IMechE events in 2023 – from competitions to conferences

MARCH 

Asset Management: Life Extension, 29 March, London

This seminar will focus on assets old and new, bringing together perspectives from the entire asset lifecycle. It will feature engineers and experts from a range of sectors to address the challenges posed by, and lessons learned from, life-extension projects.

APRIL

Essential Management Skills, 19-21 April, Leicester

Managing people, projects or teams requires more than a high degree of technical knowledge. Just like any skill, becoming an effective manager and leader takes effort and attention. The IMechE Essential Management Skills conference offers three days of workshops, networking and site visits to equip you with the knowledge you need to make the step up. 

Battery Energy Storage, 25 April, Manchester

The greatest challenge for energy-storage solutions is the deployment onto a larger scale. Today, many projects are on a smaller scale so the key is investment and commercialisation. This event will showcase accessible and viable energy-storage solutions, as well as highlighting the true potential that battery energy storage can offer. 

MAY

15th International Conference on Turbochargers and Turbocharging, 16-17 May, London

Bringing together the international automotive engineering community, the conference will once more provide an essential forum for all engineers, researchers, OEMs, suppliers and academics to present technical findings, share innovative solutions and make valuable new connections within this specialised field.

Annual General Meeting, 25 May

JUNE

Hydropower Engineering, 1 June, Glasgow

This event will cover many technical aspects of the hydropower industry, including the status of the industry now, new opportunities from a developer’s perspective, and new technologies from a manufacturer’s perspective. Alongside this will be the opportunity to take part in discussions on the key challenges found when realising these opportunities.

Professional Engineering Issue 2 publishes, 14 June

Railway Challenge, 22-25 June, Stapleford

The Railway Challenge provides a brilliant opportunity for aspiring teams to compete in an industry-specific competition, showcasing their skills, expertise, knowledge and business acumen. 

The Challenge, now in its twelfth successive year, continues to bring together teams of university students, as well as apprentices and graduates working in industry across the world, to test their business knowledge, design ability and technical skills in a live test environment.

Participants are required to design and manufacture a miniature (10¼-inch gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a set of strict rules and a detailed technical specification. The locomotives will be tested live at the competition weekend, which takes place in June at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire, where several categories of winners and an overall Railway Challenge champion will be crowned.

UAS Challenge, 26-29 June, BFMA Buckminster

Teams of undergraduates from all over the world take part in the annual UAS Challenge, which was launched in 2014 with the key objectives of developing professional engineers and inspiring the next generation.

Starting each October, student teams undertake a full design-and-build cycle of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) with a maximum take-off mass of 10kg to undertake specific mission objectives, culminating in a final fly-off event in June the following year. The system will be required to operate automatically, performing a series of tasks such as area search, navigating waypoints, accurately dropping an aid package and returning to base via a defined route.

JULY

Formula Student, 19-22 July, Silverstone

Formula Student is Europe’s most established educational engineering competition which uses motorsport to inspire students. Backed by industry and high-profile engineers such as patron Ross Brawn OBE, the competition aims to develop enterprising and innovative young engineers and encourage more young people to take up careers in engineering. The format provides an ideal opportunity for students to demonstrate their engineering knowledge and to test and improve their capabilities to deliver a complex and integrated product in the demanding environment of a motorsport competition.

Teams are asked to produce a prototype for a single-seat race car for autocross or sprint racing, and present it to a hypothetical manufacturing firm. The car must be low in cost, easy to maintain and reliable, with high performance in terms of its acceleration, braking and handling qualities. 

Spectator tickets to join Formula Student 2023 in July will be available in the spring. Head to Silverstone to get up close to a busy grid of custom-built combustion, electric, hybrid and autonomous racing cars, competing in fast-paced events designed to test teams’ vehicle engineering and driving abilities to the limit. 

SEPTEMBER

Apprentice Automation Challenge, September, Coventry

The Apprentice Automation Challenge provides a brilliant opportunity for talented apprentices to compete in an innovative design and manufacturing contest to improve an everyday home or garden device.

Organised by the Institution’s Manufacturing Industries Division’s Young Members Committee, the Challenge engages with teams of apprentice engineers to design, develop and build a fully working system that solves a real-world problem.

All teams submit a report that includes a full design specification, manufacturing instructions, user manual and business case. The Challenge culminates in the finals at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, where teams are able to demonstrate their working prototypes and respond to questions from the judging panel. 

Crane Safety, September, London

Join us to address the key challenges involved in carrying out safe crane operations. Presentations will cover recent lifting projects across a wide variety of schemes and industries, together with technical insights and industry best practice to reduce the risk of incidents, maintain compliance with standards and make the most of new and novel technologies.

Professional Engineering Issue 3 publishes, 6 September 

OCTOBER

Design Challenge, October, London

The Design Challenge gives first- and second-year undergraduates a taste of the ‘real world’ of engineering, challenging them to design, create, present and run a device to a strict technical specification. The Challenge enables participants to gain real-industry experience, practical employability skills and enhanced business and people skills, all within a set timeframe. It is intended to complement the academic curriculum and is used by participants towards their projects.

NOVEMBER

International EV Batteries, November, Midlands

Attend the International EV Batteries conference to hear about the latest developments in battery design, testing, thermal management, charging and integration right across the lifecycle for a more resilient and cost-effective battery.

Nuclear Ventilation, 14-15 November, Manchester

Taking place every two years and now in its 11th successive iteration, this two-day conference is the only event of its kind that enables power industry professionals and engineering practitioners from all sectors of the nuclear community to stay abreast of developments in nuclear ventilation within the UK. Take this opportunity to learn about standards and solutions to key ventilation challenges, covering examples in operational plants, decommissioning and containment.

Lifecycle of Pressure Systems, November, London

The Lifecycle of Pressure Systems seminar is a comprehensive “state of the industry” event to update all those involved with pressure systems and equipment and for all asset stages: from design and installation to daily operation and decommissioning.

Professional Engineering Issue 4 publishes, 22 November 

Powertrain Systems for Sustainable Transport, 29 November, London

Attend to get a detailed technical overview of the latest developments in internal combustion engines, as well as covering developments in the wide range of other powertrain systems available (including electric, fuel cell, sustainable fuels etc). In order to achieve net-zero transport across the globe, the lifecycle analysis of future powertrain and energy will also be included in discussion at the event.

Find out more on the IMechE events page.