The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng)

Mission

As Britain’s national academy for engineering, we bring together the country’s most eminent engineers from all disciplines to promote excellence in the science, art and practice of engineering.
4 Strategic Challenges 2011-2015:
– Drive faster and more balanced economic growth
– Foster better education and skills
– Lead the profession
– Promote engineering at the heart of society.

Committees / Main working groups

– Main decision making body is Council, headed by President.
– Main standing committees: Membership, Research and Secondment, Engineering Policy, Education and Training, Awards, International, Finance and Audit, External Affairs.

Highlights 2020/2019

2020

– COVID-19 response programme: including policy advice to government; rapid evidence reviews; online webinars to promote lessons from rapid innovation; launch of Project CARE supplying PPE to sub-Saharan Africa; the President’s Special Awards for Pandemic Service; support for global innovators via the Engineering X Pandemic Preparedness programme.
– NEPC net zero project: launch of major policy initiative exploring the challenges, opportunities and realities of the UK’s commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, including by taking an engineering systems approach. The National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) provides a unified voice for all engineering disciplines in the UK.
– The Hamilton Commission: in partnership with Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE HonFREng, launch of research project that will work to identify the key barriers to recruitment and progression of black people in UK motorsport and wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector.

2019

– RAEng hosted the biennial Global Grand Challenges Summit in September, jointly with the national academies of China and the US. The Summit brought together engineering leaders, researchers, innovators and students to promote the importance of collaborative, inter-disciplinary approaches to global challenges. The next event will be in China in 2021.
– On 6 November RAEng led the first ever This is Engineering Day to promote engineering careers and awareness of what engineers really do. Messaging reached over 14m people and has measurably changed the perceptions of young people and their parents. The next This is Engineering Day is on 4 November 2020, and international partners are welcome to get involved.
– RAEng launched Engineering X in October, a new international collaboration that builds global alliances to engineer a safer, more sustainable world. The programme delivers practical solutions based on real needs, in the areas of Safer Complex Systems, Safer End of Engineered Life, Engineering Skills and Transforming Systems through Partnership.