Our academics have direct experience of working with a wide range of organisations and our portfolio of clients is diverse and continually expanding.

We have a longstanding record of industrial collaboration with some of the world’s leading companies and agencies and our students are highly regarded for their awareness of the commercial environment.

We also have an outstanding reputation for the establishment of spin-off companies to further develop our research findings.

Our business activities:

• research collaborations – we seek both short- and long-term research partners and many companies and organisations are involved in our doctoral training centres, research groups and research facilities
• consultancy – through our professional consultancy company, ECS Partners
• applied research – our applied research centre, IT Innovation, is advancing a wide range of information technologies and their deployment in industry and commerce 

Research
Facilities
Spin-out companies
ECS Partners
IT innovation
Continuing professional development courses

Research

We are committed to ensuring that new knowledge developed from our research makes an impact. Much of our leading-edge research takes place with support from our industrial partners and we have experience of multi-million pound, long-term collaborations. We currently lead Responsible AI UK (RAI UK). This is a significant international project to understand how AI should be developed to benefit people, communities and society.

Facilities

The Southampton Nanofabrication Centre in the £120M Mountbatten Building is a state-of-the-art facility for microfabrication and high-spec nanofabrication, providing a wide range of characterisation capabilities. The leading research cleanroom in Europe, the Centre has a uniquely broad range of technologies, combining traditional and novel top-down fabrication with state-of-the-art bottom-up fabrication. This facility, and the unique Tony Davies High Voltage Lab which offers testing and research facilities to the power generation and supply companies, provide invaluable links between the School's academic expertise and the needs of business and industry. We also have a cyber security test bed and digital forensics facilities including crime scene room.

Many of our superb facilities may be of interest to industry partners for commercial use, including: 

Spin-out companies

ECS strongly encourages an entrepreneurial attitude in both staff and students. Over the years ECS research and enterprise has led to the establishment of an extraordinary number of spin-out companies, particularly in the area of photonics, telecommunications and software engineering.

We are also proud to be the home of EPrints, a world-leading open source digital repository, founded and run by ECS staff for over 20 years.

Some of our recent successful spin-outs include:

• AccelerComm - supercharged wireless
• ArchAI - de-risking the construction industry 
• Aura Vision – AI-powered, in-store analytics.
• CareIQ – AI for chronic care management.
• Sentient Sports – AI for sports recruitment strategies
• Stardust – putting users in control of how their data is used online
• Verso Biosense – groundbreaking fertility sensors

ECS Partners

In addition to the creation of spin-off companies, ECS has an established company, ECS Partners Ltd, which provides consultancy to industry and business from the research expertise of staff and postgraduate students. Contracts can vary from half a day to several years, and research ranges from marketing and corporate strategy to revenue and product protection.

IT innovation

The School has its own applied research centre, IT Innovation, based at the University of Southampton Science Park. IT Innovation has more than 10 years of success in applying new technologies from the research community to problems in industry and commerce, delivering proofs-of-concept, demonstrators and novel operational systems to companies such as BAE Systems, the BBC, Boeing, ESA, GSK and VW Audi. IT Innovation has a substantial portfolio of collaborative projects supported by EC and UK programmes, complemented by professional services.

Continuing professional development courses

We offer continuing professional development (CPD) courses in areas of cyber security, AI and digital forensics. These are aimed at computer scientists and engineers through to executives and decision-makers.

Learn more about our continuing professional development courses

As an international student, you will be warmly welcomed by a world-class, research-led institution that values cultural diversity. You will also be safe in the knowledge that, on graduating, your qualification will be recognised throughout the world.

We are dedicated to making all international students feel at home in Southampton and in our friendly student community. To ensure that this happens as quickly as possible, we offer a wide range of support services, including:

• an International Office
• a Students Union Advice Centre
• advice on visas and immigration
• a Centre for Language Study

Key facts: Research Excellence Framework 2021

Top 5% in the UK for quality (GPA) and power in engineering.

96% of our research outputs rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in engineering and 95% for computer science.

100% of our Computer Science research impact is recognised as world-leading.

100% of our environment for research is recognised as world-leading for computer science.

Our superb facilities include:

Research takes place in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment, organsied across globally important research groups and national research centres. With over 550 researchers from many different subject backgrounds, the research culture in ECS is fast-changing and dynamic.

Examples of technologies in which ECS research has been fundamentally transformative in recent years include:

• agent technologies
• digital libraries
• environmental modelling
• e-science
• high voltage engineering
• machine learning
• spintronics
• technology-enhanced learning
• web science

ECS also incorporates two doctoral training centres – in web science and artificial intelligence.

In Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), we have created an environment that has inspired an extraordinary level of achievement. ECS is one of the best places in the world to study electronics and electrical engineering, computer science and IT.

We offer a world-leading education in a world-leading research environment. Our degree programmes provide intensive and challenging courses, which will prepare you fully for roles in business and industry, as well as research and development. We have superb facilities and our internationally renowned teaching and research have been ranked among the highest in the UK.

Our research is carried out in world-leading research groups, we host national research centres and unique facilities, and have a well-deserved reputation for enterprise and the establishment of spin-off companies. With around 250 staff, ECS has unrivalled depth and breadth of expertise in world-leading research, new developments and their applications.

Our innovation and creativity make ECS a great place for our students to thrive. Excellent facilities, key partnerships with major industries and a world-leading research base ensure that your time studying with us will be productive, challenging, enjoyable and will set you on the road to future success.