theoretical algorithms, optimization of software and ongoing advances in hardware performance.

These trends will continue to shape our future. By 2020 it is predicted that the number of network-connected devices will reach 1000 times the world's population: there will be 7 trillion connected devices for 7 billion people. This will result in 1.3 zettabytes of global internet traffic by 2016 (with over 80% of this being due to video), requiring a 27% increase in energy consumption by telecommunications networks.

The UK's excellence in communications has been a focal point for inward investment for many years - already this sector has a value of £82Bn a year to the UK economy (~5.7% GDP). However this strength is threatened by an age imbalance in the workforce and a shortage of highly skilled researchers. Our CDT will bridge this skills gap, by training the next generation of researchers, who can ensure that the UK remains at the heart of the worldwide communications industry, providing a much needed growth dividend for our economy. It will be guided by the commercial imperatives from our industry partners, and motivated by application drivers in future cities, transport, e-health, homeland security and entertainment.

The expansion of the UK internet business is fuelled by innovative product development in optical transport mechanisms, wireless enabled technologies and efficient data representations. It is thus essential that communications practitioners of the future have an overall system perspective, bridging the gaps between hardware and software, wireless and wired communications, and application drivers and network constraints. While communications technology is the enabler, it is humans that are the producers, consumers and beneficiaries in terms of its broader applications.

Our programme will thus focus on the challenges within and the interactions between the key domains of People, Power and Performance. Over three cohorts, the new CDT will build on Bristol's core expertise in Efficient Systems and Enabling Technologies to engineer novel solutions, offering enhanced performance, lower cost and reduced environmental impact. We will train our students in the mathematical fundamentals which underpin modern communication systems and deliver both human and technological solutions for the communication systems landscape of the future.

In summary, Future Communications 2 will produce a new type of PhD graduate: one who is intellectually leading, creative, mathematically rigorous and who understands the commercial implications of his or her work - people who are the future technical leaders in the sector.

Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.bris.ac.uk