Transcript
Page 1: Impacts - successful collaborations with SMEs

> I M PA C T S S U C C E S S F U L C O L L A B O R AT I O N S W I T H S M A L L A N D M E D I U M S I Z E D E N T E R P R I S E S

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The Research Councils seek to maximise the impact of their investments for the benefit of the economy. They achieve this by providing researchers with the funds and the encouragement to exploit their knowledge and skills by working with users: in business; in the third sector; and in Government, at local, national and international level. To enable researchers to maximise the impact of their work, we give them the funds to undertake collaborative research and provide them with the skills and opportunities to work with users. In achieving this, we

nurture networks and work with intermediaries such as development agencies and the Technology Strategy Board.

In 2006, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) together accounted for more than half of the employment (59%) and turnover (52%) in the UK. Only 0.1% of businesses employed more than 250 people. In his 2007 report, Race to the Top, Lord Sainsbury concluded that “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often best placed to provide the most innovative solutions to problems due to their ability to focus narrowly, pursue new and different ideas, take quick decisions and respond to changing circumstances.” SMEs do not necessarily have an in-house research capability and may not have the capacity to identify and build relationships with appropriate academic research partners. We therefore need to consider how best the researchers we fund can work with SMEs to enable the exploitation of their research.

The involvement of companies in research projects enables the two way flow of ideas and knowledge. It increases the likelihood that RCUK research investments will lead to successful commercial outcomes and economic impacts. Although the Research Councils

are unable to fund businesses directly, in 2005-06 we invested £85 million in academic research that had an SME partner. This amounts to around 10% of our research investment in higher education institutions.

A significant proportion of our budgets is used to fund research in our institutes and facilities. By stimulating and nurturing new ventures we create innovative small businesses that deliver a significant benefit to the economy. Co-location can facilitate this and Research Council institutes provide such opportunities, for example at the bio-incubator facility at the BBSRC’s Babraham Institute which hosts 28 companies. Also, the new National Science and Innovation Campuses at Harwell and Daresbury, which are managed by STFC, also provide a productive intellectual environment. The Daresbury Innovation Centre is home to over 50 SMEs.

Introduction

Philip Esler

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Collaborative postgraduate training grants, such as CASE, allow a participating company considerable choice about which university and research group they wish to work with. Researchers at the beginning of their careers also benefit by exposing them to new ideas and giving them an insight into the needs of users. CASE has been shown to be particularly valuable to SMEs.

The Research Councils provide funding to enable SMEs to become part of research consortia through supply chains or through clubs, often established in partnership with Trade Associations or other business networks. For example, the Bio-processing Research Industry Club was established by BBSRC and EPSRC to support industrially relevant bio-processing research. Club members get access to innovative research underpinning the needs of their business and the opportunity to develop new collaborations with academia and other industrial club members.

Through our partnership with the Technology Strategy Board we aim to significantly increase SMEs’ involvement with the public research base, particularly through its Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) and Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs). The Research Councils already fund and promote KTPs, under which high calibre graduates and postgraduates work on innovative projects within industry, jointly supervised by the industrial and academic partners. The industrial partner gains access to the latest technology and research developments, while the academic partner benefits from working with business on real problems and develops greater business awareness. RCUK are exploring more flexible KTPs with the Technology Strategy Board in order to attract new businesses, for example shorter KTPs to reach micro-enterprises within the creative industries, building upon AHRC’s successful Knowledge Catalyst scheme.

The Research Councils work with partners in the regional development agencies (RDAs), devolved administrations, and trade associations in support of KTNs. These raise awareness among SMEs of the benefits that the research base can offer. This includes organising joint events with RDAs to target regional businesses and using the RDAs to identify new business partners for collaborative research and training activities funded by the Research Councils. Research Councils continue to explore new means to support academic engagement with SMEs. For example, Councils support a number of voucher schemes to support academic research with an SME partner. These enable SMEs to make their first engagements with universities. INDEX is one such scheme run by Aston University with support from ESRC, EPSRC and

Advantage West Midlands; a pilot scheme sponsored by STFC and North West Development Agency provides SMEs in the Daresbury Innovation Centre

access to business support from the STFC.

In Impacts: Successful Collaborations with Small and Medium Sized Businesses we have chosen

just a few examples where the Research Councils have enabled researchers to exploit their

research successfully by working with SMEs. They demonstrate that successful

impacts have arisen in a wide range of sectors in a variety of ways.

Professor Philip Esler is Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council

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CULTURE , COMMUNITY AND COMMUNICATIONS

UK research on display Since its formation in 1992, Cambridge Display Technology has worked

closely with universities, collaborating on more than 30 research projects funded by EPSRC. The company leads the world in the research, development and commercialisation of polymer light emitting diodes and dendrimer technologies for flat panel displays, lighting, sensors and photovoltaics.

These technologies are targeted for use in a wide range of electronic display products for information management, communications and entertainment. Features include reduced power consumption, thickness and weight, very wide viewing angle, superior video imaging performance and the potential to produce displays on plastic substrates.

To date, manufacturing licences have been granted to Delta Optoelectronics, DuPont Displays, MicroEmissive Displays, OSRAM, Philips, and Seiko-Epson. In July 2007, Cambridge Display Technology was acquired by Sumitomo Chemical Company for approximately $285 million.

Credit where credit is due A local partnership between Leeds City Credit Union and the

University of Leeds developed a marketing strategy for Leeds City Credit Union resulting in significant growth in affordable financial services in the City. The university’s researchers, supported by ESRC and the then Department of Trade and Industry, helped the company record a 35% increase in savings revenue, double its staff numbers, increase the number of its branches from two to seven, and double the number of savings and lending products available to customers.

In recent years, a number of games-related activities have started to blur reality, mixing offline “real-life” content with online interaction. Alternate Reality Games (ARGs) make use of the mix of virtual and real environments within which we live.

With funding from AHRC, Dr Tom Abba, from the University of the West of England, employed his expertise in interactive story-telling to help Licorice Films, a small independent media developer, to increase its capacity and take advantage of the growth in new media entertainment. Significantly, the funding route enabled by AHRC demonstrated a manner by which an ARG need not rely on major film studio association to be successful.

The project delivered a new ARG played over the internet by thousands of players and supplemented by real-life clues and events. Running over 8 weeks, and requiring the deployment of fictional websites and email communication to allow players to participate in the narrative, the project showcased Licorice Films’s capabilities, enhanced the company’s profile within an emerging field and increased the demand of its expertise.

Stephanie James, a specialist in fine art from the Arts Institute Bournemouth, worked with ArtSway, a contemporary visual arts venue and gallery in the New Forest. The project built on Stephanie’s research and fine art expertise by incorporating greater use of text in visual art contexts to help audiences experience and enjoy challenging contemporary art. The academic collaboration improved ArtSway’s ability to create exhibitions with more contextual information and built greater professional relationships with artists, thus developing the gallery’s ability to present high quality relevant exhibitions. In addition the AHRC researcher Jo Sanna undertook audience research looking at qualitative experience in the gallery context. This contributed to a range of regional and national initiatives for audience data gathering in the visual arts.

The collaboration was promoted at the 52nd International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia – in summer 2007 and brought a selection of work by artists who took part in ArtSway’s artist’s residency programme to an international academic, professional and business audience at one of the foremost contemporary art festivals in the world.

Online gaming without the gamble

The shock of the New Forest

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New resources for international development

Rachel Flanary’s ESRC-funded postgraduate study at Durham University researched women’s restricted access to transport in northern Ghana, and recent attempts to improve this situation. She worked with Natural Resources International Ltd, an independent project management company focusing on the wellbeing of resource poor communities in the developing world. Natural Resources International has retained a close interest in the subject and has disseminated Rachel’s work widely to donors and individuals in the West and developing countries.

Reading, writing and research Texthelp is a small company in Antrim that develops software for

students with learning disabilities. It sought to evaluate how its main product was helping children with dyslexia. ESRC-funded researchers from Queen’s University Belfast conducted research that provided independent validation of the product which the company could employ in its national and international marketing. This led to $550,000 of business from a US customer and an anticipated increase in exports of $2.9 million.

TimberPlay has a reputation for providing good quality play environments for children. The scheme it is best known for is the Princess of Wales Memorial Garden in London’s Kensington Gardens. The company is working with Helen Woolley in the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield on a project (funded by AHRC, ESRC and the Technology Strategy Board) to revolutionise playground environments and promote the value of play in ‘natural’ environments.

The project is facilitating expertise in landscape design being embedded into the company so that they can provide a complete playground design package, involving local communities and buyers in the design process. The project has increased the level of interest and orders for play spaces with more ‘natural’ environments with a resulting increase in turnover for TimberPlay. The partners are now exploring further ways of working together in the future.

The mathematical understanding of networks has increased dramatically over the past 10 years and network theory is being increasingly applied to practical problems in business and society. With AHRC funding, Dr Andrew Roach of the University of Glasgow, a historian with expertise in the analysis of historical networks from his work on medieval heresy and the early Inquisition, is working with Volterra Consulting, an economic consultancy dealing with practical

business issues. Volterra’s Paul Ormerod believes that the companys new willingness to use ‘softer’ evidence has been decisive in securing business. Better knowledge of networks work can also lead to a better understanding of loosely connected terrorist organisations of the 21st century such as Al-Qaeda. Andrew is currently working with the Chief Economist to the Mayor of London on the long term economic impact of bridges across the Thames.

Wireless networking

All work and more play

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MANUFACTURING AND TECHNOLOGY

Collaboration powers showers Much of the assembly work at Manhattan Showers in Lancashire had

been undertaken by unskilled labour, and absenteeism and high staff turnover had affected production. ESRC-funded researchers at Manchester University worked with the company to improve management processes information systems and fabrication methods. Reductions in scrap levels saved Manhattan £30,000 a year and better productivity and dependability, which can largely be attributed to the partnership, led to an increase in annual profit of £90,000.

Focusing on astronomy, medicine and aerospace

Glasgow University has expertise in a hydroxide catalysis process which allows components to be aligned and bonded with minimal distorting forces and exceptionally thin bond lines. The technology has applications in the production of high precision lenses, such as those manufactured by a Glenrothes-based company called Spanoptic. STFC provided funding to the university to transfer the technology to Spanoptic to enable it to develop astronomical lenses for STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre. Spanoptic’s products also have applications in medicine and aerospace and the company benefited by having a new process available for commercial applications.

Symons Mirror Technology Ltd manufactures innovatively fabricated optical components for laboratory research instruments. The company sought to gain access to the lucrative space hardware market and developed a collaborative PhD project with the Atmospheric Physics Department at Oxford University. The project aimed to develop a small instrument to make infrared soundings of the atmosphere that would be in every way identical to anticipated flight instruments.

The research, undertaken by Hugh Mortimer, has enabled SMT to design and fabricate a prototype instrument’s optical system, placing the company in a strong position to win future ESA and NASA contracts.

Infranor Ltd designs and manufactures electric motors for a worldwide customer base. In 2002, sales targets were not achieved: consequently a need was identified at the company to add value to the existing product line. In order to do this, Infranor and the University of Portsmouth discussed the feasibility of jointly developing an appropriate system. These discussions led to the undertaking of a research collaboration.

Electromechanical machinery, such as that used in food and

textiles manufacturing, usually operates continuously. In order to reduce down-time of production lines, it was decided to develop an internet-based system to monitor the performance of motors in order to optimise performance and predict failures.

The project led to increased sales in existing markets. Turnover in the textiles sector increased 22% and opportunities in new markets arose resulting in increased sales to Germany, France, Spain, US and China.

Engines for innovation

Researcher instrumental in company’s success

The instrument, shown here mounted in a thermal test chamber,

is small enough to rest in the palm of your hand and weighs only a kilogram.

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A collaborative development project between a Dorset-based aerospace instrument manufacturer and gamma-ray astronomers from Durham is set to improve airport safety. Aeronautical and General Instruments Ltd (AGI) of Poole, Dorset and the Very High Energy Gamma Ray Group at Durham University have started the development of an automatic atmospheric measurement system with support from STFC.

The research started with the search for gamma rays from astronomical objects such as black holes. The quality of observations is affected by the presence of

haze in the atmosphere. In order to measure visibility at their telescope site in Namibia, the Durham group used astronomical technology to perform the measurements, which makes the equipment easier to align, requiring less maintenance and using less power than older instruments designed to perform the same task. Dr Paula Chadwick and her colleague Dr Roland Le Gallou saw the technology’s commercial potential in airport weather systems. Ian Clark of AGI took an interest in the Durham transmissometer. The partners are now working to produce a rugged industrial version suitable for the harsh conditions experienced at airports.

A framework for success Bankside-Patterson Ltd are specialists in the manufacture and supply

of steel framing to the holiday home and portable building industries. Recognising that the marketplace for caravans and holiday homes now requires larger units able to offer a range of home comforts, Bankside-Patterson entered into collaboration with the University of Hull to develop a chassis capable of meeting this requirement.

The new chassis is approximately 15% stronger, but 15% lighter than conventional designs. The company’s ability to produce a market leading product has seen it move away from its status as a fabricator to being recognised as an engineering chassis is specialist capable of designing and manufacturing a wider portfolio of products to suit a range of customer requirements.

The work with the university led directly to the company relocating to substantially larger premises and further significant capital investment. The number of employees increased from 44 to 58 and the annual sales turnover increased by £1.2 million.

Polished performers

Astronomers need the lenses and mirrors since even the slightest distortion can limit their ability to observe the planets and galaxies.

Until recently machines could get close to the quality needed for the biggest and best telescopes, but not close enough. A team at University College London designed a computer-controlled machine that could produce just what astronomers needed.

A company, Zeeko Ltd, was created in 2000 to build and sell the machines. It also licenses its know-how to other companies around the world. Zeeko is now working on several of the world’s most advanced astronomy projects, such as a project with University College London, the National Physical Laboratory and QinetiQ to make 618 hexagonal mirrors for the Euro50 telescope. When built, this will be about 25 times larger than the biggest telescope that exists today.

Support from STFC has helped the company maintain its momentum by challenging it to develop new ideas, products and processes.

One picture in a million Images and video make up over 70% of the digital data available on

the Internet, an estimated 15 billion images, but traditional search engines can’t index this information directly, instead relying on text descriptions entered by hand. Looking for images on the internet can be a frustrating business. Whether you want the perfect sunset over the sea or the London skyline by night, you’re dependent on people to describe the images on their web pages.

Cambridge business Imense Ltd developed revolutionary technology to tackle this problem but weren’t able to test its software on sufficiently large numbers of photos. STFC helped them build a partnership with particle physicists at Cambridge using a massive computer Grid. The Cambridge team helped Imense develop their software to run on the Grid using a tool called Ganga, and supported them as they analysed three million images.

Imense have now reaped the rewards of the collaboration, with an investment of more than £500,000 to help them bring a product or service to market which will help them become the Google of image searching.

Far-sighted astrophysics

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HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Beating heart failure When patients are taken to hospital with a

suspected heart attack, rapid diagnosis is vital. A collaboration between Cambridge Life Sciences Ltd and University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, funded by BBSRC and the then Department of Trade and Industry, sought to establish the commercial viability of a new blood diagnostic technology to establish whether there is damage to the heart muscle and enable appropriate drugs to be administered. A new product aims to cut the test processing time from 4 hours to 10 minutes.

CH Medical Ltd, a small firm based in Exeter, decided to engage in collaboration with the University of Exeter. The aim was to increase the company’s sales turnover, exports and profits by improving the design and performance of its unique Mennen orthopaedic bone plates.

Through the partnership, CH Medical has developed new and improved orthopaedic plates for fixing bone fractures. The company’s main existing product, a unique type of bone fracture clamp, was developed further and is now 150% stronger than its predecessor, thanks to novel

research by academics from the University of Exeter. A new R&D capability at the company, developed as part of the project, means more products are in the pipeline.

The collaboration has been successful in all its aims, shown by the company’s market share more than doubling from 5% to 11.6%, leading to an increase in profits of some 476%. The establishment of a more structured approach to R&D has also raised the company’s quality management to the highest level, certified to ISO 9002 and ISO 13488.

Competing in the global DNA market

Cobra Biomanufacturing plc provides innovative manufacturing solutions focusing on large-scale production of DNA, virus and protein for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. The Keele-based company wanted to increase its knowledge of plasmid DNA synthesis. Enabled by funding from BBSRC and the then Department of Trade and Industry, it formed a partnership with researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University. The team created an animal-free fermentation media, helping to remove the risk of potential infectious animal agents and giving Cobra a competitive advantage. The project increased sales turnover and placed the company in a stronger position in the international DNA market.

During spinal cord injury the nerves that transmit information between the brain and the body are injured and fail to regrow, leading to paralysis and loss of sensation. Collaboration between scientists at King’s College London and Oxford BioMedica, supported by MRC and the then Department of Trade and Industry, led to the development of a novel gene-based therapeutic for nerve repair which opens the possibility of creating new nerve connections to repair spinal injury.

Heptares Therapeutics Ltd, founded in 2007, aims to design and develop new drugs to tackle diseases involving the nervous system and metabolism, building on research at MRC’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology. The company focuses on structural studies of a family of proteins present in the cell membrane called G-protein coupled receptors – already an established drug target family. MRC will continue its collaboration with the company through its affiliated company MRC Technology at its site at Mill Hill by providing incubation facilities.

Nervous energy

Fixing fractures

Soothing cords

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First Water Ltd specialises in products that allow wounds to heal more quickly – improving patients’ wellbeing and helping to

reduce the cost of treatment incurred by healthcare providers. In the UK

alone, the bill for chronic wound care products currently totals around £100 million a year.

Collaboration with Aston University’s Biomaterials Research Unit through PhD students funded by EPSRC has helped

First Water devise new products, install improved process technology and boost manufacturing efficiency.

Turnover at the company has increased by over 50%, from £2.4 million to £3.8 million, during the two-year collaboration.

Boosting cancer care

Stopping cancer cells from resisting or repairing DNA damage after radio- and chemotherapy offers exciting and novel approaches to treatment. To increase the effectiveness of therapies we need to know which DNA pathways are lost and which remain, so we can target them. KuDOS Pharmaceuticals was formed in 1997 to discover and develop cancer therapies based on the inhibition of DNA repair. Collaboration between the company, the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London led to the discovery of new biomarkers for different DNA damage response pathways and yielded valuable information on the biology of DNA damage responses. The project, funded by MRC, enhanced the company’s commercial potential and AstraZeneca purchased KuDOS for $210 million in December 2005.

Orla Protein Technologies Ltd was spun out of Newcastle University in 2001 to exploit technology that enables production of high-density protein interfaces that will connect the worlds of molecular biology and the physical sciences. Participation in the Bioscience Business Plan Competition in 2001, where it was runner-up, gave the company confidence in its plans and helped secure £400,000 venture capital investment in April 2003 from NEL

Fund Managers Ltd. BBSRC funded the research by Dale Athey and Jeremy Lakey that underpins the company’s technology and the collaboration continues. It recently announced an agreement with Japan Radio Co Ltd for their joint development of groundbreaking diagnostic devices. The aim is to develop, for mass manufacture, small, low cost and portable wireless devices for instant detection of viruses, bacteria and protein markers.

Compatible with good health Collaboration between the University of Brighton and Biocompatibles UK

Ltd started in 1992 to assist the company in developing its understanding of the factors affecting the biocompatibility of polymer coatings on medical devices.

A series of grants and studentships allowed the development of novel assays to increase understanding of the biological performance of the polymer coatings at the university, which were later transferred to the company. The success of this collaboration led on to further research between the company and university into other novel polymer coatings and drug delivery systems for the treatment of cancer.

The cardiovascular stent and contact lens technologies developed by the company whilst working with the University of Brighton has been sold for more than £235 million and further technology has been commercialised by Biocompatibles UK Ltd.

Material benefits

A favourable diagnosis

Courtesy of N

ewcastle U

niversity

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HEALTH AND WELLBEING

In 2001, GE Healthcare (formerly Nycomed Amersham Imaging) and MRC entered into a strategic joint venture to form a leading molecular level imaging centre (established as a new company called Imaging Research Solutions Ltd, 75 per cent owned by GE and 25 per cent by the MRC). MRC transferred equipment and over 50 employees from the MRC Cyclotron Unit, including radiochemists and modellers, into IRSL. This partnership was formed to leverage the opportunities presented by the increasingly important applications of positron emission tomography (PET). IRSL, now Hammersmith Imanet Ltd, provides PET and other imaging services to industry, with most of the top ten pharmaceutical companies among its customers. It also works with academic research groups in the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre in London and continues to benefit from its proximity to a world-leading research facility.

Prolifix, founded in 1995, is a pioneer in understanding the mechanisms that influence cell cycle and how their aberrant control can lead to cancer. MRC Technology provided incubation facilities at the MRC’s National Institute for Medical Research in north London. Prolifix merged in 2002 with TopoTarget, a drug development company

focused on the development and commercialisation of improved treatments for cancer patients, and other cancer-related disorders. The merged company continues to collaborate with MRC. TopoTarget has entered into an Option Agreement with MRC with respect to certain specified patents and future inventions emanating from MRC.

CoDa Therapeutics is set to move into clinical trials of its product NexagonTM, which is designed to accelerate the healing of wounds and reduce inflammation and scarring. Since the company took part in the 2001-02 Bioscience Business Plan Competition, the fore-runner of the RCUK competition, the company has flourished. It has attracted $20 million of investment

from Domain Associates (USA) and GBS (Australia). Further work in collaboration with the founding scientist, David Becker, a researcher at University College London, funded in part through a BBSRC studentship, has provided early evidence that indicates that NexagonTM can circumvent the notoriously slow wound healing associated with diabetes.

The fight against MRSA A collaboration between researchers at Oxford University and

Prolysis Ltd has led to new and potent antibiotics that target MRSA. Supported by BBSRC, the researchers identified genes (targets) that are essential for the survival of bacterial pathogens, including MRSA, and yielded new information about their functions. By applying cutting edge microscopy from the University, bioinformatic analysis of genome sequences and medicinal chemistry the project was able to develop assays and to screen for and find new antibacterial compounds. Initially these compounds had modest potency. Using drug optimisation techniques their activity was improved to the point at which they demonstrated efficacy in models of S. aureus infection. These new antibacterial compounds block the ability of the MRSA bacteria to divide and multiply. Prolysis successfully applied to the Wellcome Trust’s Seeding Drug Discovery initiative to fund the optimisation and development of this compound series through a 3-year £3.48 million investment.

Controlling cancer

Image conscious

Faster healing

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Work on the wild side

Wildlife DNA Services provides laboratory and consultancy services to address issues of wildlife management, conservation and forensic investigation. NERC funding has enabled Wildlife DNA to develop novel markers for identification of Atlantic cod and falcons, enabling the company to offer services in wildlife crime investigation and traceability of food; this has broadened the markets that the company can target.

Ongoing funding from NERC in the form of two collaborative studentships has enabled testing of different methods in molecular conservation genetics with a focus on invasive species, and studying the reproductive fitness of house sparrows.

WRc Group provides research and consultancy services for water utilities and public bodies, manufacturers and consultants. The company sought commercialand marketing input to WRc’s developing Innovation Unit in order to exploit ideas and innovation within WRc. Working in partnership with Bath University

with support from ESRC, Swindon-based WRc achieved a £580,000 increase in royalties and licence income and £130,000 in increased export earnings. The partnership managed to invigorate the company’s approach to marketing and innovation that had become conservative as a result of low staff turnover.

Middlemarch Environmental Ltd is a consultancy and landscaping service that specialises in ecological solutions. Funding from NERC and the then Department of Trade and Industry enabled the company to work with researchers at Aston University to develop a range of skills within the company including planning, managing and implementing environmental and habitat designs, monitoring and reporting on the finished projects, and creation of biodiversity action plans to enable the company to offer a greater range of services, such as the use of a geographic information system, and so take on a broader range of clients.

Great shakes Westland Geoprojects Ltd provides geophysical services to the oil and

gas industries and a range of design and engineering services for sources vessels. Collaboration with the University of Plymouth, with funding from NERC, is working towards the development of a new marine mammal seismic monitoring system that will reduce the impact of seismic surveys on marine life to comply with more stringent legislation. The partnership has enabled the company to concentrate on their environmental services for minimising environmental impacts from their activities; one example of

this is the launch of a Marine Mammal Observer training

course that is the first to tackle worldwide

legislation and guidelines relating to mitigation for mammals.

From grey to green A vegetated rooftop recycling system has been developed that allows

water to be used twice before it is flushed into the communal waste water system. The Green Roof Water Recycling System (GROW) is the brainchild of Chris Shirley-Smith, whose company Water Works UK is collaborating with Imperial College London and Cranfield University.

The system works by having so-called grey water from washbasins, baths and showers pumped through a series of troughs containing carefully selected plants, constructed on the roof of an office or housing block. More than half the water used in the home and workplace does not need to be of drinkable quality yet it comes from the same pure source as our kitchen taps. Using GROW, much of the water that enters a building can be used twice before being placed into the national wastewater management system.

The next aim for GROW is to see if it can be reduced in size to sit above a household water butt, making it serviceable for individual households.

ENVIRONMENT

Ideas on tap

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The seven Research Councils are the UK’s biggest

public funders of cutting edge research. We support

research, training and knowledge transfer in everything

from architecture to zoology and support world-class

large-scale research facilities. We also promote public

engagement in science, engineering and technology.

We work in partnership with other research investors

including government departments and agencies,

charities, industry and the European Commission. Our

collaborations extend across disciplines and organisational

and geographical boundaries. We work together through

Research Councils UK, the strategic partnership of

the Research Councils. The Research Councils are

independent public bodies funded principally through the

UK Government’s Science Budget, which is administered

by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

The economic impact of the research base is important

to the future prosperity and wellbeing of the country.

The knowledge and expertise gained through our

investment in people and innovation allows the UK to

maintain a technological leading edge, build a strong

economy and improve quality of life for its citizens.

THE RESEARCH COUNCILS:

ARTS AND HUMANITIES

RESEARCH COUNCIL (AHRC)

www.ahrc.ac.uk

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL

SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL (BBSRC)

www.bbsrc.ac.uk

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL

RESEARCH COUNCIL (ESRC)

www.esrc.ac.uk

ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL

SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL (EPSRC)

www.epsrc.ac.uk

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (MRC)

www.mrc.ac.uk

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

RESEARCH COUNCIL (NERC)

www.nerc.ac.uk

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FACILITIES COUNCIL (STFC)

www.stfc.ac.uk

CONTACT: Alun Roberts Communications Manager Research Councils UK Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET Tel: +44 (0)1793 444474 [email protected] www.rcuk.ac.uk


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