Manchester-based Siemens Digital Industries has announced a new academic teaching programme called Connected Curriculum, 18 months after launching its MindSphere Innovation Network (MINe), in partnership with higher education providers,
The University of Sheffield, Liverpool John Moores, Middlesex University, Newcastle University and Manchester Metropolitan Universityhave all already signed-up to the initiative. As a result, each institution will work closely with Siemens to bring advanced industrial tools, data and approaches into their respective apprenticeship, undergraduate and masters courses. Festo, the global supplier of automation technology and provider of industrial training and education programs is a key delivery partner for the new curriculum.
At the heart of the Connected Curriculum is Siemens Digital Industries world-leading industrial software portfolio and cloud-based IoT platform MindSphere. MindSphere is a highly secure operating system which connects industrial machines and devices via IoT protocols. It allows data from multiple sources to be captured and analysed simultaneously, creating a real-time picture of the whole production process via a single, powerful and intuitive interface.
The Connected Curriculum announcement was made by Brian Holliday, Managing Director of Siemens Digital Industries, at the 2019 MindSphere Innovation Network (MINe) Symposium last week. Hosted at the University of Sheffield, the two-day event saw 15 academic institutions explore the potential for collaborating with Siemens, each other, and other companies, across Industry 4.0 projects and technologies including Industrial IoT.
Brian Holliday, Siemens Digital Industries Managing Director, said: “Collaboration is central to delivering successful, robust and secure industrial IoT projects. Universities can be key partners in this process, often having expertise industry doesn’t such as data science, visualisation and insights into human behaviour including how people engage with technology.
“This is why Siemens developed the MindSphere Innovation Network in partnership with several universities two years ago, which in turn has informed the Connected Curriculum we have announced this week. I am now looking forward to working with Sheffield, John Moores, Middlesex and Manchester Metropolitan universities to help explore the full potential of Industrial IoT with our MindSphere platform at the heart of the process.”
Manchester Metropolitan University will be the partner university in the Connected Curriculum that will focus on delivery to postgraduate students, embedding the programme in its new Industry 4.0 Masters courses in the Faculty of Science and Engineering that are launching in September to bridge the Industry 4.0 skills gap.
Professor Andy Gibson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “Manchester Metropolitan is focused on bridging the Industry 4.0 skills gap by equipping students with the skills for the new digital economy.
“We are delighted to be collaborating with Siemens on the Connected Curriculum as our students and academic colleagues will benefit immensely from working with such a pioneering and transformational technology company. Our partnership will ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of the digital revolution and continue to lead the way in innovation in postgraduate education, such as with the suite of six new Industry 4.0 masters degree courses launching in September.”
