The 2013 CommNet and Photonics Research summer school was attended by 46 postgraduate students from 17 universities. Organised by Professors Mark Beach, from Communication Systems and Networks research group, and Dimitra Simeonidou, from the High Performance Network group, the five-day event offered hands-on training in the use and application of software and hardware tools from both academic and industrial experts working in the sector.

The event kicked off with series of plenary talks by industrial and academic leaders followed by a network reception in the evening held at the Watershed. The event, at which participants presented posters illustrating highlights of their PhD research objectives and key outcomes, provided a unique and important opportunity for the wireless and wired postgraduate research communities to meet and network with each other.

The network reception was attended by 40 guests including; representatives from the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), industrial leaders and academics from across the country. Dr Liam Blackwell, head of the Information and Communications Technology Programme at ESPRC, who attended the evening, highlighted the importance of such events in his opening address. ‘Industrial and academic employers value both in-depth technical or hard skills as well as soft skills, such as networking and presentation skills,' he said. 'This event offers unique opportunity to discuss your research and learning from others across the academic disciplines in the wired and wireless domains.’

It is hoped that this event funded by the EPSRC grants, CommNet, UNISON and Photonics Hyperhighway will act as a catalyst for increased collaborations within this strategically important area for the UK.