Partners

This project will deliver much needed transformation for home building in the UK, making innovation accessible to organisations of all sizes, driving collaboration and injecting fresh thinking.

The MOBIE Northumbria Homes for the Future Innovation Centre aims to make innovation accessible to organisations of all sizes. It will focus on improving the entire lifecycle of designing and delivering homes including new methods of construction, design, offsite manufacture, digital competencies, new materials and much more. The goal is to create a more efficient, precision-engineered process with great quality control – this will in turn help to build more quality homes, faster, so people can live in the home they want, in the place they chose.

Northumbria University will co-fund 15 PhDs to start by 2022. Participating organisations will work with the university to co-design a research project based on their business need. The organisation has the option to put an existing member of staff through the PhD (subject to meeting entry requirements), or work with the university to recruit a high-quality candidate perfectly suited to their brief. Ideally the candidate will then work full time on that project for three years, with the supervision of a hand-picked, seasoned academic in that field. Part time study options are also available in some cases, where suitable for the business, candidate and academic supervisor. 

The programme is co-funded by Northumbria, meaning organisations will only pay a fraction of the costs for the PhD – these costs vary depending on the candidate and whether study is full or part time.  

Benefits

• R&D that drives competitive edge, access to new markets and improved bottom line from new products, services and / or processes 
• Upskilling of existing staff through the PhD training programme OR access to new fresh talent in the market supported by Northumbria University’s recruitment 
• Access to the latest thinking and cutting-edge technology through a dedicated academic supervisor 
• A tailored programme of support to help organisations drive high return R&D e.g. sessions on access to finance, R&D tax credits, innovation practice etc. 
• Networking opportunities and knowledge sharing with other companies involved in the programme – from large corporates to innovative startups and scaleups, charities and government organisations

More information on eligibility and how to apply can be found in the FAQ.

Partner applications for the 2021 cohort are open now! Organisations are asked to complete the application form by Friday November 13th 2020. Recruitment timelines depend on whether businesses choose to work with an existing member of staff, or recruit someone new.

If you’d like to discuss the programme and your application in more detail before applying, please complete the register interest form and one of our team will be in touch.