China is urbanising at an unprecedented rate. This brings both opportunities and risks. Here we propose an international research network to bring together UK researchers with the leading universities in China to discuss common interests and formulate proposals for Anglo-Chinese collaborative research and academic exchange. The network will also include leading international researchers from Australia and the USA where appropriate. This network forms one of a small group of related networks inspired by the Dongtan Eco-city development north of Shanghai. It addresses two related topics / the historical development of Chinese and European cities, and spatial masterplanning at scales ranging from the local place to the whole metropolitan area. These topics tend to be researched by different groups of academics, however we believe there is much to be gained by bringing fields together since the lessons of history have much to bring to current design, planning and policy formation so far as urbanisation is concerned. Equally, there is benefit in bridging between western and Asian history and experience of industrialisation and urban expansion. A central focus of this network will be to investigate the way that urban spatial structure relates to social cultures. This aspect of planning is currently seen to be a central to the creation of sustainable communities and is one where the benefit of cross cultural comparison in research is clear cut. Here we will investigate the use of spatial analysis and modelling methodologies to allow a common basis for cross cultural and historical comparison. In this way we will investigate the application of analytic technologies in urban design, planning and poloicy formation.

With the Arts and Humanities as the driver, the KE Project will develop a mutual learning environment among universities, cultural institutions and digital design industry. This will benefit the UK economy, its unparalleled wealth in tangible, intangible and digital cultural heritage and advance the UK's position as the global leader of digital design-led, research-based Knowledge Exchange in the field of cultural heritage. Aims and Distinctiveness The KE Project Design with Heritage will challenge heritage disciplines to engage with digital design industries, thereby realising their potential to support the development and growth of the Creative Economy. It will promote the value of cultural heritage assets as a resource by utilising research to develop products and services, and to improve productivity. It will facilitate connections, communication and exchange between A&H research and Creative Industries and increase public engagement. Uniquely, the KE Project will address the digital design sector engaging with cultural heritage and will address barriers to effective business engagement such as fragmented company base, cultural issues in academia and resource issues in the business sector. The KE Project will be enriched by the success of the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme run by UCL. The activities will be extremely relevant to the RCUK Digital Economy Grand Challenge, the Care for the Future theme, and enhanced cultural tourism, all major AHRC priorities. Summary of key knowledge exchange activities and main partners involved Two Work Packages (WPs) will be used to deliver knowledge exchange activities across 2 themes: WP1: Design for Enhanced Exhibitions, and WP2: Design for Augmented Artifacts. A Jumpstart event at UCL will produce clear questions identifying gaps and needs in Knowledge Exchange. A Green Paper will detail the priorities for engaging digital design industries with cultural heritage. Two interactive Sandpits focussing on the KE questions will be organised. KE Feasibility projects will be funded to provide support for practical exploration of new ideas. Outputs from these projects will include exhibition, case study, teaching, and web-based materials (e.g. apps). A final showcase event will disseminate and communicate public information in the form of a Symposium organised at the V&A, and an Exhibition with enhanced web presence. Two mechanisms will support the engagement of digital design industries with the Project: (i) academic backfill programme enabling academics and researchers at UCL and V&A to be seconded to work on KE Feasibility projects on the basis of financial compensation for their time; (ii) KE Projects, emerging from Sandpits, supported by the KE Project and addressing barriers to effective engagement between academia, heritage institutions and digital design industries.

The UK RDRF brings together a number of research strands funded under the DET, EPSRC and ESRC portfolios over the last decade to create a national facility to tackle the vexed question of regional competitiveness and rebalancing the UK economy. Following the Scottish referendum there have been renewed calls for greater devolution to regions and core cities. This facility will bring together the big economic data and construct the high resolution models needed to support policy makers at national, regional and local level. It will innovate by building together a model of the fixed stock of buildings, including housing, commercial, warehousing and manufacturing, with a network model of key infrastructure. This will allow analysis of which policy nudges might be expected to overcome the inertia present in the historic geography of the UK. It will allow a common framework of data and evidence ti be used by regional and local policy professionals wishing to evaluate policy options. The whole facility is built on the opportunity created by CDT funding to develop a cohort of evidence based policy professionals and analysts to support the needs of a more devolved form of planning. We aim to support the creation of a 'community of practice' based on access to big economic data and open source analysis and modelling tools. We will host workshops and networks to spread best practice and create some institutional glue amongst the people concerned. Finally, we will engage local communities in the debate and bring the same evidence and tools to the public at large through crowd science and in-the-wild research engagement.

In redeveloping the EngD VEIV centre, we will be focussing on three themes in the area: - Vision & Imaging, covering the areas of computer-based interpretation of images. For example, object tracking in real-time video, or face detection and surface appearance capture. UCL now has a broad expertise in medical imaging (see description of CMIC), and also in tracking and interpretation of images (e.g. expertise of Julier and Prince who are on the management team). Previously we have supported several EngD projects in this area: e.g. Philips (structure from MRI), Sortex (object detection), Bodymetrics (body measurement from scanning data), where the innovation has been in higher-levels of interpretation of imaging data and derivation of measurements automatically. Two other projects highlight the rapidly developing imaging technology, with high-density sensors and high dynamic range imagery (e.g. BBC and Framestore). We have outline support from several companies for continuing in this area. - Media & Interfaces, covering real-time graphics and interactive interfaces. For example, the use of spatially immersive interfaces, or computer games technology. We have a growing relationship with a number of key games companies (EA, Sony, Eidos, Rebellion), where their concern or interest lies in the management of large sets of assets for complex games software. There is interest in tools for developing imagery (r.g. Arthropics, Geomerics). We also have interest in the online 3D social spaces from IBM and BT. A relatively recent development that we plan to exploit is the combination of real-time tracking, real-time graphics and ubiquitous sensing to create augmented reality systems. Interest has been expressed in this area from Selex and BAe. There is also a growing use of these technologies in the digital heritage area, which we have expertise in and want to expand. - Visualisation & Design, covering the generation and visualisation of computer models in support of decision-making processes. For example, the use of visualisation of geographic models, or generative modelling for architectural design. Great advances have been made in this area recently, with the popularity of online GIS tools such as Google Earth tied in to web services and the acceptance of the role of IT in complex design processes. We would highlight the areas of parameterised geometry (e.g. with Fosters and the ComplexMatters spin-out), studying pedestrian movements (with Buro Happold, Node Architects), visualisation of GIS data (e.g. ThinkLondon, Arup Geotechnical), and medical visualisation.These themes will be supported by broadening the engagement with other centres around UCL, including: the UCL Interaction Centre, the Centre for Medical Image Computing, the Chorley Institute and the Centre for Computational Science.The main value of the centre is that visual engineering requires cross-disciplinary training. This is possible with a normal PhD, but within the centre model inter-disciplinary training can embed the students' focussed research into a larger context. The centre model provides a programme structure and forums to ensure that opportunities and mechanisms for cross-disciplinary working are available. The centre also provides an essential role in providing some core training; though by its nature the programme must incorporate modules of teaching from a wide variety of departments that would otherwise be difficult to justify.