Modern society requires resilient and reliable supply chains for stability. With recent world events such as Covid-19 and rapid climate change highlighting weaknesses in supply chains that affect everyday lives, this work will seek to find new solutions to address the uncertainties of our times.
Led by Dr Hangfei Guo, Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at Queen’s Business School, the project will be based in Momentum One Zero (M1.0), one of the data-driven Innovation Centres being delivered by the University under the Belfast Region City Deal, with the aim of driving inclusive innovation across the region.
The project will support collaboration with a range of partners including Ulster University, University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University, University of Plymouth, University of Reading, the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). They will work alongside regionally based companies such as Moy Park (Mid & South West), Foods Connected (North West), and Coca-Cola (Lisburn).
Additionally, there is the opportunity through a flexible fund for a wider range of companies to engage with RiSC+, embedding staff within universities to cultivate skills that can be used to create and lead new teams in industry that are not easily replicable elsewhere.
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) at Queen’s stated: "I welcome this significant investment from UKRI for this pivotal project, one of the largest for the AHSS faculty and Queen’s Business School. This project is reflective of the transformative impact achievable through collaboration, and I congratulate everyone involved.”
Economy Minister Conor Murphy stated: “Strong and resilient supply chains are vital to industry, health and our economy. The aim of this project is to build strong local supply chains, so we are more able to withstand global challenges. It is a great example of academia and business working together and supported by government to find solutions to real problems. This innovative project will draw on leading edge capability provided through one of the new City & Growth Deals investments. It will also develop knowledge and skills that will benefit our economy long beyond the life of this project. I look forward to seeing the outcome of this work.”
