Fire safety funding goes to Edinburgh's ISSTI
The Ove Arup Foundation has appointed the University of Edinburgh's Institute for the Study of Science, Technology and Innovation (ISSTI) to carry out research into the sociology of fire safety.
An investment of £200,000, which has also been matched by the Royal Academy of Engineering, will over five years fund an initiative called ITSAFE ('Integrating Technical and Social Aspects of Fire Safety Engineering Expertise'). The purpose of ITSAFE will be to bring together figures from across the disciplines to research how engineers and designers can more intelligently approach fire safety.
In welcoming the support, director of ISSTI Robin Williams said: "This reflects our success in putting together an interdisciplinary consortium, bringing together social science, fire safety engineering and architectural design, equipped to examine these complex questions."
Sir Duncan Michael, Ove Arup Foundation trustee and former chairman, said: "We are excited to explore new approaches to reducing risks from fire, which still kills too many people. While there have been significant technical advances in fire safety, further progress will be limited without changes in policy and regulation and in the practices and responses of professions and organisations involved and the wider public."
ITSAFE will be recruiting an ambitious scholar to lead this research programme, and a PhD student to build expertise in this area. Interested parties should contact Robin Williams at
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The Ove Arup Foundation is already supporting a complementary research programme at the University of Edinburgh led by Dr Luke Bisby from the Buildings Research Establishment Centre for Fire Safety Engineering, which is looking at more technical considerations such as structural engineering and materials. An interview with Dr Bisby can be found here.
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Edinburgh University led scheme pushes for increased fire safety in homes
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