Centre for Advanced and Smart Technologies

Organisation profile

The Centre for Advanced and Smart Technologies (CAST) undertakes innovative technology research that has wide-ranging and significant impact on the lives of local, national, and international communities. CAST sets to promote advanced, smart and emerging technologies research, enterprise and teaching innovations that make a positive difference and create social value.

CAST brings together inter/multidisciplinary research and knowledge transfer activities of staff in a range of technology areas which include Engineering and Computing Science. Through these two key areas, the Centre’s research is focused on:

• Computer Science (artificial intelligence, future networks, embedded systems & Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, virtual reality and sustaining the future of computing through innovative STEAM education);
• Engineering (Lift Technology and High-Performance Engineering (LTHPE) and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT))

Objectives of CAST are as follows:

• To sustain and continue to develop the dynamic research environment in advanced technologies involving engineering and computer science so that more staff members are able to engage in Research and Knowledge
• Transfer activities at the highest possible level.
• To support the University of Northampton staff working in the area of smart and advanced technologies to increase the number of researchers submitted to REF 2028 with high quality outputs.
• To gain significant new external income; this can be achieved through bidding to the European and UK research funding platforms, such as Horizon Europe, and Innovative UK /The Technology Strategy Board (TSB), in order to build a strong portfolio of national and international projects.
• To continue to seek opportunities to work with key national and international industrial partners and to explore opportunities for delivery of impactful research outputs through industrial partnership agreements, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, spin off companies, and patented technologies.
• To stimulate scientific research culture within the University through strengthening the links between teaching and research and to explore new directions in learning and teaching technologies in order to develop research-informed programmes, research skills of staff, PGR, EC researchers and students.
• To continue to build on the existing research, innovation learning and teaching activities and further embed them in the University Changemaker strategic plan.