Out now: The Engineer's September issue

For much of this year it's felt as though normal life is on hold.

Indeed, as the scale of the pandemic became clear back in April we on The Engineer wondered what impact the crisis might have on the climate of innovation and technology development that's at the heart of our coverage.  Would there be anything to write about in the worrying months ahead? Would the well of innovation run dry as engineering organisations across the economy battened down the hatches and entered survival mode?

The answer to this question plays out across the pages of our latest issue. And whilst there's no doubt that many areas of the manufacturing economy are facing profound challenges it's also clear that - as so often throughout our society's industrial history - a time of crisis has been a spur for innovation, whether it's through the adoption of new technologies that can help address the operational challenges posed by the pandemic; or the exploration of emerging fields that could deliver a competitive edge in the years ahead.