China is planning to build and put into operation several world-class underground utility tunnels - a network of pipes for power, water, heating, telecommunication, gas and other systems crucial to urban life - by 2020. The plan aims to guarantee pipeline safety and disaster-resisting capability.

The goal of a standardised offshore electricity generator for the wave industry has taken a major step forward with the announcement of £2 million new funding for a project run jointly by Aquamarine Power, Bosch Rexroth and Carnegie Wave Energy.

Leading organisations and figures for wave and tidal current energy gathered in Cardiff earlier this month for a workshop to facilitate better collaboration across the sectors and help the development of demonstration zones and test sites across the UK.

UV disinfection technology company Hanovia has been awarded €3.9 million by Horizon 2020, the EU’s biggest ever research and innovation programme,for the Eco- UV development project. 

Clearfleau, the leading UK-based provider of on-site AD-based treatment solutions for the food and beverage sector, has finished the first stage in a major sustainability project for First Milk, at one of the UK's largest cheese creameries.

The demand for higher-level skills in British industry is set to grow in the years ahead, with sectors central to future growth, including manufacturing and construction, particularly hard-pressed according to this year’s CBI/Pearson Education and Skills survey.

Skanska UK has received a funding award from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), worth more than £700,000 to develop the use of robots for on-site and off-site construction.