Join us for the third annual Device Prototyping Summer School!

Taking place from the 14th to the 17th of July at Lancaster University, this is a great opportunity to improve your digital device design skills with a view to scaling up beyond a prototype. Attendees will benefit from access to state-of-the-art university labs for hands-on learning as well as instruction from world-leading experts in electronic device production.

⚙️ Ideal for anyone with an interest in low-volume digital device creation including makers, visionaries, and researchers from any discipline.

⚙️ Open to all levels of experience and all career stages – from student to established professional.

⚙️ Up to thirty subsidised places available – food, accommodation and all activities covered for just £100!

⚙️ Prizes available to help the most promising prototype ideas move towards production.

Led by Professors Steve Hodges and Joe Finney, hosted by Lancaster University’s Devices Lab, and supported by the EPSRC-funded pro² network+. The deadline to apply for this event is the 13th of May 2026. To apply, see ‘Application Process’ below.

Instructors

Steve Hodges is an internationally recognised leader in interactive and embedded device creation. He has built and deployed prototypes at all scales, and many of these have transitioned to volume production resulting in millions of devices in market globally.       

 

Joe Finney is a global figure in empowering non-experts to innovate with technology, in particular helping them to learn about and build lightweight embedded systems. His work has also led to millions of embedded devices that are in daily use around the world.

Examples of devices made in the hundreds, thousands and millions that Steve and Joe have worked on include the BBC micro:bit, i-String Lite artistic lighting, the Microsoft Adaptive Accessories, the Azure Sphere IoT system, the Microsoft Touch Mouse, and the Jacdac and .NET Gadgeteer prototyping platforms.

 

Curious about our past summer schools? Check out the 2024 and 2025 highlights, including submitted papers and the winners of previous prize competitions. Here’s what our previous attendees had to say: 
“From the outset of the three days, the engagement and enthusiasm from the attendees was palpable.”

“We arrived with prototypes and left with a deeper understanding of the intricate process of bringing a product to life.”

Topics covered include:

⚙️ Electronic printed circuit board (PCB) design and manufacture 

⚙️ Component selection and sourcing 

⚙️ Moving from a first prototype to tens, hundreds and thousands 

⚙️ Design for manufacture (DfM) and for test (DfT)  

⚙️ Surface mount (SMT) assembly  

⚙️ Testing and test jigs  

⚙️ Regulatory compliance  

⚙️ Working with manufacturing partners  

⚙️ Demo session  

Prizes   

Thousands of pounds of prizes are up for grabs! The projects with the most potential for impact, based on the assessment criteria below, will be awarded either a grand prize or a runner up prize which is to be used to aid prototype development or to support further learning in a field relevant to device production.  

The full terms and conditions of the competition can be found here.  

Number of places  

Up to thirty places are available at a cost of £100 each. This is a heavily subsidised rate that covers accommodation, catering for all meals and the content of the summer school itself for the duration of the event. Due to the nature of the subsidy, the cost will be the same regardless of how much of the event you attend. Places will be awarded based on the quality of your application, the details of which can be found in the application process section below. In the event that an attendee does not require accommodation, a reduced fee of £50 will be charged.  

All attendees must be 18 or over. Attendees from overseas will be responsible for arranging any necessary visas.    

Financial aid for domestic travel within the UK may be available upon request to those with particular financial constraints. Attendees should first make a request for funding from their own institution before requesting it from the pro² network+. 

Format   

The three-and-a-half-day event will be lively and dynamic, leveraging a variety of formats including presentations, demos, hands-on lab-based tutorials, panels and discussions.   

The summer school starts Tuesday afternoon 14th July at 1.30pm with registrations open from 11am and runs until 4pm on Friday 17th July. The event includes dinner and socialising on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings. 

Application process   

Applying to take part is easy! Please complete the application form and submit a short paper (as a Word Document only, no PDFs) to admin@prosquared.org containing a description of your prototype or idea for a prototype along with any pictures, sketches or designs of your prototype by the end of the day, midnight AOE (anywhere on earth) on 13th May 2025. Instructions for writing and submitting the short paper can be found in the application form.   

The above short paper template provides an example of what we are looking for. You can also view submitted papers from the 2025 Summer School. We will archive the short papers of successful applicants on the pro² website.  

We will accept papers with multiple authors. In this instance, please provide information about each author and their contribution to the work in the bio section. Should your paper be accepted, please note that we may not have capacity to offer places at the summer school to all authors.   

Assessment criteria for prizes and sponsored places   

The summer school organisers will assess applications based on the content of the application form. Assessment criteria will be based on: well-explained and adventurous but realistic concepts, the impact potential of the ideas, consideration of relevant related work, prior relevant experience of the applicant, and responsible innovation. 

Additional Information   

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by email.    

Further information regarding the accessibility of Lancaster University facilities can be found on the AccessAble website. Please inform of us of any accessibility or dietary requirements in your application form. Quiet spaces and spaces for prayer will be available throughout the event. You can get in touch with us at admin@prosquared.org with any queries you may have.  

About pro² and the Devices Lab    

pro² is an EPSRC-funded Network+ with the mission to ease the transition from PROtotyping to PROduction for digital devices. pro² is kindly subsidising accommodation and catering costs for up to thirty places!    

The Devices Lab at Lancaster University’s School of Computing and Communications works with collaborators from different disciplines and different institutions to design and scale-up electronic devices that help answer all manner of research questions.