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N E T PA R K ISSN 1753-6677

FOREWORD NETWorks reports on the very latest science and technology news, putting discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life – showcasing County Durham and the North East as a place of scientific excellence.

In the last issue we trailed Solar Flair 09, the National Photovoltaics Conference we staged in November in partnership with the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network. I could write at length about the event, but, as you’ll see later in this issue, thankfully someone else has already done that.

I’ll content myself with the observation that hosting a national conference on such a vital element of the renewables sector was a real coup for the County and the region.

This issue also looks in detail at an event held recently at the North East Technology Park, NETPark, to celebrate the enormous contribution that Professor John Anstee has made to the development of what is now one of the UK’s fastest growing science and technology parks.

John is rightly regarded as ‘the Godfather of NETPark’ and I’m delighted that we’ve found a permanent way to acknowledge this.

NETPark was also the focus of a reception that Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson was kind enough to host for us at the House of Commons. Again, you’ll find an in-depth account of what proved to be a valuable platform for getting NETPark in front of an important national audience in the pages of this issue.

And the pages are packed with news of all the latest developments in our region in the fields of R&D, technology and innovation; the world-class research being carried out in our universities; and the potential for international trade to find new markets and contribute even more to the regional economy.

Once again, NETWorks will keep you right up to date with the positive impact the development of the knowledge economy in the North East is having on all of our lives.

Stewart Watkins Managing Director, County Durham Development Company (CDDC) CDDC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Durham County Council, encourages innovation and strategic investment in the County and is driving the development of the North East Technology Park (NETPark) and the virtual innovation environment NETPark Net.

NETWorks is published by Distinctive Publishing Ltd, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 3HU Telephone 0191 4788300 Managing Director John Neilson Creative Director Martin Williamson For all enquiries including editorial, subscription and advertising please contact Distinctive Publishing.

With thanks to all our contributors.

NETWorks is supported by NETPark www.uknetpark.net

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PUSHING FORWARD THE BOUNDARIES OF SCIENCE NANOCENTRAL ALLIANCE CAPABILITY SCIENCE PARK HONOURS FOUNDING FATHER SOLAR FLAIR 09 KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO UNLOCK BUSINESS POTENTIAL RESEARCH IN APPLIED SCIENCES

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THE DESIGN OF AN INCUBATOR FACILITY FUNDING WILL HELP NEW BUSINESSES RCID HELPS TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THE WAVES NORTH EAST INNOVATORS TAKE ON THE WORLD MEASURING THE MECHANICS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF COMMONS SHOWCASE FOR NETPARK HONOURS FOR CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH BIOCHEMICALS TEAM UNIVERSITY EXPERTS TO ASSESS R&D GRANT REQUESTS FOOD OR FUEL? EUROPEAN TRADE MARKS: 44% FEE REDUCTION

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PUSHING FORWARD THE BOUNDARIES OF SCIENCE Newcastle University has developed an enviable reputation in Nano-science and technology - leading the way in many areas of these new and exciting fields in recent years.

Here, head of nanomaterials and electronics Professor Nick Cowern outlines some of the key research projects under way at Newcastle.

USING THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE TO GROW SEMICONDUCTOR NANOMATERIALS The molecule that carries our genetic code - DNA - proves highly useful when it comes to controlling the growth of inorganic semiconductor materials such as cadmium sulphide.

At Newcastle we are using the negatively charged DNA to pull together and bind metal ions which in turn can be reacted with the appropriate reagent to make a solid.

By controlling this reaction, it is possible to vary the type of growth - creating either chains of individual nanoparticles or continuous nanowires.

THE ‘QUANTUM DOTS’ FOR NANOTECHNOLOGY Silicon nanocrystals are a subject of keen interest for many technology applications. Newcastle scientists have prepared nanocrystals - also known as ‘quantum dots’ - by crushing down nanoporous silicon to a fine powder and coating this with an atomically thin alkyl capping layer.

Several experimental methods – small-angle x-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunnelling microscopy and atomic force microscopy - are used to study the nanocrystals which are no more than a few atoms across - 2 nm to 0.4 nm.

Scientists Dr Ben Horrocks and Dr Lidija Siller discovered that these tiny crystals can be evaporated by heating to a temperature of around 200°C in an ultra-high vacuum environment, and that the resulting vapour of nanocrystals can be deposited onto various solid substrates (article in NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2, 486 (2007)). This interesting behaviour provides a more controlled way to prepare films of quantum-confined silicon structures, opening the way to a variety of potential applications in industry.

Current research projects are investigating the luminescent, electronic and structural properties of the nanocrystals, with a view to utilising them as cellular and genomic probes in biological and medical applications by attaching them to DNA.

A GOLDEN COATING Binary nitrides exhibit a remarkable variety of desirable characteristics such as high melting points, high hardness and a robust chemical stability which makes them useful coating materials.

Gold is particularly good for the electro-plating of electrical components due to its high conductivity and robustness in the ambient atmosphere which is often improved by combining the parent material with iron, nickel or cobalt.

Gold films incorporating gold nitride are 50 per cent harder than those without it, so pure gold nitride should provide a greatly superior material for contact coatings in electronic circuits.

For almost twenty years researchers had tried without success to synthesize this material until Newcastle scientist Dr Lidija Siller and colleagues created gold nitride by firing a beam of low-energy nitrogen ions into a single gold crystal surface with plasma and reactive ion sputtering.

More recently the process has been simplified by using a nitrogen plasma treatment, and this new process has been awarded an international patent. www.ncl.ac.uk

A DIAMOND OF A GEM Diamond is a material perhaps more commonly linked with jewellery than electronics and chemistry. Newcastle University’s Dr Jonathan Goss explains how a team of electrical engineers are looking at ways to modify this precious gem to become an important electrical conductor.

A widely accepted mechanism thought to underpin this phenomenon is termed transfer doping (TD), where electrons are removed from the diamond by a molecule on the surface which is highly electronegative, i.e. it is more attractive to the electrons than the diamond.

The common perception of diamond is of a hard, inert, heat resistant, expensive and aesthetically-pleasing rock.

The thermal stability of the conduction via this form of TD is relatively poor: all you have to do is heat up the diamond to the point that the water evaporates and the electrical conduction is lost. Hence, more thermally stable, and more controllable adsorbate systems have been sought for device applications.

In actual fact it is extremely useful. For instance, diamond conducts heat much better than most other materials, and its molecular structure means it is also a highly effective electrical conductor.

Coupled with other properties such as chemical stability, mechanical hardness and favourable optical properties, diamond has great promise for the application to electronic devices.

The potential of various systems to produce thermally stable surface conduction has been greatly informed by quantum-chemical based theory.

At Newcastle University we are developing state of the art quantumchemical simulation software to look at this process in more detail.

Running high-performance parallel-computing systems enables us to simulate the effect of chemically changing the structure of a diamond’s surface at a nanomolecular scale.

We have shown, for example, that certain organic molecules lead to surface conduction in diamond just by lying on top of the surface, but a more advantageous effect would result if the organic species can be chemically bonded to the surface without significantly affecting the molecules capacity for removing electrons from the diamond.

Although pure diamond is essentially an electrical insulator, the deliberate addition of impurities such as boron – known as ‘doping’ - enables it to act as a semiconductor, metal and even a super-conductor.

The development of surface-based devices has already been achieved to a degree with the use of the unintentional surface-conduction, but with the advances made through predictive simulation techniques, both in terms of the surface TD, and more widely, the role of diamond in electronics is bound for a bright future.

In addition to this “conventional doping”, hydrogen-terminated diamond surfaces which have then been exposed to atmospheric conditions have been seen to exhibit electrical conduction within the surface.

www.ncl.ac.uk

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NanoCentral Alliance Capability

Safety, Health & Environment Characterisation

Underpinning Science

Synthesis

Dispersion Functionalisation & Formulation

Management & Facilitation Scale Up

NanoCentralÂŽ is an alliance of organisations capable of providing access to a broad range of leading edge technologies, equipment and services relating to nanomaterials and their applications.

NanoCentral uniquely provides existing, potential manufacturers and users of nanomaterials single point access to an integrated and comprehensive set of nanorelated capabilities that encompass: n n n n n n

development of underpinning science nanomaterial synthesis dispersion, functionalisation & formulation application development characterisation safety, health and environmental

These services can be related to each other in what is known as the nanomaterials supply chain.

For a nanomaterial to go from production to end-use, it typically progresses through the technology platforms shown in the supply chain diagram. Underpinning these technology platforms are characterisation and SHE. The biggest barrier to commercialisation has been the fragmented nature of this supply chain. Providers tend to specialise in a particular stage.

NanoCentral is now here to co-ordinate these activities and enable you to achieve success through nanomaterials.

Developmennt of Underpinning Science NanoCentral recognises the crucial role the academic and research establishments have to play in underpinning nanomaterial development, and tries wherever possible to support research organisations in their grant applications with funding bodies.

NanoCentral has very close links to many of the key academic research groups working with nanomaterials, with members of the NanoCentral Hub Team sitting on several EPSRC project committees and Industrial Advisory Boards.

NanoCentral has very close links with the NanotechnologyUIC which was a regional collaboration between the five north-east universities, the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy at The University of Cambridge, The NanoManufacturing Institute and Particles CIC at the University of Leeds, the School of Materials at Manchester University, Brunel University Wolfson Centre and the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Other key contacts are the Micro and Nano Moulding Centre at Bradford which also links NanoCentral into the Polymer IRC, Imperial and Queen Mary’s in London, Newcastle University, Nottingham University and Cranfield University.

Many of the establishments listed above have providers to the NanoCentral Alliance, which are listed in the subsequent platform areas.

Applications Development

www.nanocentral.eu

Flame Spray Pyrolysis at Johnson Matthey

Nanomaterial Synthesis Customers need to be able to access to a wide range of reasonably priced nanomaterials in quantities appropriate for feasibility and development programmes. These should be produced using a number of different processing techniques, thereby providing customers with a wide choice of material properties and characteristics.

Dispersion, Functionalisation and Formulation With the exception of a few very specialised applications, nanomaterials need to be supplied in a stable form within a carrier which is compatible with forward processing steps.

Open access to nanomaterial production processes will encourage customers, previously dissuaded by high risk and capital cost, to evaluate nanomaterials as part of their product offerings.

The inability of nanomaterial producers (particularly of smaller ones) to provide endusers with nanomaterials in a consistent, well formulated and dispersed form has been a significant obstacle to the commercialisation of nanomaterials. We can help you overcome this barrier by providing access to a varying range of state-of-the-art dispersing technologies and know-how.

NanoCentral has engaged with a varied array of nanomaterials suppliers. Alliance members providing nanomaterial synthesis are Johnson Matthey with precious and base metals and metal oxides, as well as more complex mixed oxides, from solution precursors through their flame spray pyrolisis facility, Intrinsiq Materials Ltd producing metals, metal oxides, carbide and nitride materials using their Plasma synthesis route, Hosokawa Micron offer various manufacturing routes for single or multicomponent systems, high shear precipitation methods from HARMAN Technology, NanoGap offer nanomaterials manufactured via several wet chemical routes, Promethean Particles utilise super-critical fluid technology, nanoLake who offer an ever increasing range of materials in commercial quantities and Buhler Ltd who offer nanoparticle suspensions through their PARticleTEChnology solutions.

NanoCentral Alliance members providing dispersion, functionalisation and formulation services are the University of Liverpool through their Ultra Mixing and Processing Facilty (UMPF) which is an ultra high energy mixing facility designed to deliver nanomaterials dispersions and formulations. The UMPF facility was manufactured by Maelstrom APT who also provide novel and licensed mixer/dispersion technology to the Alliance, Imerys Minerals provide processing and milling facilities over a wide range of scales, Netzsch Mastermix and Buhler Ltd who provide bead milling expertise.

Hosokawa Micron provide nanomaterial dispersion and composite formulation equipment and services. Fundamental to these areas are the dispersant technologies supplied by Lubrizol Advanced Materials which are used to stabilise the dispersions produced.

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NanoCentral Activity AssuredNano

NanoCentral has setup and promotes AssuredNano, the Nanomaterial SHE Accreditation Scheme.

Public debate regarding nanomaterials has been relatively muted to date. However, some degree of public disquiet has already been generated by visions of ‘grey goo’, self replicating nanomachines or ‘nanobots’ as they have become known.

As nanomaterials become more ubiquitous in their application, it can be expected that concerns will be increasingly voiced regarding the safety of their manufacture and application. It is vital that such a debate is conducted on a factual basis underpinned by sound science.

In addition, it must be seen that industry is treating potential consumer concerns with all seriousness and that the health and safety of people manufacturing and using such products is demonstrably safeguarded. AssuredNano is designed to provide a clear signal to all stakeholders that nanomaterial SHE (Safety, Health & Environment) is taken seriously by the business holding the Accreditation Mark and that the business is committed to ensuring that good current practice will continue to be applied.

AssuredNano will be the first nanomaterial SHE Accreditation Scheme, which features annual Compliance Auditing. It will be marketed by NanoCentral and will draw upon the technical expertise of one of the world’s most respected authorities on nanomaterial toxicological risk and occupational medicine.

The centrepiece of the AssuredNano Accreditation Scheme is a standard which considers all SHE aspects associated with a nanomaterial or a nano-enabled product throughout its lifetime: uniquely, it takes a genuinely cradle to grave approach. In order to minimise bureaucracy, the standard is constructed as a ‘bolt-on’ addition to a business’ pre-existing quality system, such as ISO 9000:2000. AssuredNano’s purpose is to promote the demonstrable adoption of good current practice by those manufacturing, using or retailing nanomaterials or nanomaterial containing products.

As such, it will be progressively updated over three yearly cycles to ensure that the good practice contained therein reflects continued advances in nanomaterial SHE knowledge. AssuredNano will deliver reassurance to other industrial partners in the supply chain, governmental agencies and the public in general that good current nanomaterial SHE practice is being employed by the business holding the Accreditation Mark.

The key intention of the AssuredNano Accreditation Scheme is that it must ensure adoption of evolving good practice, as well as demonstration of an initial benchmark level of nanomaterial SHE compliance.

To deliver this goal, it will be a requirement that a registered business is subject to an annual Compliance Audit. This will be no cosmetic feature: business’ failing to improve their practices, as well as those ceasing to maintain good current practice, will be liable to lose their AssuredNano Accreditation Mark.

Anyone familiar with nanomaterial SHE will be all too aware that there is a plethora of initiatives being pursued: most offer the prospect of recommendations in two or three year’s time. A delay of this magnitude will, at best, seriously hamper the adoption of nano-enabled products. At worst it will ensure that competitive advantage in the field of nano-enabled products passes out of Europe to those geographies with a more pro-active SHE approach.

There are also several service offers being promoted which replicate parts of the AssuredNano offer.

Some concentrate on regulatory affairs, some on risk assessment and some on corporate governance aspects. AssuredNano differs from these service offers in three ways.

1. AssuredNano is the only nanomaterial SHE Accreditation Scheme that is all embracing, covering the entire range of nanomaterial SHE considerations relevant to a nanomaterial or a nano-enabled product from cradle to grave.

2. Underpinning the AssuredNano Accreditation Scheme is the technical expertise provided by one of the world’s most respected authorities on nanomaterial SHE and occupational hygiene issues.

3. AssuredNano is the only Accreditation Scheme which will be annually audited for compliance, with a de-registration penalty for non-compliance.

The AssuredNano Accreditation Scheme standard is now available following beta testing in several highprofile UK organisations. For more details on the AssuredNano Scheme please contact: Dr Keith Robson t: 07823 553 675 e: keith.robson@nanoktn.com www.assurednano.com

www.nanocentral.eu NanoCentral® in action...

NanoCentral sets up MacDermid Autotype in a project with three technology providers MacDermid Autotype make high quality coated films for the European, US and Asian markets.

A typical single product is one million square metres of a three-layer coated PET film with a 5 micron UV crosslinked hardcoat surface. Typical applications include touch screens, touch panels and appliance panels. The hard coat must combine multiple, sometimes conflicting, functionalities – toughness, hardness, flexibility, anti-microbial, anti-static and antismudge. Nanomaterial based formulations offer good potential for achieving these properties.

However, MacDermid Autotypes’ early work into the development of nanoparticle formulations, led them to draw the conclusion that they should concentrate on their expertise in running large clean-room coating machines, and not try to become experts in nanoparticle dispersions.At this point NanoCentral was introduced to MacDermid Autotype who were first sceptical of “another government initiative” but quickly found that NanoCentral offered real value. Firstly, NanoCentral conducted an analysis of organisations offering specific nanoparticles for sale. Secondly, NanoCentral introduced MacDermid Autotype to three key technology Providers from the NanoCentral alliance, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, Johnson Matthey and ICI Measurement Science Group.

Lubrizol Advanced Materials expertise lies in dispersants and dispersion processes. In order to achieve the full functional benefit and value from nanomaterials they must be fully dispersed.

This process is a major stumbling block in the commercialisation of nanomaterials, as it is not performed effectively in a lot of cases. As materials are made smaller and smaller their surface area to volume ratio increases and so do the forces holding the particles together. This means nanoparticles are harder to disperse than larger particles of the same material. Lubrizol Advanced Materials are now working with MacDermid Autotype and their material suppliers in improving material dispersion properties.

One area of interest to the collaborating parties is to optimize the steric barrier layer for the nanoparticles to ensure maximum stability in the dispersion stage, both initially and on storage, and to give optimum properties in the final application.

Dispersant selection should include the most appropriate anchor group technology for the particle surface and also optimize the steric chain for best compatibility in the binder resin of choice.

The development of reactive dispersants that lock into the matrix will further improve the physical and mechanical properties of the final coating surface.

Johnson Matthey are experts in producing materials. Their NanoCentral offering is a new flame spray pyrolysis process for the production of new nanomaterials. MacDermid Autotype are now working with Johnson Matthey in producing and evaluating new novel nanomaterials in their coating formulations. It is also anticipated that Lubrizol Advanced Materials will contribute dispersant expertise as the project develops.

Intertek Measurement Science Group are experts in the measurement and characterisation of materials. In a recent tour of their laboratories at the Wilton Centre, Professor Steven Abbott, Research and Technical Director for MacDermid Autotype commented on the broad range of facilities and expertise, “The range of analytical techniques available here will allow me to measure and characterise the quality of a nanomaterial dispersion within my coating matrix, and to measure the nanomaterials effect on the properties of the film, such ashardness and scratch resistance” Professor Abbott commented further that, “The real benefit of working with NanoCentral is the opportunity to collaborate with likeminded organisations. We are all on a steep learning curve, and cannot afford to work in isolation – if we do, the take-off of nanoparticle business opportunities will be painfully slow. Material producers would love to ship tonnes of dry powders.

Dispersion experts would like to sell dispersing machines and chemicals. End-users want to buy optimally dispersed materials, easy to use, with guaranteed performance properties. Analytical equipment providers want to sell expensive machine. But it is not going to happen like that and without an active, honest dialogue, without a network of expertise that spans the nanomaterial value chain, no-one will make money from nanomaterials.”

“The real benefit of working with NanoCentral is the opportunity to collaborate with likeminded organisations”

Professor Abbott conveyed this message when he spoke at the NanoMaterials07 conference and exhibition, organised by NanoCentral. The interactions at the conference helped enlarge the network of potential providers to MacDermid Autotype and therefore increased the probability of mutually-beneficial interactions occuring.

09

SCIENCE PARK HONOURS FOUNDING FATHER One of the UK’s fastest growing science park has honoured one of the greatest driving forces behind its success.

Professor John Anstee inspired the creation and development of the North East Technology Park (NETPark) at Sedgefield in County Durham.

As scientific director, he oversaw NETPark’s growth from a patchwork of green fields to a thriving innovative community that is home to world class scientific companies such as Kromek and ROAR Particles, as well as PETEC, the UK national flagship centre for the development of printable electronics technologies.

Prof Anstee, who retired in March this year, has had his pivotal role in turning NETPark from a dream into a reality formally recognised with the dedication of a room in his name at the NETPark Incubator.

Stewart Watkins, managing director of the County Durham Development Company which manages NETPark, said: “Both in his previous role as Pro-Vice Chancellor and Sub Warden of Durham University and as scientific director of NETPark, John has made a truly outstanding contribution to the development of the park and the knowledge economy in the North East as a whole.

“His vision was the catalyst for the initial inception of the park and his continued support and guidance has been an invaluable asset to its growth.

“I am delighted that the new room will honour the work he has done to make NETPark such a success.”

Prof Anstee, who is also Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences at Durham University, led the first exploratory delegation several years ago to visit the Research Triangle Park (RTP) in Durham, North Carolina which is now home to businesses that collectively are worth $2.7bn and employ 40,000 people.

From L-R: Stewart Watkins and Professor John Anstee

North Carolina experienced similar economic problems to County Durham when the decline of the tobacco and cotton industries led to soaring unemployment.

It created RTP as a breeding ground for cutting-edge companies which had a dramatic impact on the state’s economy, catapulting it from 46th in the overall state rankings to 11th.

The owners and developers of NETPark are aiming for a similarly significant impact from its ongoing growth with independent experts predicting the site will help create 10,000 jobs once fully developed.

At the ceremony in October, Prof Anstee said: “I believe NETPark has an extremely bright future and, as it grows in national and international significance, it will be seen as one of the major building blocks in the economy of County Durham and the North East of England.

“I have greatly enjoyed my role in its development and wish it every success in the future.”

NETPark has been expanding apace over the past 12 months. The site celebrated the opening of PETEC, one of only four such centres worldwide, in March 2009; the NETPark Incubator was expanded by 150% earlier this year and work is continuing on the park’s first building capable of housing the headquarters of an international technology firm.

In addition, 2.75 hectares have been developed to provide additional infrastructure for the site, £10m has been secured for another three buildings of 1,500-2,000 sq m each, and a further £20m has been earmarked for the expansion of PETEC. The John Anstee room is in the extended section of the NETPark Incubator and will be used for conferences and meetings.

SOLAR FLAIR 09 PREDICTS FEED-IN TARIFF TO STIMULATE SOLAR POWER IN THE UK EXPERTS in the field of photovoltaics gathered at Hardwick Hall in Sedgefield last month to explore and debate the uses and implementation of photovoltaics (PV).

The Feed-in Tariff, which comes into force in April 2010, will offer financial incentives to individuals and businesses that embrace solar energy.

Solar Flair 09, a national conference organised by the County Durham Development Company (CDDC) on behalf of the Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network (EKTN), heard from representatives of companies at the forefront of solar technology including QuantaSol, Sanyo, Romag, The Centre for Renewable Energy at Durham University and the Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC), the UK’s national flagship facility for printable electronics, based at NETPark.

Speaking at Solar Flair 09, experts said the move will be a defining moment for solar power use in the United Kingdom.

Delegates heard a variety of talks which ranged from the varied companies and industries involved in the PV supply chain, to talks concentrating on research, particularly conducted in the North East.

Although the speakers’ topics were diverse, one key message to come out of the conference was that despite the United Kingdom lagging behind other countries with the implementation of PV appliances, this is all set to change when the government legislation Feed-in Tariff is introduced. This scheme has been implemented in countries such as Germany and Spain and has proved an overwhelming success, putting these countries at the forefront of PV technology.

At present the renewable energy industry in the United Kingdom is dominated by biomass, followed by wind and hydro power, with photovoltaics barely making an impact as the costs are currently too high. In a survey conducted by Consett-based solar PV manufacturer Romag, 100% of architects surveyed said that cost was the biggest barrier to photovoltaics.

The introduction of the Feed-in Tariff makes PV technology affordable, not just to businesses, but to residential customers who want to install solar panels in their own home. The conference was told that residential customers taking advantage of the Feed-in Tariff will not be subject to the steep price increases the UK has suffered in recent years. Instead the average household will make £1,200 per annum from the Tariff.

One point raised was that countries such as Spain have a considerably more sunshine than the UK and that installing solar energy panels may not work so effectively here. Speaking at Solar Flair on behalf of the New and Renewable Energy Centre, Tim Bruton said that the Earth receives 6,000 times more energy from

Ashley Evans, CEO of the EKTN

the sun than it consumes on a daily basis. Mr Bruton went on to say that a study by Northumbria University for the then Department of Trade and Industry calculated that if every south facing home in the United Kingdom fitted solar panels, they would generate enough electricity to meet the country’s energy needs.

The Feed-in Tariff is set to expand employment in the installation sector which is why One North East has invested in a dedicated solar training centre and courses in preparation for this increased demand.

Conference speaker, Alastair Wilson, from the Photonics and Plastics Knowledge Transfer Network, informed the conference of a positive which comes from the UK’s lack of PV heritage. Currently, the material most commonly used in PV is crystalline silicon which accounted for 90% of solar cells manufactured in 2007. However, an alternative method of manufacture is to use thin film modules which are constructed by depositing extremely thin layers of photosensitive materials onto a low cost backing such as glass, stainless steel or plastic.

The second method offers lower production costs to the material intensive crystalline technology and would therefore bring costs down. Thin film solar has the highest growth potential and although production methods are still in development, the potential margins in thin film sector are considerably higher than those of crystalline silicon. As we have very little history in manufacturing solar cells

Dr James Bellini, Conference Facilitator

using the crystalline silicon method and no investment has been made in facilities for this purpose, the UK almost has a clean slate to manufacture thin film modules.

Delegates learned that there is much opposition to the photovoltaics industry in the UK, even from other companies involved in the renewable energy sector. An obvious benefit of using renewable energy is the impact it has in the fight against climate change but nevertheless the renewable energy is still a business and in that respect has its rivals.

A more obvious opposition comes from the oil industry. BP CEO, Tony Hayward told attendees of the Oil & Money conference in October 2009 in London that the goal of a carbon-free economy is not likely to happen anytime soon, if at all.

Despite the opposition faced, speakers at the conference agreed that the UK is on the cusp of a renewable energy boom. The UK has the potential to have a comprehensive, world class value chain.

There are already companies supporting the PV industry, in terms of production equipment and materials, in the UK but mainly for export at present. There is a gap in the chain in the lack of cell and module manufacture but there are companies currently in development which are capable of this so the future looks bright for the UK PV industry. www.solarflair09.com

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KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO UNLOCK BUSINESS POTENTIAL Universities have long been centres for innovation and entrepreneurial activity.

Here at Durham University we foster a climate in which ideas and intellectual property generated from our research are used to full advantage for the benefit of society, enhancing both well-being and economic development across the North East business community and the world.

Durham is one of the UK’s leading research universities with worldclass expertise in science, engineering and technology, social science, the arts and humanities. Much of this expertise is actively promoted to businesses as part of our diverse range of business engagement activities. The University interacts with Business in six main ways: Business Relations/Networking Research Collaboration Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) Consultancy Technology Transfer Student placements and projects An important component of our research is long term collaboration with world-class companies, wherever they are based.

Regional Partnership: International Success Kromek (formerly Durham Scientific Crystals) has made headlines in recent months and is a spin-out from Durham University’s worldrenowned Physics Department. Based on a novel crystal growth technology for use in large area x-ray and gamma ray detectors, Kromek is now incorporating this science into inspection machines that can distinguish liquid explosives from benign cosmetics in airline baggage, an innovation which achieved widespread national and international media coverage this summer.

Named Barclays Innovation Company of the Year 2006, Kromek was short-listed for The Engineer magazine’s Technology and Innovation Awards in 2007. It has won contracts with organisations such as the European Space Agency and its equity value is presently £45m. In November Kromek was crowned ‘Best SME’ and awarded a prize of $400,000 in an international completion - the Global Security Challenge.

At Your Service Durham University has an extensive range of state-of-the-art analytical equipment and facilities across a range of disciplines including Anthropology, Archaeology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Engineering and Computing Sciences, Geography, Health, Physics, Psychology and Medicine.

Analytical equipment and facilities are primarily used to support university-based research at national and international level but an initiative introduced in 2007 and supported by the Regional Development Agency, has increased the accessibility of Durham’s equipment, facilities and services to organisations in the private and public sector.

Since its introduction, business has been growing rapidly with services being supplied externally to individuals and organisations based in the North East, throughout the UK and overseas. A range of services have been provided including wind tunnel testing, provision and operation of sea-bed instrumentation, precision optics, thermogravimetric analyses, spectrometry (ICP-MS and NMR), DNA sequencing and equipment loans.

For information or to discuss solutions to your specific needs, please contact the Analytical Services Co-ordinator, Dr Pamela Robinson: analytical.services@durham.ac.uk / Tel: 0191 334 4646

Find your Match

Phone a Friend

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are government-funded collaborations that enable businesses to access the academic expertise and resources of the UK knowledge base for strategic advantage.

Consultancy activity by individual members of Durham University staff benefits both businesses and the University. Consultancy enables University knowledge to be transferred to business and the wider community and is a key part of our outreach work.

Partnerships receive financial support from the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK Knowledge Base.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and their predecessor, Teaching Company Scheme, have now been offered for over 30 years and over 7000 companies nationally have benefited from partnerships with academia in that time. Durham University has been involved since 1980. With our long track record and wealth of expertise we can help your business develop new ways of working that will underpin your future competitiveness.

Here in Durham we think outside the box on KTPs, involving as many academic departments as possible thereby widening the variety of organisations who can access our knowledge and technology. The School of Engineering and Durham Business School head our internal league table but we have a track record of KTPs in Anthropology, Geography, Social Science and Education as well as in many science departments including Maths, Computer Science, Chemistry and Biological Sciences.

Widening access to academic expertise in Durham is our aim so why not give us a call and we will be pleased to explore opportunities with you?

It encourages staff to think in enterprising ways and broadens their work experiences. The University also offers consultancy to business and other sectors via a range of Consultancy Units Consultancy Units Archaeological Services Durham University Executive Education Management Consulting Chemistry Analytical Services Solid State NMR Statistics and Mathematics Consultancy Unit International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) Official Labour Market Statistics (NOMIS) Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre (CEM) New and Renewable Energy (NAREG) Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics Industrial Automation and Manufacture (CIAM) Centre for Electronic Systems For all general business relations enquiries please contact the Business Relations Manager, on (0191) 3344649 Durham University. Making Your Business Our Business www.dur.ac.uk

You can access the expertise of Durham University by contacting Val Wooff, KTP Manager, v.a.wooff@durham.ac.uk / Tel: 0191 3343175

15

RESEARCH IN APPLIED SCIENCES The School of Applied Sciences at Northumbria University has a growing research and enterprise reputation, with significant activity across our subject areas demonstrated by a strong track record in output and income generation. We encourage and foster a culture for high-quality research, for both staff and students.

The School is involved in a wide range of regional, national and international research activities, working collaboratively with many external organisations, government agencies and funding bodies to ensure our projects are focused on the application of science or support policy and practice.

The Applied Sciences research culture is embedded in each of our academic subject disciplines as well as our postgraduate research student community.

Our Research Areas The School specialises in applied research and we have a number of internationally recognised researchers leading a dynamic research culture. Our research is organised within two overarching platforms: n n

Biomolecular and Biomedical Research Centre (BioRec) Sustainable Futures

BioRec BioRec was created in 2004 to provide a strategic focus for the development of our wide-ranging multidisciplinary expertise in biomedical sciences and nutrition as applied to specific problems relevant to quality of life, especially health-related issues. BioRec provides a forum for extending research across academic disciplines and helps to stimulate new research ideas and collaborations.

BioRec contains groups that cover the following areas: Microbiology and Immunology; Health and Age-Related Diseases; Food and Nutritional Sciences; Chemical and Biochemical Detection and Analysis; Biocatalysis and Molecular Modelling.

Sustainable Futures Research within Geography and Environmental Management takes place within a framework with a central concern for Sustainable Futures. Work within the Disciplines is concerned with community, social and environmental resilience, gender, ethnicity, security and physical and mental health. Many staff specialise in risk and disaster management, disaster resilience and economic development, both within Britain and on a global scale, supporting the work of our Disaster and Development Centre (DDC).

This area is organised into groups that undertake research in: Community and Social Resilience; Forensic and Crime Science; Risk and Disaster Management; Landscape and Dynamics of Change; Earth Systems and Environmental Change.

Our Research Programmes Within Applied Sciences, there are currently over 70 UK, EU and international postgraduate research students engaged in the research themes of the School. The significant number of overseas research students demonstrates that the School is regarded internationally as an attractive location to conduct research. Students applying to the School of Applied Sciences have a choice of two doctoral programmes: PhD or DBMS, as well as Masters level research programmes: MPhil or MRes. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Our PhD programme allows postgraduate students to undertake an individual programme of research leading to either Masters (MPhil) or Doctoral (PhD) level in their chosen field of study.

The research programme is designed to challenge postgraduate students at the highest level of thought and to advance career opportunities through enhancing academic and professional development.

Doctor of Biomedical Sciences (DBMS) The Professional Doctorate masters degree in Biomedical Sciences is a mixture of taught modules and research, designed to provide a structured and supportive programme to practitioners in the profession.

Master of Research (MRes) The School currently runs five MRes programmes in: n n n n n

Analytical Chemistry Biotechnology Chemistry Medical Biosciences Microbiology

These programmes allow students to undertake an extended piece of research in a chosen area.

Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) The School of Applied Sciences entered 17 staff in the Unit of Assessment ‘Allied Health Professions and Studies’ into RAE 2008.

The overall quality profile demonstrated that 30% of our research activity was rated as internationally outstanding or excellent; a further 40% was identified as being internationally recognised. These results reflect the commitment of the School to research as a key activity underpinning the quality of our degree programmes.

For further information, telephone 0191 227 4298 Email sz.research@northumbria.ac.uk www.northumbria.ac.uk/appliedsciences

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THE DESIGN OF AN INCUBATOR FACILITY Commission an architect to design an Incubator and the first question they will address is - incubator facility vs managed workspace?

Supplying the answer starts with asking what an ‘incubator facility’ is and how it differs from other similar spaces with shared characteristics.

3. Hard Infrastructure To help R&D activity and help businesses grow the Incubator needs to provide a total support environment. Self-contained office and laboratory accommodation (including wet and dry labs) with flexible space requirements and occupancy periods provide tenants with terms and conditions to suit their needs.

You need to understand what drives the need for an Incubator and how the client perceives the difference and then translate this into a built form.

Although as designers we touch upon soft infrastructure, our work centres on hard infrastructure. By exploring this further we can begin to develop a briefing document and schedule of accommodation to form the basis of the design proposals.

To define how an Incubator is unique and differs from other similar space helps form the basis of the design brief.

Designing an Incubator

Understanding an Incubator Devereux can demonstrate the difference via its designs for Incubator 1 & 2 at the North East Technology Park (NETPark).

NETPark’s inception lies in a report commissioned by Durham County Council in the 1990s which identified an established need for ‘incubator’ space in the region to help retain the intellectual and entrepreneurial capabilities of graduates from the region’s five universities.

NETPark’s website succinctly describes an Incubator as a facility “where science and technology converge as a business” combined with an infrastructure that supports R&D business start-ups from an idea or concept through to a mature business opportunity.

The infrastructure has three major components: 1. Soft Infrastructure To encourage interaction inside and outside the Incubator community, and protect a company’s R&D and IP, you need access to the latest technology and communications media, high speed broadband, and cutting-edge firewall and virus protection.

2. Support Services To reduce overheads for early-stage companies you need a business support system with sound financial, administrative and support services and other shared facilities such as meeting and conference space, audio and video conference facilities, administrative services, IT resources and management advice.

Once we embark on the design, there are four key areas to consider: 1. The Briefing Process & Schedule of Accommodation Having determined the nature of accommodation within an Incubator, the next stage is to develop a schedule of accommodation to support the core space of laboratories and offices. This accommodation can include meeting and conference facilities, reception and administrative areas (including a post room) delivery, storage and archives, toilets and showers and significant plant space.

To arrive at a successful ‘plan arrangement’ you need to understand how these spaces relate to each other and to the site context.

Imagine it as a 3-D puzzle showing how its volume relates to the site, landscape and the building orientation. It is, in simple terms, the ‘architecture’ of the project.

2. Service Strategy and Delivery Access The ‘plan arrangement’ must take into account how the building can be serviced discreetly and out of public view. The delivery of post, gas bottles, equipment or tools, the collection of recycling and refuse all need to be considered at an early stage in the development of the design. A successful Incubator facility service strategy will rely on a simple, yet robust set of operational procedures established by the facility management team.

These practical ‘back of house’ activities must not impinge on the public ‘front of house’ activity of the visitor entrance and reception.

Adding this separation of function into the development of the plan adds further layers and complexities to the growing puzzle of

our Incubator design. An experienced architect will begin to think strategically from the outset of how access and delivery can co-exist with the public frontage.

This can often be expressed in a simple thumbnail sketch or concept study which helps determine these key factors of service and access.

The designer can quickly analyse, revisit and develop this concept, with all these factors jostling for priority, to form the basis of a successful concept proposal and site strategy.

3. Building Services Strategy Each building, each space or function, and each client and tenant will have specific needs for services or a view on what is needed to make the facility function effectively.

And budget is, of course, a key factor as laboratory and associated office space can be incredibly expensive.

The success of any service strategy can be viewed in two ways. Firstly, the success of the installation (the ability to change and adapt) and, secondly, limiting disruption to other building users when tenants’ fit-out requirements are installed.

Over a number of projects that we have undertaken at NETPark we have ensured sufficient services infrastructure (for example heating, ventilation, air conditioning, power, data and telecoms, laboratory gases, above and below ground drainage) is in place to accommodate a wide range of tenant fit-out requirements, installed in such a way to minimise future abortive work or disruption.

We have adopted the maxim “design for, but not with� to sum up the need for infrastructure works to accommodate multiple tenants with similar needs.

Flexibility with adaptability is the order of the day with the need to provide for mechanical and electrical services; vulcathene drainage; below ground clay drainage; flue extract enclosures; and enclosures for secure gas bottle storage.

Within the flexible laboratory space considerations include heating via ceiling level radiant panels that do not interfere with room furniture layouts of fume cupboards; and power and data within perimeter dado trunking which can sit below benching or above decks, allowing sockets to be located, relocated, or increased or decreased as needed.

Incorporating this flexibility into a design requires significant cooperation and co-ordination between clients and consultants, but will result in an Incubator within budget and a facility with the capacity to evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of its tenants.

4. Materials & Architecture Clients may want a say on the choice of materials and envelope design or have energy targets to comply with and life-cycle costs to consider. They may wish to maximise daylight and will have long term maintenance and running costs to include within future budgets.

The selection of materials is increasingly important as clients look to minimise maintenance and running costs, while maximising the life expectancy of products and buildings.

So a design needs to balance aesthetic considerations with the practicalities of construction cost, life expectancy and maintenance needs.

Architecture will always be a subjective issue, but judging the success of an Incubator project cannot be based solely on design. Due weight must be given to all the other decisions and choices we have described and which form the real core of the facility.

Conclusion To compete in a changing and challenging global economy, the region will need to develop its knowledge economy. As it develops, greater reliance will be placed on the Incubators we design. So we must collectively devote more time, thought and energy to our project briefs and design proposals to ensure that we create world class facilities which become the destination of choice for academics, researchers, intellectuals and entrepreneurs searching for their ideal Incubator space.

David Wallace is an Associate at Devereux Architects (North) Ltd www.devereux.co.uk

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FUNDING WILL HELP NEW BUSINESSES IN RENEWABLE SECTOR Additional money has been allocated to help the North East in its drive to become a leading international centre for renewable technologies.

“The provision of specialist business support will continue to attract international investors through the development of a North East technology hub for clean technology.

The £2.4m is on the way to the region for a European Union-backed project to provide technology and business support leading to the creation of new energy companies.

“We will offer a bespoke package of technology support to potential businesses from each of these avenues, leading to the generation and growth of a hub of energy technology companies in the region.”

Benefiting from the investment is the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC), at Blyth, Northumberland, which receives the money from regional development agency One North East to fund its incubation and inward investment project.

Maintaining its close working relationship with Business Link and Renew, NaREC will provide technology business support.

The project was set up to assist new companies and is expected to create 40 jobs and help more than 100 businesses with innovation, including providing R&D premises and incubation space for Small and Medium Enterprises seeking to test ideas and accelerate product development.

The project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13, to which the agency has added £1.49m from its Single Programme.

Andy Williamson, Director of Business Development for NaREC, said: “NaREC is the UK’s lead centre for the testing and development of renewable energy technology and provides a wide range of specialist consultancy to encourage early stage companies and university spinouts to enter the market.

Andy Williamson said: “Our focus will be on low carbon renewable energy technologies and closely aligned support service companies with potential for commercialisation and growth.”

NaREC will also support work led by One North East and UK Trade & Investment to identify opportunities for overseas energy sector companies to locate to the region, accelerating the development of a hub of energy technology businesses.

The region is already viewed as an emerging world leader in sectors such as wind energy research and it is hoped that the new money will help support that work.

One North East chief executive Alan Clarke said: “This project will help the region maintain and exploit its position to be an early leader in forming clusters of energy technology companies.” www.narec.co.uk

01 2 9

RCID HELPS TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THE WAVES The Resource Centre for Innovation and Design (RCID) is a multi-disciplinary engineering consultancy based in Newcastle University. It was recently involved in developing a subsea structure for a new wave power generator, capable of surviving a hundred-year storm as well as many millions of wave cycles.

Edinburgh-based Aquamarine Power has designed and built Oyster®, a prototype hydro-electric wave power converter. This is a nearshore device that harnesses the energy in the waves to produce a flow of pressurised seawater, which is then used in a shore-based turbine to generate electricity. The machine uses a large flap, hinged at its base and with a substructure connected to the seabed by piles.

The RCID worked on the detailed design of the flap and subframe structure under extreme sea loads and, particularly, to assess the resistance to long-term fatigue.

Oyster®’s challenging nearshore location and connection to the seabed presented a number of problems for the design team. The

RCID carried out detailed finite element analyses to take account of variations in seabed rock stiffness and operating mode. Detailed analysis of major bolted and welded connections was required, which was complicated because the major load paths were complex and variable depending on site conditions.

Third-party approval of the entire design package of the device has now been achieved and Oyster® and its foundations have been successfully installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.

Work on the next phase of development of the device is now proceeding and the RCID has been called on to provide innovative solutions in the quest for a low-cost design which will give increased efficiency. This work is progressing in tandem with testing on the prototype machine.

For more information on RCID: Email: rcid.info@ncl.ac.uk www.rcid.ncl.ac.uk

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N O R T H E A S T I N N O V ATO R S TA K E O N T H E W O R L D The UK and the North East in particular has a world-class innovation record and our ability to foster innovation will play an important part in our recovery from the global downturn and help secure our future prosperity.

The region is already home to more than 500 leading international companies, including 40 per cent of Dow Jones listed businesses, and in 2007 the North East was ranked among the top five performing regions for foreign direct investment.

And it’s not difficult to see why this is the case. There has been a multi-million pound investment in research, while we have excellent connectivity, academic excellence within the region’s universities, a dynamic and flexible skills base and a superb support structure for inward investment.

The region’s strong industrial heritage is providing a platform for a renaissance in the economy and we are leading the way in some of the world’s fastest growing industry sectors such as energy and low carbon technology, chemicals, automotive and advanced manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, digital media and animation.

While there is no doubt the economic downturn has had a significant impact on the North East economy, the total annual value of value of goods exported from the North East still stands at more than £10 billion.

And yet, despite our successes, the actual number of companies that export is small so we want to encourage more companies to take up the export challenge.

Research has shown that companies which export are more resilient. Our challenge is to ensure that businesses know that help is at hand for North East firms wanting to navigate out of the downturn by seeking out new business opportunities overseas.

UK Trade & Investment can help companies find the markets that can make the difference. Last year more than 300 companies across the North East benefitted from our support while a national survey recently confirmed UKTI had helped 20,700 companies and it’s estimated our support helped them generate an additional £3.6 billion of profit.

David Coppock International Trade Director UK Trade & Investment in the North East

Last year more than 300 North East companies took advantage of the support UK Trade & Investment offers and nationally UKTI helped 20,700 companies generate an estimated £3.6 billion of additional profits.

Whether you are new to exporting or a seasoned veteran, get in touch with the North East Regional Trade Hotline on 0845 05 05 054 to find out how we can help you “Take it to the world”.

JANUARY 13 - Construction Roadshow

Village Hotel, Newcastle

Find out how your company can benefit from the rapid growth in construction activities in Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Mexico and Gulf region.

28 - Life Sciences Roadshow

Centre for Life, Newcastle

Find out more about opportunities overseas for Life Science companies across the spectrum of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics and healthcare.

28 - Export Master Class Durham County Cricket Club

Export Master Class workshops to help your business get the export advantage.

FEBRUARY 18 - Export Master Class Kingston Park, Newcastle

Export Master Class workshops to help your business get the export advantage.

24 - Export Master Class - Middlesbrough

Teaching and Learning Centre

Export Master Class workshops to help your business get the export advantage.

MARCH 10 - Export Master Class - Fulbeck Grange, Morpeth

Export Master Class workshops to help your business get the export advantage.

16 - Export Master Class - Darlington FC

Export Master Class workshops to help your business get the export advantage.

MEASURING THE MECHANICS OF BIOPROCESSING Using innovative sensing technology to measure the mechanical properties of bio-cultures in-situ, Bioinnovel can increase productivity and reduce costs and process variability in the biotech industry.

Although the recent advances in genetic engineering and combinatorial chemistry have created a range of promising new bioactive compounds for the pharmaceutical and bio-environmental industries, not enough work has gone into the optimisation and performance monitoring of industrial bioprocesses ” says Dr Joanna Vlahopoulou, chief technology officer and founder of Bioinnovel.

“So it costs a lot more than it should to get the new bio-products to market”.

in the bio-pharma industry. Hence, improvements in the industry’s manufacturing capacity and process engineering are urgently needed. For this reason, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is promoting new guidelines to support innovation in measurement techniques and optimal control of biological processes, i.e. the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative. PAT is defined as a system able to design, analyse & control bio-processing through realtime measurements of critical quality, and performance attributes of in –process materials aiming to achieve final product quality. It is divided into two sub-sets, i.e. monitoring and cybernetic self-correction.

The biotechnology processes, i.e. the bulk cultivation of microbial or mammalian cell, used to develop these products are complex, and are often developed and operated sub-optimally.

Most of the major bio-active compounds, bio-fuels, and biopolymers derive from the metabolic activities of bio-systems such as microbial and mammalian cells growing in controlled environment on large scale. Consequently, the physiology of the biological system itself determines the performance & productivity of industrial bioprocesses.

Manufacturing has a disproportionately high share of the budget

“Optimal Process control and critical quality are the key to success in the

biopharma industry,” Dr Vlahopoulou says. It aligns with the concept of Quality by Design (QbD), meaning that the product and process characteristics have been designed based on first principles, and are not empirically derived from the performance of test batches.

Bioinnovel’s sensing technology is based on taking timely measurements during the process through the propagation of an ultrasonic wave inside a bioreactor (in situ) to determine variables such as viscosity, elasticity, size & density of the growing bio-population generating a unique mechanical “fingerprint” of the biological process. These variables are more sensitive indicators of the “critical quality” of the cell culture, and hence, give a more accurate growth profile of the bio-culture than conventional light scattering techniques. “Our rheology probe allows us to follow the mechanical evolution of a biological process,” Dr Vlahopoulou says.

Within a certain frequency range, an ultrasonic wave propagating though a suspension is influenced only by its viscous and thermal properties. Measurements can be taken in real-time without

disturbing the flow of the biological suspension in the reactor.

Bioinnovel’s software sensors have the ability to monitor these physical & rheological changes of the cell particles, and identify critical state events which may lead to imminent process underperformance. In addition, its predictive optimisation package is able to: I) to proactively select solution options addressing pre-process unit operations, e.g. raw material mixing, inoculum propagation (“fitness for purpose”, genetic stability & optimum gene expression). II) To take in-process corrective actions via its interface with industrial control systems regarding process operating variables, feed flow streams & culture growth conditions.

By correlating the physical with biological characteristics, and applying hybrid modelling techniques, Bioinnovel proposes to increase consistency and productivity as biotech research scales up from the laboratory to the pilot plant and into production. It should also enable optimal use of manufacturing capacity and better overall product quality.

Bioinnovel Ltd was founded in Cambridge in 2006, and was awarded a Research Grant from the East of England Development Agency to file an international patent and fund its proof of concept stage. In 2008, it relocated to Newcastle having received investment from North East Finance Ltd. It is currently based in the INEX Business Incubator of the Newcastle University, and it is developing a prototype of its soft sensor for performance monitoring, and predictive control software for industrial bioprocesses. Its hardware, i.e. ultrasonic probe and data acquisition system is at the validation stage, and is expected to be available for commercial installations in R&D labs by mid 2010.

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The reception showcased NETPark to politicians and business leaders

HOUSE OF COMMONS SHOWCASE FOR NETPARK ONE of Europe’s fastest growing science parks was showcased to politicians and business leaders at an event held at the House of Commons in November.

“NETPark is just down the road from where the collieries used to be and it is these new industries and companies such as Kromek, PETEC and ROAR Particles where the future lies.”

The North East Technology Park (NETPark) was the subject of a special reception hosted by Sedgefield MP Phil Wilson which attracted Cabinet ministers past and present among a 60-strong audience.

A number of the North East’s most innovative companies were also on hand at the event to profile the technological advances that are playing a transformation role in fields as diverse as solid state lighting and homeland security.

NETPark has gone from strength to strength ever since it was officially opened by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2004.

The development of the site has accelerated markedly in the past 12 months with the Incubator building expanding by 150%, the opening of the Printable Electronics Technology Centre (PETEC) and work well underway on the first building capable of housing a global technology business.

Phil Wilson said: “I am very proud to have the NETPark facility in my constituency because it is the future. So many industries and technologies are based there.

The role of NETPark was acknowledged strongly by Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, who described it as a “truly pathbreaking development”.

Cllr Simon Henig (left), leader of Durham County Council, and Phil Wilson MP pictured at the reception with a dress fashioned entirely from printable electronics materials.

Mr Henig said: “NETPark has been operation for less than five years and already its current level of development has made it one of the fastest growing science parks in the UK.

electric vehicles, offshore wind power, industrial biotechnology and printable electronics – that would give the region a competitive advantage in the decades to come.

“I am confident that NETPark is going to make a huge contribution to the future economy of Durham and the North East region and, with PETEC, the whole UK economy.”

Mr Coxon, who is also chairman of CPI which manages PETEC, said: “Printable electronics is a very exciting part of the future. We are having a lot of success in all four sectors we identified but none more so than printable electronics.”

This sentiment was echoed by Bob Coxon OBE, chairman of the NETPark Advisory Group, who said: “The North East economy is in transformation. Twelve years ago we set a target to convert the North East from being a dependent region to being one that is on the front foot. We decided we would get in to the know-how, high science side of things.”

The printable electronics industry is predicted to be an $800bn industry in 20 years’ time.

Mr Coxon added: “I am sure that the investment in NETPark will make it THE science park of the UK and I am sure it will be one of THE science parks in the world in the future.”

Mr Coxon said the region identified four key technology areas –

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HONOURS FOR CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH BIOCHEMICALS TEAM Staff at North-East company Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB) are celebrating after success in two prestigious awards events.

Based on Belasis Hall Technology Park, Billingham, Teesside, CRB is a rapidly expanding company whose work is focused on the laboratory-scale manufacture of peptides and antibodies for use in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research across the world.

The world’s second oldest peptide manufacturer, it carries out work for some of the largest international pharmaceutical companies.

Now company founders Emily Humphrys and Alison White, who took over the company in 2000 in a management buy out, have jointly won the Innovation through Technology award, part of the North-East Woman Entrepreneur of the Year awards.

Sponsored by Business Link, and held on Tyneside, the awards celebrate the most enterprising women in the North-East and acknowledge the way Commercial Director Emily and Operations Director Alison have shaped the company’s success.

Sponsored by Teesside University, the Innovation Through Technology prize is awarded to business people who have ’demonstrated exceptional success in using business technology to create a significant competitive advantage in any business area.’

CRB, which employs a team of highly trained specialists, also enjoyed success at the Cels Healthconnect awards, being ‘Highly Commended’ in the Outstanding Growth category.

The awards, also presented at a North East ceremony, honoured the achievements of health and life science companies across the region.

The awards are the latest recognition of the progress being made by the company.

Emily Humphrys said: “We were delighted to receive these accolades.

The business has been expanding rapidly and to be honoured in this way is recognition of the progress that we are making.”

Alison White said: “We are working in a rapidly changing market

place and these awards recognise the fact that we are a highly adaptable company which is constantly seeking out new ways of working to support medical research.”

CRB has also signed a distribution agreement with Italian company Cyanagen to market Cyanagen’s groundbreaking range of fluorescent labelling dyes exclusively in the UK and Ireland and nonexclusively internationally.

Cyanagen Srl, a company established in Bologna, Italy in 2003 is dedicated to the synthesis, development and production of reagents for bioanalytical techniques.

In particular, it has spent several years developing bright and robust fluorescent dyes for labelling applications.

Marketed under the name Chromis, the dyes have been developed using a variety of bright colours for ease of identification.

This new agreement is highly synergistic with CRB’s core specialism; the synthesis of fluorescently labelled peptides (which are the protein

fragments) used in the research and discovery of new medicines.

Already partnered with a number of major companies around the world, CRB has welcomed the agreement with Cyanagen.

Emily Humphrys said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to introduce this novel range of dyes into the UK bioscience research market. Data generated to date in key UK research centres suggest that these products have significant technical advantages over existing dye labels.”

Dr Leopoldo Della Ciana (Chief Scientific Officer, Cyanagen) said: “Cyanagen believes that the agreement with CRB is of strategic importance, both for opening up the important markets of UK and North America, but also because it is expected to provide invaluable information vital in tailoring Cyanagen’s chemistry to customers’ needs.” www.crbdiscovery.com

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UNIVERSITY EXPERTS TO A S S ESS R& D GR A N T R E Q U E S T S AN organisation that unites businesses and university expertise has once again secured a prestigious national contract to help development agencies assess the millions of pounds’ worth of research and development requests they receive each year.

Knowledge House, based in Newcastle, will continue to be responsible for finding academic staff in the region’s five universities to assess public and private sector grant requests for nine regional development agencies (RDAs) around the UK. Knowledge House’s service to the development agencies will include the London Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward, One North East and Advantage West Midlands.

It previously won the contract in 2006 through a tender process run by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Mark Jackson, business development director at Knowledge House said winning the contract was a feather in the cap for the organisation and a reflection of the high-calibre experts in the universities of Teesside, Durham, Sunderland, Northumbria and Newcastle.

He said: “We’re thrilled to have been appointed to the contract, which echoes the faith the RDAs have in the service we provide and the expert assessors we have to hand in our universities.

“While innovation is a key driver for regional economic development, the RDAs’ funds can only stretch so far – it’s our job at Knowledge House to find the expert who can assess each application on its merits

and give a sound recommendation on how feasible and financially worthwhile it is for each development agency to pursue.”

Between 2006 and 2009, Knowledge House received more than 175 grant applications from RDAs for assessment. Funding requests ranged from £5,000 to develop low cost prototypes of a technically innovative product, through to projects worth £500,000 that could offer a major benefit to UK industry.

Projects ranged from technology developments in health and life sciences, IT and digital technologies and physical and environmental sciences.

Mark added: “In the past, we’ve helped progress projects of varying size, from small scale prototype development that could generate jobs to assistance on major projects that help put the UK at the forefront of technological advancement.

“As we start to climb out of the recession, we believe that the number of businesses vying for funding to capitalise on a resurgent market will increase dramatically, and we’re looking forward to utilising the huge pool of experts we have in the universities,” he concluded.

Knowledge House’s Role Knowledge House also provides one-to-one support for public and private sector organisations requiring access to the network of world class minds and facilities offered by the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland, Teesside and

Mark Jackson Knowledge House

James Wiley of Creative Glass using a UV lamp to assemble glass furniture

the Open University in the North. These include problem solving solutions through university collaboration, consultancy, training and research.

university’s leadership development course. It’s a brilliant course for us because what they have learnt can be applied easily to our operation.

Established nearly 15 years ago, Knowledge House is a collaborative service offered by the five North East universities through Universities for the North East (Unis4NE) to help companies access the skills, expertise and specialist resources held by the universities collective workforce of more than 15,000 people.

“From my own experience, business management courses used to be very academic, but nowadays they are far more rooted in the needs of businesses,

For more information, on how Knowledge House can help your business access skills and services in the universities, visit www. knowledgehouse.ac.uk.

Case study Creative Glass, a specialist manufacturer of architectural and decorative glass on Teesside has been accessing university resources for more than a decade.

Managing Director and founder of the Portrack Lane-based firm, Tony Campbell, said the North East universities offered a very broad range of skills and courses that were an invaluable resource for businesses.

He said: “We’ve used the universities for all sorts of projects in our business, and the collaborations have been very beneficial.

“Because of where we are based, a lot of the work has been with Teesside University. At the moment, two of our employees are on the

As well as the professional development of staff, Creative Glass also called on experts from Durham University when redesigning the factory layout.

Tony added: “When we first started out in the early 1990’s we had quite a small operation that wasn’t based on a great layout –the sandblasting bay was next to the spray painting operation for example.

“But when we upgraded the factory in 2001 from a craft-sized business to an industrial one, Durham University had just started running the industrial design Agility Programme, and they were looking for operations to try out their new techniques. We volunteered, and the layout we have now – eight years on – is a product of Agility.

“I’m a great believer in useing university skills and support. The resources are there and ready to be used,” he said. www.knowledgehouse.ac.uk

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FOOD OR FUEL ?

Scientists at Teesside University are playing their part in helping to solve one of the most difficult problems facing the world today: generating power without accelerating climate change or harming food production.

Biofuels generated from wastes and crops, such as corn and rapeseed, are seen by many as the green alternative to fossil fuels.

And while they may appear to be the perfect solution because they are not net producers of harmful environmental by-products, they create another problem. They encourage farmers to grow energy crops at the expense of badly-needed food, particularly in poorer countries in the world.

Finding an answer to the ‘food-fuel conflict’ is at the heart of research led by Dr Komang Ralebitso-Senior, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biology at Teesside University.

Her team of six researchers is based within the University’s Technology Futures Institute and is looking at whether biofuel production could use waste materials, such as domestic refuse and sewage sludge, instead of energy crops to generate biogas, which can then be used directly or to produce alternative energy sources such as electricity.

‘We’re carrying out laboratory investigations to optimise the production of biogas through a process known as anaerobic digestion. This uses naturally-occurring micro-organisms to break down waste in closed vessels’, she says.

Dr Ralebitso-Senior believes that, although anaerobic digestion is an established process already being used by some waste-to-energy companies, its full potential has not yet been realised in solving many of the problems associated with growing biofuel crops.

‘We can produce most biofuels using crops - but the big issue is whether the land could be used for food instead. The loss of agricultural crops is a major issue.

‘We call this the food-fuel conflict as the economic returns of growing crops for fuel are often higher and with more farmers choosing this option, foodstuffs inevitably become more expensive.’

She says, ‘Using anaerobic digestion is an alternative method which has considerable potential, but we still do not understand a lot about how it works. That is what we are investigating in the laboratory, seeking ways in which we can optimise and, therefore, exploit the process effectively.

‘This work has significant potential because it can produce a biofuel which is truly sustainable. The refuse from which the biogas is produced would have ended up in the ground, with possible damage to the environment, and also there will not be the need to grow crops which take food away from people.

‘The value of biofuels is their potential to be sustainable, providing a good balance between the environment, the economy and society.

This is very exciting work,’ she says.

The potential of this research has attracted interest from Teesside’s Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) based at Wilton, which is supporting the PhD programme associated with this work.

For Dr Ralebitso-Senior, the external support is crucial. ‘The next stage after the PhD is developing a new bioreactor type at pilot-scale, but for the system to be viable we need an even larger capacity. We’re looking at it taking a number of years to go from laboratory to pilot to actual scale, with modifications and additional research along the way. The only way the project may be realised sooner is if we can integrate findings from other research teams in the region, then nationally and internationally.’

The work is the latest phase in a career which has seen Dr Komang Ralebitso-Senior, an applied environmental molecular microbiologist, work all over the world, including Lesotho, South Africa, the Netherlands and Singapore.

Food or Fuel?

Dr Komang Ralebitso-Senior

THINKING GREEN For chemical industry managers, sourcing raw materials at a time when they are being urged to adopt more environmentallyfriendly methods can be a major challenge.

However research at Teesside is looking for possible solutions through a project involving seven local companies, the North East Process Industry Cluster and researchers at Teesside, Newcastle and Surrey Universities.

Together they will examine ways of extracting chemicals from biomass, the organic substance being used now to generate electricity.

The biomass can be wood, grasses and other organic materials, such as solid municipal waste or industrial waste, which when burnt in a power station can generate electricity without producing the pollutants associated with fossil fuel, explained Dr Maria Olea, Reader in Chemical Engineering and Catalysis with Teesside University’s Technology Futures Institute.

‘The biomass contains chemicals which, if extracted, could be used in

other industrial processes, reducing the need to locate raw materials from sources such as quarries and mines,’ said Dr Olea.

Dr Olea will analyse methods of extracting eight chemicals from biomass. ‘This work is of interest to industry because companies can use the chemicals present in the biomass. What they need is to know the best methods of extracting them so that they can be re-used, rather than being wasted’, she says.

Academics at Teesside and Newcastle will use computer software to analyse different industrial routes from biomass to target chemicals and then experts from Surrey University will build a model based on the inputs from the other two Universities, so helping the project’s industrial partners to select the best method of extraction.

The government department Defra has provided part of the funding for the 27-month project.

For all enquiries email business@tees.ac.uk or visit www.tees.ac.uk/business

35

EUROPEAN TRADE MARKS: 44% FEE REDUCTION A Community Trade Mark protects your brand name or company logo in all twenty seven countries of the European Union, via a single application.

In addition to trade mark searching and registration, Hargreaves Elsworth also offer a watching service to help trade mark owners police their brands.

In a bid to help smaller companies protect their brands, The European Community Trade Marks Registry has announced a massive 44% reduction in fees.

Hargreaves Elsworth Patent Attorneys was established in 2002 and provides advice on intellectual property matters to a wide range of clients, from its offices in Charlotte Square, Newcastle. For more information please contact Dominic Elsworth (Head of Practice) on 0191 211 1974.

The Registry is based in Alicante, at the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM). In a recent press release, OHIM’s president stated, “At a time of global recession, cutting the cost of protecting intellectual property rights should be a significant help. For a small company, protecting your trade mark at the Community level, protects your future right to have free access to the single European market for your goods and services. For larger companies it is an essential tool for doing business internationally”.

As of 1st May this year, anyone applying electronically to register a Community Trade Mark will only pay Registry fees of €900 significantly less than the previous €1600 fee.

The fee reduction means that the Registry fee for a trade mark in three classes of goods or services, in all twenty seven EU countries, is only around £500 more than it costs for a UK only trade mark.

As well as the fee reduction, the Registry has simplified the procedure for obtaining a Community Trade Mark, essentially by setting the registration fee to zero, so that only an application fee is payable and the processing time becomes much shorter.

Since litigation over ownership of brand names can be extremely costly, searching for earlier marks and registering trade names is important to protect market share and avoid future problems.

NO NA CTIVE E SPE OURC R E G P RES MIN W O NE DE C 10 0 I GU AY 2 M