Collaboration

We have a longstanding relationship with EPSRC, with a vast portfolio of research grants awarded over the years. Our current EPSRC-funded projects include:

• GHz Bandwidth Sensing from Smart Antennas to Sub-Nyquist Signal Processing (GBSense)
• Next Generation Converged Digital infrastructure (NG-CDI)
• New Air Interface Techniques for Future Massive Machine Communications
• Millimeter-wave Antennas and Components for Future Mobile Broadband Networks (MILLIBAN)
• Stepping towards the industrial 6th Sense
• AI for Key Management and Mitigating Attacks (AIKEMA).

We have been working with the Enterprise M3 partnership since 2015 to provide its EZ3 regional enterprise zones and hubs with a direct link to our state-of-the-art testbed.

We are helping to build economic growth in the Surrey and Hampshire region by enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to test their applications in a real 5G environment, and driving innovation by opening up new business opportunities using 5G technologies.

We have a strong track record of extensive collaboration with public and private partners across the EU and beyond to deliver various research framework programmes. Our most recent projects include:

• 5th Generation End-to-end Network, Experimentation, System Integration, and Showcasing (5GENESIS)
• 5G HarmoniseD Research and TrIals for serVice Evolution between EU and China (5G-DRIVE)
• 5G HEalth AquacultuRe and Transport validation trials (5G HEART)
• Fulfilling the 5G promise (Full5G).

We have extensive experience working with academic and commercial partners on a wide range of Innovate UK projects.

In addition to the core programme of research and development which is being progressed with major corporate partners, we connect with high-growth SMEs and start-ups within the wider region. The SME programme involves collaborations with a group of six local enterprise partnerships (LEP) known collectively as the Greater Thames Valley 6 (GTV6). These comprise of:

• Enterprise M3 (the LEP 5G lead)
• Coast2Capital
• Buckinghamshire Thames Valley
• Hertfordshire
• Oxfordshire
• Thames Valley Berkshire.

We are committed to helping the UK government deliver on its investment into 5G and 6G technologies and infrastructure to ensure that the UK is at the forefront of 5G/6G and future systems.

Since 2017 we have participated in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme, working with academic and commercial partners from all over the UK.

Recent projects we have been involved in include:

• 5GUK Test Networks – the world’s first end-to-end 5G network
• 5G RuralFirst – a project aimed at pioneering new approaches to the deployment of connectivity in rural areas
• Worcestershire 5G Consortium – a government-backed industrial 5G testbed trial programme pioneering the concept of ‘Industry 4.0’
• AutoAir – a project aimed at making 5G technologies available for the validation and development of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles at the vehicle proving ground, Millbrook
• 5G New Thinking – exploring the provision of mobile and wireless connectivity with local communities.

Surrey has worked closely with the world-renowned National Physical Laboratory (NPL) – a global centre of excellence in measurement and materials science – for many years, forming a strategic partnership in 2015. The metrology challenges posed by 5G/6G communications are one of the key areas of research being addressed by the Surrey-NPL partnership.