Post-Event Blog: ACE Network Inaugural Annual Forum- A Focus on Collaboration and Innovation
On 24 March 2025, St Hugh’s College, Oxford, hosted the ACE Network’s first Annual Forum. The event brought together researchers, industry partners, and academics to discuss current challenges and future opportunities in automatic control and related fields.
Opening Remarks and Keynote
The day began with a welcome from ACE Director Professor Daniel Coca, who introduced the network’s mission and outlined its plans for the coming year.
This was followed by a keynote address from Professor Karl Henrik Johansson, a leading researcher in networked control and cyber-physical systems. His presentation helped set the context for the discussions throughout the day.
ACE Grand Challenges and Breakout Sessions
Four researchers—Professor Daniel Auger, Professor Mike Chappell, Dr Kostas Margellos, and Dr Ross Drummond—each gave a brief overview of key ACE Grand Challenges. These were followed by breakout sessions focused on specific themes: Ageing, AI and Data, Future Mobility, and Clean Growth. The sessions encouraged open discussion between participants from both academic and industrial backgrounds.
Research Insights, ECR and EDI Forum
After lunch, Professor Amanda Prorok from the University of Cambridge gave a talk on her group’s research in multi-agent and robotic systems. She highlighted recent developments in coordination, autonomy, and real-world applications.
The Early Career Researchers (ECR) Forum followed, co-chaired by Professor Fulvio Forni and Dr Mien Van. It began with a summary of the ECR group’s aims, membership, and recent survey results. The session included panel discussions on career development, work-life balance, and funding. Attendees discussed the importance of mentorship, skills training, and better access to collaborative opportunities. Dr Francesca Boem led a session on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), presenting key findings from a recent survey and outlining the group’s objectives. The discussion covered challenges faced by international researchers, accessibility at conferences, and the impact of current policies on diversity in research. Attendees shared experiences and suggestions for making academic and industrial environments more inclusive.
The final panel of the day, chaired by Professor Daniel Coca, focused on industry and funding perspectives. Speakers included Alf J. Isaksson (ABB), Andy Lawrence (EPSRC), and Matthew Carr (Luffy AI), who offered practical advice on how to build productive academic-industry collaborations and navigate funding landscapes.
Closing Session
The forum concluded with reflections from Professors Will Heath, Daniel Coca, and Antonis Papachristodoulou, who discussed the future direction of the ACE Network. Participants were invited to provide feedback through the ACE Consultation on the proposed Centre of Excellence.
The ACE Network’s inaugural forum successfully brought together diverse voices from academia and industry. The discussions and connections made during the day will help shape the network’s activities and impact going forward.