LHCb VErtex LOcator (VELO) upgrade

The VErtex LOcator (VELO) is a vital piece of apparatus providing tracking, triggering and vertexing to the LHCb experiment. Its superb impact parameter resolution and high efficiency enable LHCb to make precision measurements and searches for New Physics in the flavour sector. These proceedings focus on the R&D for the future LHCb VELO detector to be installed in the upgraded LHCb experiment. In order to increase hadronic yields and to be able to run at higher luminosities LHCb plans to upgrade the front end electronics, currently limited by a first level hardware trigger. For the silicon vertex detector this implies a complete rebuild of the modules and electronics, with improved cooling capability to cope with the high voltages and currents expected after significant radiation damage has been accrued. This paper presents the design considerations for the vertex detector upgrade together with the two proposed options for the sensor layout, based on strips or pixels. As part of the R&D programme a pixel based tracking telescope has been developed for use in testbeams, to gain experience with pixel tracking and to evaluate the technologies under consideration. This paper presents results from the last years running of the TimePix telescope and describes the integration of various test devices.