In a bid to enhance its technological advancement coupled with innovative design ideas, Ford Motor Company has decided to increase its yearly investment in University Research Program (URP). In a report published on Aug 9, Dearborn-based Ford has disclosed that they have awarded thirteen URP grants this year to twelve different universities of the globe.

Prestigious universities awarded this year’s Ford grant include Stanford University in Palo Alto, California; Wayne State University in Detroit; Tsinghua University in Beijing, China; and RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany amongst others. Luminous professors and students of these universities will join hands with Ford scientists to generate new technological ideas to bring Ford ahead of others in developing high-end vehicles.

The Ford URP is a three-year collaborative research program that offers varied scope and dimension of research sponsored by Ford research teams. The present grants require participants to focus on the properties of thermoplastics affected by nano materials, generating an in-vehicle safety alert-system for diabetic drivers, and researching on the environmental and economic impact of batteries for EVs, the report says. Ford is already in collaboration with 26 universities globally affecting 30 studies.

“Research collaborations are a driving force behind the innovations bringing consumers to Ford – and will be crucial to keep them coming back,” says Gerhard Schmidt, Ford chief technical officer and vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering. “The spirit of collaboration fostered by initiatives such as the Ford University Research Program maximizes our chances of developing relevant technologies our customers want and value.”

Ford had reviewed more than seventy high-quality project proposals before finally awarding this year’s URP grant to thirteen. Expounding the grant, Ed Krause, external alliances manager for Ford Research and Advanced Engineering says, “As our scientists and engineers have become increasingly adept at innovating with their university counterparts, the quality of proposals has risen and the interest in awards has become more intense.”

Submission of proposals for next year’s Ford URP grant is already underway, adds the report.

via ford;