Henry Franklin

Hello there! My name is Henry Franklin and I am a Senior Research Engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, a Research and Technology organisation formed by Nottingham, Loughborough and Birmingham Universities in 2010 with the objective of bridging the gap between academia and industry. The focus of my work is delivering the Construction Innovation Hub, a National Centre created to drive innovation and encourage collaboration in the UK Construction Sector. The Construction Innovation Hub (CIH) will be working with UK Government to deliver a range of building types including schools and hospitals better, faster and cheaper.

My project in the States will be to investigate the manufacturing technologies and modern methods of construction being deployed to increase the efficiency of Construction and Infrastructure projects. I shall visit live construction sites, off site construction facilities and research and development organisations to explore the latest innovations in the US construction sector.

I am fairly unique in having worked in both the Construction and Manufacturing sectors in engineering or project management roles. The knowledge and experience that I gain from the Scholarship will bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to the projects that I am involved with and also inform my day-to-day decision making, allowing me to deliver projects more efficiently with better outcomes. Benefits to Nottinghamshire in the short-term will be the dissemination of my findings to the native construction industry, who will benefit from access to innovative ideas that they may implement in their own organisations. Long term, Government construction projects across Nottinghamshire will benefit from the Innovations brought to the sector via my involvement with the CIH, itself influenced by my experiences in the US.

I feel privileged to have been selected by the Trustees to receive the Roosevelt Memorial Travelling Scholarship. It is a fantastic opportunity to experience the country and engage with people. I am looking forward to representing Nottinghamshire, meeting past and present scholars and contributing my time and energy to the aims of the Scholarship when I return.

You can contact me at HenryFranklin@rooseveltscholarship.org