Government Invests £5 Million Into 5G Research In Surrey

The UK government will provide £5 million of funding over the next five years to support pioneering research into 5G, focusing on organisations in Surrey and the surrounding areas.

Some of the money will be spent on what the University of Surrey calls the world’s first dedicated 5G Innovation Centre (5GIC), still under construction in Guildford and expected to open in April 2015 (as opposed to the previous deadline of January).

The application for investment from the Government’s Local Growth Fund was made by Enterprise M3, one of 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the country which are working to secure economic growth at sub-national level.

“The Enterprise M3 LEP lobbied hard to secure funding to support the work of the University of Surrey and its partners, which will help reinforce the region’s position as a leading centre for mobile telephony innovation both nationally and internationally,” said Geoff French, chair of Enterprise M3 LEP.

“The 5G Arrow centre on the University of Surrey’s campus will harness the market leading technological skills in the region and is truly a ‘next generation’ project.”

Next generation

The funding is a key component of the regional growth plan, which aims to transform Surrey into a thriving cluster for 5G technologies.

5GIC, the international research hub at the centre of the cluster, will offer ‘unique’ experimental facilities and labs for end-to-end network testing. It will become home to 150 researchers and 100 PhD students, who will be working to secure UK’s place as one of the leaders in mobile broadband innovation.

Industrial partners for the project include BBC, BT, EE, Fujitsu, Huawei, Ofcom, Samsung, Telefonica and Vodafone, all of whom have pledged time, expertise or resources to the project.

“The 5GIC is the world’s first dedicated research centre for 5G technology and an international hub for telecommunications research and innovation. Our vision is for the centre to play a crucial role in developments connected with the Internet of Things, intelligent transportation, ‘smart’ cities and Future Internet technologies, with significant benefits for UK business innovation, profitability and efficiency,” said Sir Christopher Snowden, vice-chancellor and president of the University.

“This funding, which prioritises the development and expansion of 5G mobile technology in the region, provides an exciting opportunity to accelerate 5G’s impact locally, helping Surrey and Hampshire based companies get a head start on what the new technology will enable, in terms of growth and investment, for both the UK and global economies.”

So far, the 5GIC project attracted more than £65 million in funds from the University itself, its industry partners and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Earlier this year, prime minister David Cameron announced a partnership in the area of 5G researchbetween the University of Surrey, the University of Dresden and Kings College, while speaking at the CeBIT exhibition in Hanover.

“It is our ambition to make the UK the most digital nation in the G8,” he said at the time.

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