Students from four Birmingham educational institutions have completed the first GBSIoT Summer Project Programme, developing and presenting technical projects using industrial digitalisation, automation and Industry 4.0 technologies at the GBSIoT Hub.
The 7 week pilot programme brought together students from Aston University, Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham and the University of Birmingham, providing participants with access to the Hub’s specialist facilities and technologies, including its Cyber Physical Lab.
The programme was designed around practical project work, with students developing technical skills through a combination of independent project activity, development sessions and support from the GBSIoT team.
The programme concluded with a project showcase at the GBSIoT Hub, where seven student groups presented their work to a panel of judges and external visitors before demonstrating their projects and answering questions.
Seven technical projects
The seven groups worked across a range of industrial applications, including predictive maintenance, virtual commissioning, robotics, CAD, automated production, AGVs, artificial intelligence and energy measurement.
The projects were:
- Predictive Maintenance using Siemens Senseye & Plant Simulation
- Virtual Commissioning of an Automated MPS404 Distributing Module
- Mitsubishi Robot Programming & Process Optimisation using CIROS
- Siemens Senseye Predictive Maintenance
- CAD Modelling & Virtual Commissioning of the MPS 400 Sorting Inline Station
- AGV Path Improvement and Factory AI Integration
- Optimising Production Using Siemens Senseye Predictive Maintenance and Energy Measurement Box
Students worked with a range of industrial technologies and systems during the programme, including Siemens Senseye, Plant Simulation, CIROS, Mitsubishi robotics, automated MPS systems, CAD and AGV technologies.
At the final event, each group delivered a presentation covering its project before taking questions from the judging panel. The presentations were followed by a project showcase, giving visitors the opportunity to see the work in operation and speak directly with the students about their projects.
Reflecting on the programme, Darran Marks, GBSIoT Director, said:
“Great summer projects are built on collaboration, powered by teamwork, strengthened through partnerships, and remembered for the innovation they create. Over six weeks, our first-ever Summer Project Programme brought together talented students, industry expertise, and real-world challenges to develop the skills needed for the modern factory and workplace.
“Today, we are proud to celebrate the graduation of 17 students whose creativity, dedication, and collaborative spirit have laid the foundation for an exciting future. Their achievements demonstrate what is possible when fresh thinking meets opportunity.
“Congratulations to all our participants, with special recognition for our presentation award winners and our Student of the Year, whose outstanding contributions exemplified the very best of the programme.”
Awards recognise project work and individual achievement
Following the presentations and project demonstrations, awards were presented to recognise the projects and individual contribution across the programme.
Third place was awarded to Group 7, comprising Andrea Eboagwu (University of Birmingham), Amina Abbasi (Aston University) and Nour Kawan (Aston University).
Second place went to Group 2, comprising Anais-Maria Niculae (University College Birmingham) and Kevin Lucas De Sousa Cardoso (University of Birmingham).
First place was awarded to Group 3, comprising Oskar Deptula (University of Birmingham), Victory Eziekwe (Birmingham City University) and Mahmud Al Sami (University College Birmingham).
Andrea Eboagwu (University of Birmingham) was also awarded Best Individual Student.
The programme gave students the opportunity to take a project from development through to final presentation, while working with industrial technologies in the GBSIoT Hub environment. The final showcase also provided an opportunity for students to discuss their technical work with judges, university representatives and external visitors.
GBSIoT would like to congratulate all seven groups on completing the first Summer Project Programme and thank the judges for their time and expertise. Particular thanks also go to Peter, Saad and Hassaan from the GBSIoT Hub team for their hard work, time and commitment throughout the two-month programme, supporting the students and helping to deliver the first pilot.
