Baroness Wilcox meets next generation of engineers at University of Plymouth

Intellectual Property Minister Baroness Wilcox has made a special return to the City of Plymouth to see how its university is helping to lead economic growth and development – and meet some of the students who are hoping to become its next generation of talent. Parliamentary Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, who was born in Devon and later attended the former Plymouth Polytechnic, visited both the University’s Marine Institute and Formation Zone business incubation centres, before attending a special Robotics and Electronics Open Day. There, Baroness Wilcox surveyed a wide range of electronic gadgets, from robots to renewable power and fuel cells – all created by final year students in the School of Computing and Mathematics - and handed out some prizes to the most outstanding work. She said: “High-level skills in robotics and electronics are crucial as we seek to rebalance the economy in favour of advanced manufacturing, and it’s been fantastic to meet so many talented students today. Their creativity and expertise will drive innovation in areas such as aerospace, defence and energy. The day began on board the University’s research vessel ‘Falcon Spirit’, where Baroness Wilcox met members of the Marine Institute to find out how its research is being applied to the growing renewable energy sector in the South West. She also visited the site of the new marine facility, which will bring together members of the marine and business communities via the new Peninsula Growth Acceleration and Investment Network (GAIN).