University of Birmingham receives £5.9 million to assess the underworld

The University of Birmingham will receive one of four large grants as part of a multimillion pound investment in leading engineering research projects to be announced by Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts today (12 March 2013). The minister will announce a £47 million investment for five frontier engineering projects and four large grants to UK universities at the first Global Grand Challenges Summit in London. The investment will support new innovative engineering projects and an international partnership between the UK and US bringing leading engineers and scientists together to address some of the major engineering challenges facing the world. A £5.9 million grant has been awarded to Chris Rogers for Assessing the Underworld - an integrated model of city infrastructures , a project which looks at transforming how street works are carried out and improving the management of assets under the ground. Key players in utilities, construction, sensing and mapping have pledged an additional £17 million support in cash and in-kind contributions. The Global Grand Challenges Summit is organised by the Royal Academy of Engineering with the support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and other partners. The University of Birmingham joins Imperial College London, University of Dundee and the University of Edinburgh to receive one of four large grants totalling £20 million, which will go to projects that match the Summit's themes of Resilience, Health, and Technology & Growth.