ISSUE 16 • JULY2015
Research & Innovation Services
www.bath.ac.uk
In this issue 3. Introduction 4. Licensing Opportunity Between Sirius Analytical and Pharmacy and Pharmacology 6. New Research Projects to Improve Vehicle Efficiency and Emissions 8. University Awarded Over €9 Million of European Commission Funding 10. €4.2 Million Network Wastewater Profiling for Public Health Monitoring 12. SETsquared Provides Start-Up Support to European Businesses at UN 13. KTP with ITS Awarded ‘Outstanding’ 14. University Attends CBI 50th Anniversary 15. Networks and Events 16. Contacts
Editor: Fi Lang, RDSO Design: Richard Box, IDPS
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Research@Bath July 2015 Welcome to the July edition of Research@ Bath, highlighting some of the ways in which you can work with us. The University’s Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre (PVRC) has received three prestigious grants totally more than £650,000 from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation agency. This will support us to work with new industrial collaborators in the automotive industry, as well as existing partners such as Jaguar Land Rover. We are also pleased to announce a licensing opportunity with Sirius Analytical Instruments Ltd, world class providers of innovative instrumentation for chemical analysis, and our Pharmacy and Pharmacology department at the University, an internationally recognised centre of research excellence. This has seen the development of a new product, Sirius Scissor, which will help understand the status of a drug post-manufacture. The University KTP with Industrial Tomography Systems plc (ITS), a world leader in process tomography, has been awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Innovate UK. The KTP will help provide the company with cutting edge imaging software. Our European success continues as we have now been awarded a total of over €9 million of funding from Horizon 2020, the European Commission’s research and innovation funding programme. RESEARCH@BATH
This includes a multi-party collaboration with several European partners entitled Optintegral, a project worth nearly €6 million to develop advanced LED advertising displays. Other European recognition is also evident in our water research, with a €4.2 million major international network focused on wastewater profiling for public health monitoring, known as SEWPROF. The academic lead is part of our newly established Water and Innovation Research Centre (WIRC @ Bath), funded by Wessex Water. Whilst Simon Bond, Director of SETsquared and the University’s Innovation Centre, has been speaking at the UN in Geneva, providing start-up support to European businesses. The University also attended the 50th anniversary of the CBI, the UK’s premier business lobbying organisation, along with guests including senior directors from valued industry collaborations. Information on these announcements, as well as events, networks and contact points are included in this edition. We hope to hear from you regarding potential discussions of collaborations with the University. Dr Jon Hunt Director, Research and Innovation Services. Email: J.Hunt@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 4497 ISSUE16 • JULY2015
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Licensing Opportunity Between Sirius Analytical and Pharmacy and Pharmacology
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The University has secured a license deal with Sirius Analytical Instruments Ltd, the leaders in instrumentation and services for the determination of physicochemical properties, which has resulted in the upcoming release of a new product, Sirius Scissor.
Karl Box, Chief Scientific Officer of Sirius Analytical, adds: “Sirius and the University of Bath have a long history of successful collaborations, so when we decided to expand our product portfolio into the large molecule world, Bath were an obvious development Partner.
Too little is understood about the physical behaviour of parenteral drugs in the period immediately post-administration. Sirius Scissor is the first instrument designed to mimic the stresses a biopharmaceutical experiences when transitioning from formulation conditions to a subcutaneous (SC) environment. By simulating events that occur at the injection site, Sirius Scissor will enable users to investigate bioavailability under simulated subcutaneous and intraocular conditions and compare biopharmaceutical formulation performance during development, after manufacture and post-storage.
“Professor Mrsny has many years of experience working with biological drugs gained both in Industry and academia: his and Hanne Kikkunen’s robust approach to research has led to our ability to release a system to market in which we have great confidence – indeed initial in vitro-in vivo correlation results have been extremely encouraging. We are extremely proud of the Sirius Scissor platform, and have been delighted by the overwhelmingly positive response from our customers, with the first commercial systems shipping to the first wave of customers in mid-July.”
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Randy Mrsny, Professor from the Pharmacy and Pharmacology Department at University of Bath, says: “Our lab at the University of Bath has focused on asking simple questions related to solving problems involving drug delivery. The pharmaceutical industry has struggled with the fact that some, but not all, protein and peptide drugs injected subcutaneously can have low or variable bioavailability. Importantly, no predictive in vitro systems and no in vivo models have been identified to date to help pharmaceutical scientists understand the basis for these outcomes. “I was lucky enough to team up with a very talented post-doc, Hanne Kinnunen. Her studies identified principles that provided the basis for development of the Sirius Scissor system, which we feel can be a useful tool for pharmaceutical scientists to follow the physical and chemical status of a protein or peptide drug as it transitions from conditions used to keep it stable on the shelf prior to injection into the conditions of the human body”.
For further information on license opportunities or contract research please contact: Graham Fisher, Research Commercialisation Manager. Email: G.J.Fisher@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 5705 For further on Sirius Analytical Instruments Ltd please contact: http://www.sirius-analytical.com/
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New Research Projects to Improve Vehicle Efficiency and Emissions The University’s Powertrain and Vehicle Research Centre (PVRC) has received three prestigious grants totaling more than £650,000 from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, to work with leading industry partners in the automotive industry to improve automotive engine efficiency and emissions.
Improving engine efficiency and emissions The first two-year project, Mechanically Decoupled Electric Turbocharger for Optimal IC Engines Efficiency, will be
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working with Aeristech Ltd, Jaguar Land Rover and Advanced Design Technology Ltd. Dr Sam Akehurst will lead the research at the University and will investigate, through advanced simulation tools, the behaviour of the Aeristech full electric turbocharger technology (FETT) and how its performance can be optimised in interaction with a stateof-the-art Jaguar Land Rover diesel engine. A prototype FETT device will be evaluated experimentally on the University gas stand facility.
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The second two year project, Inverted Brayton Cycles for Exhaust Heat Recovery, will be led by Dr Colin Copeland and see the University partner with HiETA Technologies, developers of additive manufactured heat exchangers, and AXES Designs. The project will explore a new way of recovering waste energy from the exhaust gases of a car engine. A significant proportion of the energy in the fuel is normally lost in the form of heat in the exhaust stream. The inverted Brayton cycle aims to address this by capturing and re-using this energy in order to deliver a significant reduction in carbon dioxide. The IPM e-Cartridge project is a result of the third grant application and is being led for Bath by Deputy Director of the PVRC, Professor Chris Brace. The project, which is in collaboration with Ashwoods Electric Motors, Curtis Instruments and Caterpillar, will investigate the efficiency improvements that can be realised by electrifying aspects of the vehicle hydraulic systems fitted to off-highway machines.
Working with the automotive industry Commenting on these latest projects, Deputy-Director of the PVRC and Professor of Automotive Propulsion, Professor Chris Brace, said: “These three projects see us working with new partners as well as our existing collaborators and also allow us to work on some new and exciting challenges. We are looking forward to contributing valuable insight into state-of-the-art low-carbon automotive and off-highway systems.”
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Dr Chris Brace, Deputy Director of the PVRC and Professor of Automotive Propulsion The PVRC, based in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is one of the leading UK university groups in the field and, in September, will open an EPSRC National Centre of Excellence for research on low-carbon vehicles. For further information on collaborating with the University on automotive research please contact: Oscar De Mello Business Development Manager Email: O.DeMello@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3156
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University Awarded Over €9 Million of European Commission Funding The University has been awarded over €9 million of funding from Horizon 2020, the European Commission’s Research and Innovation funding programme, providing new opportunities for industry.
In addition, three current LED Display Manufacturers in the EU will enlarge their portfolio to set up pilot manufacturing lines and co-develop demonstrators adapted to their customers’ needs.
Funding includes an Optintegral project, totalling €5,675,337, which was launched to develop advanced LED advertising displays. The three year project will produce a revolutionary optical design concept that brings better display resolution, lower costs and energy saving.
Dr Robert Heath, says: “The Optintegral Project is an exciting opportunity to be in at the creation of an entirely new visual media experience, with potential applications in many different areas of advertising and communication. In order to measure the effectiveness of these new displays we need therefore to tap into the way the brain is responding when watching them in a real-life context.
The aim of Optintegral, awarded to Dr Robert Heath in Management, is to prove the viability of the technology, and demonstrate the flexibility, sustainability, and cost effectiveness of this revolutionary manufacturing process. This should enable a wide range of diverse LED display products to be manufactured competitively within the EU labour market. Optintegral will initially develop three different large area display prototypes - 3D glasses-free, lightpipe and backlit - for retail, transportation and hospitality sectors. These prototype displays will be manufactured and demonstrated by three European SMEs, and will be evaluated using recent developments in neuroscience.
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“The University of Bath hopes to do this by using state-of-the art mobile measurement tools such as eye-tracking, electroencephalography, and biorhythmic measurement. These allow us literally to ‘get inside the mind of the viewer and measure what is being experienced on both a literal and a visceral level. This may well also enable us to open up a whole new area of visual evaluation.” The consortium comprises nine European partners from 5 European countries.
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The European partners from the consortium of the Optintegral project. Liceth Rebolledo, European Projects Manager at ASCAMM Technology Centre in Spain, says: “The University of Bath has been invited to be part of Optintegral consortiums due to its large and proven expertise in understanding and evaluating emotional influence in advertising. The Optintegral Product requires high specialist knowledge of how advertising works in order to optimise its use”.
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For information on European funding with industry please contact: Dr Caroline Ang European Research Development Manager Email: C.W.Ang@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3184
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€4.2 Million Network Wastewater Profiling for Public Health Monitoring
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We are part of a €4.2 million research project to develop new technology for public health monitoring.
We have developed techniques, led by Dr Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, to detect biomarkers of drug use in the water system.
Wastewater Profiling at the Community Level, known as SEWPROF, is a €4.2 million training network to develop interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research capability for the next generation of scientists working in the newly-emerging field of wastewater-based epidemiology.
We are also studying human biomarkers in waste water to determine public exposure to endocrine disruptors in personal care and household products. We are also developing methods to verify whether the population in a particular area suffers from health issues such as cancer or infectious diseases at a particularly high level.
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This is a newly-emerging interdisciplinary field with a potential to provide an integrated real-time early-warning assessment of community-wide health, with the Network including 11 project partners and 5 associated partners.
Please see our water brochure for information on all our water research:
Dr Barbara Kasprzyk-Hordern, the coordinator of the Network from the University of Bath, says: “We are delighted to have established this major international network within Europe, in which we will train a new generation of researchers working in these areas. Our network will make a major contribution in diagnosing, and hence treating, major public health issues, including disease outbreaks, by establishing monitoring methods based on wastewater-based epidemiology.” Professor Pim de Voogt, SEWPROF’s leader of outreach and dissemination from the University of Amsterdam, said: “This is a unique opportunity to make a consolidated effort that will bring maturity to the field of exploiting wastewater analysis for the diagnosis of a population’s drug use.” SEWPROF is funded by the European Commission’s Initial Training Networks (ITN) Marie Curie Actions.
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For further information on collaborating with us on our water research please contact: Dr Sarah Eliot Research Project Coordinator Email: water-research@bath.ac.uk
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SETsquared Provides Start-Up Support to European Businesses at UN
SETsquared has shown its support to start-ups and innovation businesses in Europe at a recent event held at the United Nations in Geneva by offering a free place to one of the region’s leading startups on its acclaimed Entrepreneurship Training programme. Simon Bond, Innovation Director at SETsquared, the university business incubator, which is ranked best in Europe and number two in the world, joined the jury panel at UNECE’s (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) first event for startups at Geneva’s Palais des Nations. The event aimed to showcase how innovative entrepreneurial talent can contribute to address today’s social and environmental challenges, through new ground-breaking ideas that can become successful and sustainable businesses.
One of the leading finalists from the day has been offered a free place to come to the UK and take part in SETsquared’s acclaimed Entrepreneurship Training Programme. The winning start-up, AEInnova, a spin-out from Spain’s Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, has a compelling microelectronics solution for energy harvesting that turns industrial waste heat into electric power. Simon Bond said: “It’s been an absolute honour to represent SETsquared at the UNECE and to be able to offer a place on our Entrepreneurship Training Programme. SETsquared is proud to support start-ups throughout Europe as well as those rooted in the UK, and the standard I’ve seen at UNECE’s event has been fantastic. “But this is only the start, as we look forward to working with the UN this coming year to help support more European technology start-ups going forward.” Places are available on SETsquared’s Entrepreneurship Training Programme. http://www.setsquared.co.uk/start-support/ entrepreneurship-training-programme
Following a call for ideas launched by UNECE, six finalists from Spain, Israel, Italy, Armenia and Moldova attended the event to pitch in front of a jury comprised of industry experts and hear from the panellists.
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University KTP with Industrial Tomography Systems (ITS) Awarded ‘Outstanding’ The University of Bath KTP with Industrial Tomography Systems plc (ITS), a world leader in process tomography, has been awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Innovate UK. The partnership builds on a previous KTP with ITS which focused on generic inverse algorithms, whereby the University transferred several image reconstruction algorithms into ITS’s software. This KTP will extend the scope further to linear configurations, a huge potential for industrial markets. The KTP, led by Dr Manuch Soleimani from the University’s Engineering Tomography Laboratory (ETL), will help provide the company with cutting edge imaging software. Changhua Qiu, Principal Systems Engineer of ITS, says: “It was an honour working with the University of Bath. The aim of this project was to create a software package which can fulfil the technology gap from ITS’s existing algorithms and cover the market needs of industrial processes. As there is a need for new algorithms for better image accuracy, many Industrial process applications will benefit from the outcome of this KTP project - the commercial ‘Reconstruction Tool-Suite software’ An Excellent result from the Project!”.
the University’s in-depth expertise and access to high calibre people very helpful. We are looking forward to continuing this relationship beyond the KTP to ensure that ITS maintains its leading position in the field of electrical tomography”. Dr Solemani says: “I am delighted to see that the significant impact of this project has been confirmed by independent project assessors. This project directly led to a number of novel commercial products, giving ITS a leading edge against its international competitors. It is very rewarding to see the cutting edge scientific research in our lab find such a fantastic impact to industry, helping a high tech UK SME”. For further information on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships please contact: Izaro Lopez Garcia Business Development Manager Email: I.LopezGarcia@bath.ac.uk Tel: + (0)1225 38 3904
Ken Primrose, CEO of ITS, says: “ITS was pleased to have engaged with the University of Bath in this project and found
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University Attends CBI 50th Anniversary The University was invited to attend a dinner with the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the UK’s premier business lobbying organisation. Dr Jon Hunt, Director, Research and Innovation Services (RIS), with guest Tora Young, Producer from the Imaginarium Studios; Professor Veronica HopeHailey, Dean and the Head of the School of Management; Stephen Rangecroft, Director of External Relations and Marketing, also from the School of Management, attended the dinner at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel to mark the 50th year of business innovation for the CBI, who wanted to celebrate with their members and those who have made the organisation what it is today. Guests of the School of Management, included senior directors John Wheland, BAE Systems; Ken Owen, EDF Energy; Chris Lindsay, AS Watson; Sue Fraser, JP Morgan; and Kirit Patel, CEO and Founder of Day Lewis Pharmacy group, who now employ 3000 people, and is soon to be an honorary graduate of the University. Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP, was a keynote speaker who was joined by Sir Mike Rake, a businessman who is Chairman of BT and deputy chairman of Barclays plc. They addressed the audience of over 1000 business leaders, politicians and journalists, stressing opportunities for economic growth and encouraging signs of progress.
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Professor Veronica Hope Hailey attended the 50th anniversary of the CBI. Dr Jon Hunt, who attended the dinner, says: “The event was excellent and provided the opportunity to develop new professional relationships”. Professor Hope-Hailey, also in attendance at the dinner, says: “It was a very good evening with potential for collaborative research projects emerging from the table conversations. It was also heartening to hear the CBI declare their wholehearted support of the UK’s continuing and full membership of the EU”. The event was sponsored by IBM and Manpower Group. Further information on the CBI: http://news.cbi.org.uk/
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Research@Bath Events and Networks SparkUp School for Entrepreneurs: Building a Team 21 July A series of entrepreneurial workshops at UBIC in association with Techspark for people who are in the early stages of launching a tech startup, running a growing business or even just thinking about starting one. The sessions are 2 hours long and will be a combination of presentations from experts and a Q&A session to a panel of entrepreneurs about their own experiences. The workshops are free for UBIC members and students. Otherwise a registration fee applies. The last of these three workshops will take place on 21 July and focus on building a team. For further information and registration please see: http://techspark.co/
UBIC First Tuesday 7 July and 1 September First Tuesday taking place 12:00-13:00 is a regular opportunity for UBIC member companies, mentors and invited guests to meet and network. There are two short presentations which is usually a company overview given by one of our member companies followed by an invited guest speaker. A free lunch (sandwiches or pizza) is provided! http://ubic.org.uk/events/
ALAN Networking Seminar 29 September The Assisted Living Action Network (ALAN) holds regular meetings to bring together business, healthcare professionals, service user groups and academic researchers to discuss the key issues, identify the business challenges and collaborate and create commercial opportunities in the £1.5 billion market. A seminar will be taking place on 29 September 18:00-20:30. Further information will soon be available. http://ubic.org.uk/alan RESEARCH@BATH
Other Networks Silicon South West The Silicon South West network provides regular networking events, news and national and international promotion for the region’s microelectronics cluster. http://ubic.org.uk/siliconsouthwest/
openMIC OpenMIC is for the discussion, debate and development of new mobile applications and mobile web services. We welcome Mobilists, DIY developers, ideas people, operators, innovators and multimediators in fact anyone passionate and interested in the co-development of new mobile apps for commercial or social use under the Creative Common ethos or ‘copyleft’ movement. http://ubic.org.uk/openmic/
Bath Girl Geeks Bath is growing and vibrant city and becoming as famous for its tech businesses as it is for Jane Austin. Bath Girl Geeks follows in the footsteps of fellow girl geek dinner clubs around the UK and provides a network that provides connections, inspiration and some fun for everyone that comes along. http://bath.girlgeekdinners.com/
SETsquared SETsquared is a collaboration between the universities of Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Surrey which partners in enterprise activities and collectively supports the growth and success of new business opportunities through spin-outs, licensing and incubation. http://www.setsquared.co.uk/whatsetsquared-partnership
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The University of Bath: Working with Business Engagement
Contacts
Researching new ideas
To provide new insights, ways of thinking and results for the benefit of your organisation to help you succeed.
Applying research results
To produce new processes and products.
Accessing our expertise and research facilities
For access to extensive knowledge, skills and academic expertise to solve complex issues.
Join our networks
We operate and sponsor business networks for high-growth companies, providing regular events, conferences, news and national and international promotion. For further information please see: http://ubic.org.uk
Simon Bond Director, Innovation Centre Email: S.A.Bond@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 8682
Supporting your staff development
Training Executives to address strategic challenges of your organisation and maximise potential.
Dr Jan Stiles Director of Executive Development School of Management Email: J.Stiles@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3695
Training staff through flexible courses in a range of subjects and delivery formats.
Dr Denise Cooke Head of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Email: D.Cooke@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 3622
Entrepreneurship development are offered through the University of Bath’s SETsquared partnership. For further information please see: www.setsquared.co.uk
Simon Bond Director, Innovation Centre Email: S.A.Bond@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 8682
Graduate recruitment We are in the top ten universities most targeted by key employers and can provide the appropriate skill set for your business.
Mary Mears Employer Services Manager Email: M.D.Mears@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 6009
Recruiting talented staff
The University is also home to a number of world-class facilities that can be cost effectively hired or accessed.
Dr Jon Hunt Director, Research and Innovation Services Email: J.Hunt@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 44975
Julie Chambers Business Gateway and Consultancy Services Manager Email: J.Chambers@bath.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)1225 38 6495
All our undergraduate level disciplines provide opportunities for placements. Over 60% of our students take up this offer.
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www.bath.ac.uk
Research & Innovation Services
www.bath.ac.uk