Over 250 engineering and product design specialists will host their annual meeting in Glasgow in 2019 – 20 years after they staged their first one in the city.

Delegates will meet at the Technology and Innovation Centre in the city as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of the International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education.

Glasgow has long been a world-renowned hub for driving innovation in the engineering sector and was where the E&PDE conference was first established in 1999.  It has since grown to become one of the most prestigious international conferences in this field.

Taking place on the 12th and 13th September 2019, the 21st International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education aims to provide a forum for educators, practitioners and students from product development, engineering and industrial design, together with industry to discuss current educational issues and the nature of design education now and in the future.

Each year E&PDE chooses a host university and for its 2019 milestone conference has partnered with the University of Strathclyde, one of the UK’s leading technological universities with seven of its eight engineering departments ranked in the top 10 in the UK.

Dr Dorothy Evans, PhD & Engineering Doctorate Centre Manager at the University of Strathclyde and Co-Chair of the conference, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome back to Glasgow the 21st International annual Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education (E&PDE) having first started here 20 years ago. The return of the conference highlights the city’s longstanding reputation as being at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing education.

The University of Strathclyde has one of the largest, most advanced and well-equipped engineering faculties in the UK and the largest in Scotland. It is renowned for international research, quality of teaching and its strong links with industry as well as having a dedicated design and manufacturing department truly unique within the UK.  The conference will provide an opportunity for educators, practitioners, students and industry to discuss current educational issues and the nature of deign education now and in the future.”

This year alone, Glasgow has hosted 22 engineering conferences bringing 4,000 delegates to the city and contributing an estimated £4.5 million to the local economy.

Aileen Crawford, Head of Conventions at Glasgow Convention Bureau, added: “Glasgow is home to one of the most collaborative and dynamic innovation economies in Europe, with outstanding partnerships between the public, private and academic sectors.

Conference organisers hosting a meeting in Glasgow can benefit from this close cross-sectoral collaboration The Technology and Innovation Centre was designed specifically to accelerate the way in which researchers and industry collaborate and innovate together – making it the ideal venue for this prestigious conference.”