McMaster looks to expand, explore advanced manufacturing partnerships in Italy, UK
Mo Elbestawi, McMaster’s Vice-President of Research & International Affairs (second from right), and Peter Mascher, Associate Vice-President, International Affairs (right), met with Prof. Giovanni Belingardi (left) and Rector Marco Gilli from Politecnico di Torino while on a recent trip to Italy and England to expand and develop new research relationships in the area of advanced manufacturing.
Senior leaders from McMaster were recently in Europe on a trip aimed at expanding existing research relationships and exploring new ones.
Mo Elbestawi, McMaster’s Vice-President of Research & International Affairs, and Peter Mascher, Associate Vice-President, International Affairs, were in Italy and England on a week-long trip to look at ways of expanding and developing new research relationships in the area of advanced manufacturing.
While in Italy, Elbestawi and Mascher met with leaders from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and one of Italy’s top research universities, Politecnico di Torino. McMaster has long-standing research partnerships with both institutes.
McMaster is currently working with FCA and Politecnico di Torino to develop high-performance electrified powertrains and powertrain components. But Elbestawi hopes to broaden that scope and discussed investigating further opportunities specifically related advanced manufacturing.
“Our partnership with FCA has resulted in a number of successes over the years and, collectively, we continued to look at areas of mutual interest and shared expertise to expand our collaboration,” says Elbestawi. “It’s critical we work together with industry – tap into each other’s strengths and capacities –to develop new technologies, particularly in the areas of advanced and additive manufacturing.”
Elbestawi and Mascher were also in Coventry, England to meet with researchers at Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), one of the UK’s leading advanced manufacturing research facilities based out of the University of Warwick.
Along with developing research projects with WMG, Mascher says they explored prospects for student exchange agreements. “WMG has a dynamic graduate program in advanced manufacturing, as does McMaster,” he says. “Creating opportunities for exchange will allow students at both institutions to learn from and work with leading experts in a number of emerging fields, ensuring they’re among the world’s best trained.”
Both WMG and Politecnico di Torino are highly regarded for their innovative and well-established PhD exchange and co-tutelle programs.
