Jaguar Land Rover Headlines At British Science Festival

GAYDON, UNITED KINGDOM – September 14, 2010: : Jaguar Land Rover today reinforces its commitment to science in the UK with its participation and lead sponsorship of the British Science Festival, taking place in Birmingham's Aston University (14-19 September).

Seven of the company's leading scientists and engineers will be presenting on a range of topics over the course of the five-day event, highlighting the varied ways an engineering-based business makes use of applied science.

The lectures will profile the company's technical expertise and leadership, from computer-aided-design and engineering to real-world vehicle performance on the toughest terrains in the world, and the ways in which technology is being developed to address the challenges of climate change.

Project leaders will highlight technologies, processes and analysis, including world-firsts and patented systems. They will explain how they are working today and give a flavour of what may be possible in the future.

On display also will be the company's work with schools up and down the country which aims to promote learning and engagement with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) and attract young people into engineering careers. The Jaguar Land Rover Career's Team will be on hand to talk to interested young engineers.

Jaguar Land Rover Group Chief Engineer, Bob Joyce said: "At Jaguar Land Rover we firmly believe that our future prosperity lies in innovation, engineering and the application of science. We are also convinced they play a crucial role in the UK's global competitiveness. So, we are proud to take an active part in the week's events and I am particularly delighted to see the British Science Festival coming to our backyard in Birmingham. The Midlands has long been known as the manufacturing and technology base of the UK economy.

“We have around 3,500 engineers working in the UK and invest over £1 billion per year in engineering, research and development. We will be filing for registration of more than 100 patents per year for our developments and many of our specialists are global leaders in their fields. We work with over 40 academic institutions, as well as with Government, in the pursuit of new scientific and technological solutions to improve the performance and efficiency of our cars and manufacturing processes.

"It is critical to us that the UK maintains a strong focus on the teaching and nurturing of science. I believe the challenges the car industry in particular faces over the next 20 years make it the best time for almost a century to be an automotive engineer. The world is looking to us to make personal mobility more sustainable and we can only do that through the application of science."

The British Science Festival is one of Europe's largest celebrations of science, engineering and technology, with over 250 events, activities, exhibitions and trips taking place. The programme offers activity for families and schools groups, interested amateurs looking for entertainment and debate as well as professionals interested in the latest research.