Collaborative virtual workspace plans unveiled

Led by the University of Salford, partners in the ?12 million (£8 million) European Commission project met at the University in June to discuss the development of future collaborative workspaces which will allow engineers from different countries to meet and work as a team in cyberspace to design automotives, aeroplanes and buildings.

It is hoped that in just a few years these collaborative workspaces will be available for industries across the world – saving them the time and cost of international travel and helping to reduce carbon emissions.

For the past year a total of 20 international industry and research partners in the CoSpaces project have been working to develop the collaborative workspace technology, led by the University’s Professor Terrence Fernando, who said: “It will allow colleagues to work in the same space, but in different countries. This way of working will revolutionise the way that the construction, aerospace and automotive industries currently design and interact.”