T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R R E S E A R C H A N D B U S I N E S S p artners
research+collaboration+innovation
+ also inside Criminal past
Learning lessons from past penal policies
Managing risk
Collective Cure
Can a collaborative approach end health inequality?
Tackling industry’s most critical challenges
A place for policy & practice
The Heseltine Institute offers fresh ideas for decision-makers
contents // 2
Inside this issue Features 14 collective cure
Tackling health inequalities with a collaborative approach
28
20 the big picture
The contact lens that could offer new hope for glaucoma sufferers
32 a place for policy and practice
The Heseltine Institute is delivering projects that have real impact
research and opinion 4 The big data revolution
Getting the most out of data
6 Collaborating for growth
The Liverpool Clinical Trials Collaborative will benefit the biomedical sector
9 Managing risk and uncertainty
Liverpool is helping industry face its most critical challenges
11 Learning from a criminal past
Criminologist Professor Barry Godfrey on his life’s research
36 thinking big
Driving economic growth in Liverpool City Region
Case studies and Partner Profiles 22 see the light
Introducing printed electronics pioneers PolyPhotonix
24 the serious business of innovation A look at the University’s partnership with Sci-Tech Daresbury
26 alzheimer’s breakthrough
Leading the fight against Alzheimer’s disease with Callaghan Innovation
28 jaguar land rover
How the Virtual Engineering Centre helped the UK’s largest car manufacturer
11
30 the ahrc cultural engagement fund Providing opportunities for Arts and Humanities’ early career researchers
IN BRIEF 38 News from across the University
Production: University of Liverpool, Corporate Communications e: business@liverpool.ac.uk W: www.liverpool.ac.uk/business
22 The University is a member of the elite Russell Group of research-led UK universities.
Realise // 3
Welcome Collaborative research that crosses both traditional subject areas and national boundaries is essential if we are to solve the complex, global challenges confronting us and future generations
I
6
Printed on paper from responsible resources FSC C101533. Please recycle this document.
n this issue of Realise, we showcase the many ways in which we are working with partners in the UK and internationally, in higher education, and in the public and private sectors. Creating the academic value chain from concept through technological invention to policy development and finally public acceptance, defines most aspects of the impact agenda against which UK universities will now be judged (and funded) for the foreseeable future. While the well-known saying that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ still holds true, increasingly what we do as a leading research institution is developing innovation and collaboration in addition to ‘pure’ research. Combining the expertise of outstanding academics with the acumen of the private sector to pose the critical problems enables us to shape and focus our research on the real issues and then take these to market, helping to make the world a better place whilst at the same time appreciating the consequences of what ‘better’ really means. Recognising the importance of interdisciplinary research, and the need to find ways to maintain investment is now more important than ever. Universities like Liverpool not only need to continue to nurture and support outstanding academics, but also to remain committed to developing our innovation and entrepreneurial skills, which allow us to translate our research from campus to community. If you are interested in talking to the University about potential collaborations or want to find out more about specific areas of expertise, please contact our Business Gateway on 0845 0700 064. Professor Stephen Holloway Provost for Innovation
Viewpoint: Professor Simon Maskell
The Big Data Revolution The value we place on data is growing every day, as is the availability of facts and figures that can serve endless purposes. Professor of Autonomous Systems, Simon Maskell, tells us more about the Big Data revolution
Realise // 5
T
he term ‘Big Data’ describes the exponential growth and availability of both structured and unstructured data. Datasets are so large and data so abundant that it becomes too complex to use traditional data processing paradigms. Being able to analyse these large datasets and capture value from doing so will become of vital importance to business, underpinning new waves of productivity, operational efficiency, innovation and growth. But it will also benefit society in ways as diverse as preventing pandemics and running government services more efficiently. Collaboration Big Data has been identified as a key growth area by Chancellor George Osborne. This was confirmed by David Willetts in the report ‘Eight Great Technologies’ which aims to support the application of research and innovation. Business and governments are increasingly aware there is a disparity between the data they have access to, and the information that they extract from them. Analysing big datasets will offer huge opportunities, allowing correlations to be found to perform tasks as diverse as spotting business trends, preventing diseases, determining real-time roadway traffic conditions or combating crime. The University is currently working with Liverpool City Council, looking at how they can improve the use of its available data to better manage the flow of traffic in the city, to make it more effective for citizens and attractive to businesses. For example, traffic flow is traditionally monitored using inductive loops underneath the ground. The resulting data is then stored on a database and used to control traffic lights. However, if we augment this data with information from the CCTV cameras that we see as we drive along the roads, we can derive additional insights, which could further improve the operational efficiency of the road network (eg enabling the time it is currently taking cars to move between traffic lights to inform the synchronising of the lights). Knowledge is power Similar information extracted from the same CCTV footage could be of use to other parties.
For example, if a supermarket knows how many people drive past its store and where they are going, they could choose to send out more targeted messages to these people to attract more customers. This example highlights that it is of course important to manage the risks around protecting privacy and confidentiality, while at the same time weighing up the potential benefits that would enable an improved understanding of customers’ behaviour to facilitate better services being offered to them. What’s interesting about the Big Data revolution is that it is typified by such interplay between technologies and disciplines; hardware developers are now working together with, for example, statisticians and business analysts as well as with lawyers (keen to define the ethics associated with the balance between privacy and performance that might lay the groundwork for future regulation). This interplay is also apparent in the marketplace, where organisations with very different customer communities are starting to work together, realising they can benefit from sharing ideas and techniques. Sharing expertise The University has relevant strengths in various disciplines, ranging from electrical engineering and computer science to biostatistics, physics, sociology, psychology, ethics and geography. By sharing expertise and best practice, underpinned by a strong technological base, we can develop solutions that can be rapidly applied by industry and government. We also have access to Sci-Tech Daresbury, one of the world’s leading centres for high-performance computing, as well the modelling and simulation facilities of the University’s Virtual Engineering Centre. This puts us in the ideal place for these crossfertilisations of ideas to happen, fostering connections between research expertise, technologies and facilities that might not have existed before, and enabling us to embrace innovation to the benefit of the UK. Professor Simon Maskell is a Professor of Autonomous Systems at the School of Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Computer Science. His key areas of research expertise are focused on developing algorithms to process ambiguous data streams to inform difficult decisions.
Clinical trials: inquiring minds // 6
Realise // 7
Collaborating for growth The Liverpool Clinical Trials Collaborative (LCTC) will incorporate the University’s clinical trials expertise into one facility to encourage growth in the biomedical sector
S
uccessful clinical trials are dependent upon using appropriate trial design and statistical methodology, combined with the highest standards of data management, administration, communication and quality control. Expert methodological advice can improve the efficiency of the clinical trial process, thereby reducing costs in what is an essential but expensive part of bringing new biomedical products to market. Examples include the use of adaptive designs to reduce the number of patients required, the use of innovative designs to test stratified medicines, and the development of a consensus around which outcomes should be measured in particular diseases and implementing this in the electronic health record.
The University of Liverpool is internationally renowned for its clinical trials expertise, having built a strong critical mass of clinical trial resources and a body of specialist capability in the activities surrounding the planning, organisation and conduct of clinical trials. We are also recognised for undertaking reviews of research to identify where new trials are required. This methodological expertise is aligned to renowned international expertise in disease areas such as infection, cancer, paediatrics and neurology. To further cement its position as a leader in this field, the University has recently established the Liverpool Clinical Trials Collaborative (LCTC) to provide a single point of access to solutions and expertise. One of LCTC’s main aims is to accelerate growth in the biomedical sector by increasing collaboration between the University and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to drive forward new biomedical products capable of commercial exploitation.
Clinical trials: inquiring minds // 8
translate their innovations from ideas to reality. “Linking companies to technology and the team of expert The LCTC offers a cost-effective support service practitioners at the LCTC will improve their product and proand, as biomedical technologies advance, will play cess design, improving productivity and competitiveness,” a vital role in ensuring companies can meet future explains Professor Paula Williamson. “There is also a trainhealthcare challenges.” ing element to the project to build research and planning capability within the sector. All pharmaceutical and medical device companies need to be aware of methodological Paula Williamson is Professor of Medical Statistics, Director approaches favoured by regulators and other decisionof the MRC North West Hub for Trials Methodology Research, makers. One example is in the area of choosing which Director of the Clinical Trials Research Centre (CTRC), and Head outcomes to measure on patients in clinical trials, which is of the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Liverpool. needed for the benefit-risk assessment for a product. The She is an Associate Director of the NIHR Medicines for Children international COMET Initiative (www.comet-initiative.org) Research Network (MCRN) and Director of the NIHR MCRN is led from the University, and can provide advice.” Clinical Trials Unit. Many SMEs engaged in drug, vaccine, medical device and other healthcare product development lack the resources or Our Centres of Expertise experience to design and conduct efficient clinical trials to develop products. In an Prior to the establishment design, management and increasingly competitive market, this puts of the LCTC, clinical research analysis with full UKCRC these companies at a disadvantage comactivity in Merseyside and Clinical Research Collaboration pared with those from countries with good Cheshire operated in several registration. The CTRC conducts links between enterprise and research. locations. The centres of trials activity in distinct clinical “Typically, there is a lack of capacity within expertise brought together areas including medicines for companies in areas including trial design, in LCTC are: children, pharmacogenetics, general trial project management, patient neuroscience, vision and recruitment and statistical analysis capaThe Medical Research Council infection. bility,” says Professor Williamson. “The (MRC) NW Hub for Trials LCTC is working to expand its networks Methodology Research Liverpool Cancer Trials Unit and targeting SMEs, which could benefit (NWHTMR): In collaboration (LCTU): The Cancer Research most from the expertise available, such with Lancaster, Manchester UK LCTU is based within as drug and other therapy development and Bangor Universities, the the Institute of Translational companies, diagnostic developers and Liverpool-led regional Hub Medicine. The portfolio of contract research organisations (CROs).” focuses on research around clinical trials involves major Advice available from the University trials methodology, developing tumour areas including includes how to manage a clinical trial a world-class centre where Pancreatic, Lung, Head and operation, provide the highest standards methodological issues facing Neck along with Melanoma, of methodological rigour and manage data the clinical trials community can Lymphoma and Haematological management systems, administration and be investigated, helping patient Malignancies, with plans for quality control. From this, SMEs will be care by improving the validity expansion into further areas. able to run a range of clinical studies, and relevance of the healthcare from high-value experimental medicine evidence base. The Hub brings The Department of through to the testing of new drugs together experts from fields Biostatistics: Based in the in humans. including medical statistics Institute of Translational “Ultimately, it is hoped that the LCTC and pharmacoeconomics, and Medicine, the Department will become nationally recognised as an focuses on four methodological provides innovative statistical invaluable asset to the biomedical sector,” research themes: early phase analysis support and advice says Professor Williamson. “One of its trial design and analysis, later to clinical trial collaborators aims is to meet the needs of industry phase trial design and analysis, and researchers within and provide support to help companies patients’ perspectives and the Wolfson Centre for stratified medicine. Personalised Medicines and the University’s MRC Centre Clinical Trials Research Centre for Drug Safety Science. It also (CTRC): The CTRC is a Centre delivers Continuing Medical of Excellence in clinical trial Education accredited courses.
Realise // 9
Managing risk and uncertainty together The University’s Institute for Risk and Uncertainty is tackling the increasingly complex fallout from disasters, hazards and the most critical challenges facing industry
T
he nature and consequences of disasters, hazards and other real world problems are becoming increasingly complex because of the many different kinds of disciplines involved. Think of cases such as Hurricane Katrina, the Fukushima nuclear incident and the global financial crisis whereby failures in technical and management systems caused a cascade of interrelated effects in technological, environmental, financial and social systems. Traditionally, each discipline looks at disasters from their own – specialist, yet limited – angle. But to fully understand and deal with a disaster in a much
more efficient way and to reduce or even prevent its consequences at a global scale we need to work together, at the intersection of disciplines. The University’s Institute for Risk and Uncertainty can help industry to develop the technology they need, enabling them to address their most critical challenges when confronted with high levels of uncertainty, complexity, change and risk to gain the insight, confidence and capabilities needed to make robust decisions. Industry’s main target is to make profit, but there is also an increasing interest in sharing the risks between companies, society and government. Long-term developments especially benefit from an integrated approach, whereby regulations
Risk and uncertainty: Inquiring Minds // 10
“We have built a unique large pool of methodologies, tools and experience to explore the issues of risk and resilience”
and methods protect both society and industry. As such it is crucial to develop an understanding between the risks and uncertainties of each discipline, as well as the potential The Institute for Risk and Uncertainty is developing consequences and how overall risks can be reduced tools and methodologies to set up such large-scale projects for everybody. It is about making sure all the pieces in such a way that the environmental, societal, financial come together. and engineering risks are minimal and that the benefits The Institute brings a unique mix of disciplines are shared in an optimal way among all parties, including together to develop a cross-cutting understanding of society itself. how to address large-scale problems. Its multidisciplinary “We have built a unique large pool of methodologies, research team includes experts from architecture, engitools and experience to explore the issues of risk and resilneering, environmental sciences, financial and actuarial ience associated with building design, climate analysis, mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering reliability engineering, software reliability, materials science and electronics, economics and finance, social sciences, and much more. We also touch on financial modelling, psychology and law. It possesses uniquely broad expertise develop methods to reduce any socio-political harm and in the area of uncertainties and associated risks in order critical incident management,” says Professor Beer. to quantify, manage and mitigate hazards, risks and their The Institute’s unique software tool for uncertainty consequences in all related areas. quantification, COSSAN-X, can be connected to any Professor Michael Beer, Director of the Institute, kind of analysis, for instance a financial market, but also says: “We are unique in the sense that our research is the dynamical analysis of a mechanical device or a civil set across disciplines. For example, a current project is engineering structure analysis (eg a building or bridge). allocated between engineering, environmental sciences It enables the Institute to quantify the uncertainties and and the Management School to look at the various aspects find the optimal quantities for design variables for a certain involved with setting up nuclear or clean energy projects. product so that it will work with the maximum probability When planning a large, long-term project such as an offeven if there are unforeseen events that could impact on shore wind farm, there is far more to consider than just the use of this device. the technical development. You have to think about the There is a strong interest from industry in introducing potential environmental consequences: what impact does uncertainties in the daily design and technical development the noise, for instance, have on the surrounding birdlife? of products, yet this is not common practice yet. Through Or, can the wind farm cause problems for ships? Imagine an tapping into its broad scope of expertise and disciplines, oil tanker running into a windmill – it would be a disaster. the Institute of Risk and Uncertainty can help industries “And what of the electricity cables? They run under to identify their needs and develop bespoke solutions that the sea and are magnetic; should for whatever reason the nobody else can. It can also develop master degrees in GPS navigation collapse, then these magnetic cables would collaboration with industry, to train and educate people influence a ship’s compass which could cause a deviation who can handle the tools and technologies, so that they of 70 degrees. The ship wouldn’t be able to navigate which can be transferred into industry immediately. could cause major problems. This all needs to be considered before a project is set up. “Furthermore, financial risks associated with the investProfessor Michael Beer is the Director of the Institute for Risk and Uncertainty ment in the projects have to and Professor of Uncertainty in Engineering. His research is in the field of both be considered, not only with probabilistic and non-probabilistic approaches in uncertainty quantification regards to the project initialisain engineering with specific expertise in imprecise probabilities. It possesses tion but, in particular, in view of a multidisciplinary character with ties to mathematics and computer science maintenance costs where most and with applications in civil, mechanical and offshore engineering. of the uncertainty and risk is placed. The Government is challenged to develop regulations that ensure a fair balance of info For more information about benefits and risks among all parties involved. Such complex accessing the Institute’s expertise, visit: problems involve the modelling and analysis of several www.liverpool.ac.uk/risk-and-uncertainty complex networks (technical, social, financial, economic, etc) as well as the interaction between them.”
Criminology: Inquiring Minds // 11
Learning from a criminal past Criminologist Professor Barry Godfrey’s work is drawing valuable lessons for penal policy today by studying the treatment of prisoners stretching back to Victorian times
Dd
ecades spent studying the treatment of dangerous or habitual offenders and the effectiveness of their punishments has taught criminologists that history has a habit of repeating itself and there is much to be learned from the successes and failures of the past. Some of the world’s most influential and respected criminologists work within the University’s School of Law and Social Justice. Members of staff are engaged with current
Criminology: Inquiring Minds // 12
thinking around the management of dangerous offenders, radicalisation and counter-terrorism, as well as providing a critique of orthodox attitudes and behaviours. Their work involves collaboration with partners in risk industries, policing and prison agencies, those involved in influencing public policy, and dealing with the mitigation of harm within society. Professor Barry Godfrey’s research takes him around the world, involves him in major research collaborations and has led to him featuring on popular TV programmes like the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? and Channel 4’s Time Team. During a 20-year career he has worked on projects looking at the treatment of repeat offenders; private policing; violence in society; and sentencing patterns over long periods of time. His study of historical records offers real insight into how society should treat prisoners today. “You can’t identify a trend in sentencing and offending and hope to understand what is happening unless you look at a long run of data,” he says. “My research involves longitudinal studies looking at historical records and data from the
“The same people are going into prison again and again; it is a hopeless enterprise prison is simply like a revolving door” 19th century, right through to the Second World War. Over that period I’m looking to identify whether punishments are getting better or worse, whether or not they’re becoming more severe, and most importantly whether or not they are effective. “Focusing on a 100-year period allows me to gain a perspective of what’s happening and whether or not patterns of change are developing. Why 100 years? Quite simply, because that’s the period for which records exist, in fact we probably know more about prisoners in Victorian times than we do about prisoners today.” However, Professor Godfrey’s work looks beyond just statistics whose recording and reporting is often treated with great scepticism. To allow him to contextualise what’s happening with crime he studies a wide variety of records and private papers, building a picture of policing and policies at any given time.
He says: “By bringing all this information together I can start to build a picture of cause and effect, identifying the things responsible for driving some of the trends appearing. History often has a habit of repeating itself and we should never underestimate the lessons we can learn, both now and in the future, from studying what has happened in the past. “A hundred years ago there were a total of 16,000 people in prison - when we think back we tend to think of ‘the good old days’, a time when we came down hard on crime. However, nowadays we are far more punitive, we are committing people to longer sentences and we are handing out more short-term prison sentences. The result is a prison population that is now over 80,000. This has some major implications.” The first of these is cost. Professor Godfrey’s recent research into prison licences was carried out with Dr Helen Johnson at the University of Hull and investigated the financial cost of locking people up over a period of 100 years. They identified how this budget had risen. Today in this country it costs £40,000 a year to keep someone incarcerated. “The research I conducted in collaboration with colleagues at Hull looked back at Victorian times and how effective the prison licensing system was in reducing the number of people in prison and therefore the cost. Despite the fact that people were being released early from prison, the crime rate remained unaffected. The research we did showed how if you enlarged that system today you could save the country a lot of money.” The second implication to consider is the rate of reform. Today the rate of reform is the same as it was in the Victorian period. “This suggests something’s obviously not working,” says Professor Godfrey. “In this country we have a 90% reoffending rate; this means those coming out of prison haven’t changed. When we send people to prison they often lose their jobs (or any hope of ever getting one), their home, and their relationship with partners and/or children. When they come out of prison these offenders invariably end up committing more crime, simply because they haven’t got any alternative. The same people are going into prison again and again; it is a hopeless enterprise - prison is simply like a revolving door.” The goals of Professor Godfrey’s research are to improve the outcomes for prisoners, ensuring there is a greater chance of resettling them successfully into society. He also wants to demonstrate what can be done to prevent people from committing crime in the first place.
Realise // 13
“In some instances there are offences where restorative justice is going to be more effective. In addition, certain offenders would respond better if we used probation or out of court disposals. Ideally what we really want is to stop people committing crime in the first place; however, that’s probably unrealistic. What we can do though is to intervene early and attempt to use the most effective solutions. The earlier you begin a relationship with the criminal justice system, the longer your relationship is likely to last,” he says. “As criminologists we have a duty to advise the sentencers on what is and what isn’t going to work. If you can cut down on the number of people committing crimes, then you are cutting down on the time and cost of investigating crime, of bringing people to justice, and the cost of keeping them in prison. Most importantly, you are reducing the number of victims, and that’s got to be something that’s good for the whole of society.” This is something that often seems to be lost on the Government, partly because politically, the public generally like to see their politicians talking ‘tough on crime’. “However, if prison is obviously not working effectively for some then we have to work together to look at other ways of helping people live and maintain more productive, law-abiding lives,” says Professor Godfrey. Better Together Developing a strong knowledge base is a great start but little is achieved if people work in isolation. For Professor Godfrey, collaborating with external partners is key. By working with third-sector organisations, the police, the prison service, the magistrates’ association, the Howard League for Penal Reform and other academic colleagues, he can help to effect positive change. “What we as criminologists are trying to do is to find better solutions to the problem of crime. My colleagues and I at Liverpool have developed very strong international links allowing us to expand our research overseas, looking at what has worked and what hasn’t. Our ultimate aim is to question the money being poured into the hole that is the prison system. We need to be in a position where we can provide valid arguments for spending that money more effectively, for example on primary and secondary school education which in the longer term will deliver greater benefits - if you provide people with opportunities they are more likely to turn away from becoming a career criminal.”
Disseminating research findings doesn’t stop at working with those with a direct relationship with the criminal justice system. It is also vital to educate employers, the general public, the media and students. Many people would question the notion of providing better facilities and spending money on criminals, therefore work has to be done helping society to question its attitudes and beliefs. By making better-informed decisions about allocating future investment, society can stop manufacturing criminals and reduce the number of victims. “Don’t get me wrong, some criminals should be locked up for a very long time in order to protect society,” says Professor Godfrey. “However, prison doesn’t work for most people and if we can help those people to get a job and re-knit relationships with their families then we are creating an environment where current and potential criminals don’t want to reoffend.” Professor Barry Godfrey has more than 20 years of experience in researching comparative criminology, particularly international crime history. He has been funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), Wellcome Trust, The Leverhulme Trust, Nuffield Foundation, the British Academy and others.
Tracing the convicted The University of Liverpool is leading a £1.7 million Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project to let people trace Londoners sentenced to imprisonment or transportation from 1787 up to the 1920s when the last convict died. ‘The Digital Panopticon: The Global Impact of London Punishments, 1780-1925’ will use digital technologies to combine existing and new genealogical, biometric and criminal justice datasets held by UK and Australian organisations to produce a searchable website. The project brings together historians, sociologists, criminologists and experts in health from the Universities of Oxford, Sheffield and Sussex and the University of Tasmania in Australia. The four-year project will make it possible to fully explore the impact of different penal punishments on the lives of 66,000 people sentenced at the Old Bailey, highlighting effective approaches. An estimated 12 million people will use the resource over 20 years.
health inequality // 14
Realise // 15
Collective
Cure With so many of the factors affecting health beyond the power of healthcare, only a collaborative approach can hope to tackle inequalities
health inequality // 16
F
or decades, healthcare professionals and politicians have battled to bridge the gap in health status between groups, populations and individuals that results from unequal distribution of social, environmental and economic conditions, and the effect these have on people becoming ill and being able to prevent or treat illness. Despite these efforts, it is an unpalatable truth, and one that is hard to excuse in the 21st century, that a child born in some parts of the North West of England could expect to enjoy a healthy life for 17 years less than another child born just streets away. This is the reality of the health inequality in the region, where the chasm between standards in the richest and poorest wards is at its widest in the UK. It is a problem that can only be addressed by going beyond the health sector to tackle the underlying societal causes of these disparities. Along the North West coast, which has some of the worst health outcomes in the country, but also some of the best, health inequality is the principal challenge in healthcare. The University is at the forefront of a new collaborative initiative that will adopt a revolutionary approach to improving services for all patients, known as the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care North West Coast (NIHR CLAHRC NWC). The NIHR CLAHRC NWC brings together NHS organisations, local authorities and academic leaders from the Universities of Liverpool, Lancaster and Central Lancashire to collaborate on research and implementation projects that will improve public health and quality of care. Its aim is to accelerate the translation of research findings into service improvements,
generate wealth and engage industry, and maximise the potential for applied research within the partner organisations to improve care. The 30 stakeholders will invest £12.5 million, matching a £9 million award from the Department of Health (supported by the National Institute for Health Research) following a successful bidding process against competition from across the country. Head of the Department of Health Services Research at the University of Liverpool, Professor Mark Gabbay is the Director of the CLAHRC NWC, which formally came into being on 1 January 2014 with the initial funding lasting five years. “CLAHRCs are all about applied research that will make a difference to the quality of the patient experience and health,” says Professor Gabbay. “They are geared towards the end result for the patient, not towards the lab. It is about translational research, taking a discovery and seeing how it works in the real clinical or other setting around health. It must be focused on chronic conditions, long-term conditions and public health issues.” Professor Gabbay knows that many before have tried to tackle health inequality, and he himself has previously worked with the Liverpool Health Inequalities Research Institute (LivHIR), which was working in the same field and has now been incorporated into the CLAHRC NWC. “One of the things we were asked during the CLAHRC NWC application process was, ‘People have been trying to change this for 30 years, what makes you think you can do it?’ We are going to try and be different by really making sure
Illustration: Owen Davey
Realise // 17
that it is a team effort, that all the key parties are part of that team and are involved in the work right from the start and therefore have a sense of ownership and control over it. We have set it up this way because we believe it will give us greater credibility and leverage for change, and we believe we will move much more quickly from research to practice if everyone has bought into it from the start,” he says. Where he sees the real difference is in the involvement of seven local authorities, which is a first for a CLAHRC (the first round of CLAHRCs have been running since 2009). “Local authorities can make a difference to many of the social determinants of health like housing, transport and lifestyle, because they have money to spend on things that make a difference to communities. So, while the NHS focuses on the effects, local authorities can do something about the causes,” says Professor Gabbay. The CLAHRC NWC is hosted and partly funded by NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) which will involve the people responsible for commissioning healthcare services. This will help drive the changes when research findings are rolled out, says Professor Gabbay. “This is an underpinning philosophy. Every piece of work will engage stakeholders of public involvement - patients or service users, carers or members of the public from local communities. We will always relate it back to what it feels like as a service user. And this isn’t just as a token, this isn’t going to be a bunch of university people saying, ‘Do it this way,’ it will be a true collaboration from the beginning. We believe that knowledge exchange is fundamental to making it work, so we are using the knowledge from the consumer and the people
delivering the services and the academics.” The consequences of not engaging the right people can be wasted money and a widening of the health equality gap. Targeting the people who actually need the help is complicated. As an example, developing technology to help with health problems can easily exclude less affluent patients who can’t afford the smart phone to access a new app or can’t afford to travel to a specialist centre to access treatment from a new piece of equipment. Professor Gabbay says: “We will consider how we make these things accessible no matter where or who you are. If we are developing pieces of equipment we will think of the widest possible application and the most people who can benefit.” So how will the CLAHRC NWC actually work? A management group has been meeting on a monthly basis for almost six months and stakeholder meetings began in January when the meeting on advances in implementation was attended by over 80 colleagues. A Steering Board of around 15 people has been established and will be responsible for giving the go-ahead to any piece of work. This Steering Board will meet at the next stakeholder event at the end of March. The sort of work that could be undertaken might develop a tool for selecting drugs in multiple medication scenarios, develop technology that can find biomarkers, or tools which make independent living easier, or could target specific groups like adolescents shifting from paediatric to adult care, or those needing complex home or community care. Professor Gabbay says: “One of the first tasks will be the development of an ‘equity lens’
health inequality // 18
to consider how proposed interventions will impact upon all communities and also to closely monitor the consistency and effectiveness of service delivery and consequent outcomes. It will be co-developed with our partners and can be used by local authorities and their public health teams. All sorts of policy can impact on health, like housing and education. This will help us to think about the health impacts of our choices. The equity lens can be adapted to use when people are commissioning healthcare or considering research. This hasn’t been done before, so, when we develop it, it can be shared with other CLAHRCs. “The other area where work can begin is in evidence synthesis. This is a strength in this region, with groups specialising in examining the world literature on a particular research area, testing the published research against a set of criteria, summarising and publishing it. They have come together around the CLAHRC NWC and when a question arises the first thing we will do is find out what we already know so we can apply that. We do not need to re-invent the wheel.” The CLAHRC NWC is split into six themes, which are outlined on page 19, and partners will have to consider if the piece of work they want to do will fit within one of these themes. There will be staff that can help design the work to answer their question and then help develop a proposal and provide academic expertise before taking it to the Steering Board, which will decide if it proceeds. It is hoped that one of the outcomes of the initiative will be to permanently improve capacity
“We are going to try to be different, by making it a team effort” in the region’s local authorities and NHS for carrying out this kind of work, leaving a legacy of people who have benefited from collaborative working, secondments, mentoring, bursaries and knowledge exchange to continue the work beyond the five years of the CLAHRC NWC. Five years will never be long enough to demonstrate the success of the CLAHRC NWC in terms of health inequality as measured by healthy life expectancy, but certain proxy measures will be chosen and monitored to show if the right things are in place to make a long-term difference. Even
Realise // 19
For more information visit: info
www.clahrc-nwc.nihr.ac.uk
CLAHRC NWC themes The CLAHRC NWC is split into six themes with the first two overarching the whole project:
these measures will be developed in conjunction with patients by asking what it is they would like to improve. Successful industrial engagement is an important priority and each project will be required to assess opportunities for industrial collaboration. Opportunities are expected to arise in the pharmaceutical and personalised medicine fields and in integrated care innovations. “We want to know from potential investors and companies linked to health and wellbeing how they want to work with partners and what partners can do for them,” says Professor Gabbay. “We’ve got this great multidisciplinary team with engineers, lab scientists, psychologists and sociologists, as well as the people who talk to patients and the people who understand how the health service is designed. Hopefully, they will want to come to us to tap into that knowledge because they will know that when their new technology comes to market, it will be what people want and will deliver what people need.” Embarking on a five-year journey with such lofty ambitions is daunting but exciting, says Professor Gabbay. “Trying to get common and shared understanding and enthusiasm from different groups is not to be underestimated, but if we can achieve it, that in itself is a really important outcome. If we engage with communities who feel we have listened to them and done things that matter to them, I think we can be very happy with that. This approach can reduce the time it takes for research findings to become common practice and can bring tangible, immediate and important changes.”
✱✱ Evidence Synthesis and Effective Implementation ✱✱ Engagement, Exchange and Effective Implementation ✱✱ Improving Public Health and Reducing Health Inequalities ✱✱ Improving Mental Health ✱✱ Managing Complex Needs ✱✱ Delivering Personalised Healthcare. Evidence Synthesis and Effective Implementation will ensure there is the best use of available evidence to meet the needs of the themes and members while the second theme concentrates on maximising the engagement of knowledge exchange with stakeholders to drive the programme of research and implementation to effect real step changes in health and care. Theme 3 will particularly involve working with local authorities and neighbourhoods. Theme 4 is concerned with reducing the burden of mental ill health by effective interventions involving the NHS, local authorities and the third sector. Theme 5 is about enhancing the ability of primary and secondary healthcare providers to address the complex needs of people with chronic conditions. Theme 6 is concerned with delivering personalised health and care interventions meeting the challenge of individual variability through innovation.
The big picture // 20
0
10 20 Millimeters
Realise // 21
This tiny contact lens could save your sight An innovative lens fitted with pressure sensors could offer new hope for glaucoma sufferers Packed into this miniscule contact lens is technology that could herald a major leap forward in the management of glaucoma, by measuring changes in internal eye pressure. The lens – developed by the University in conjunction with Ultravision – has tiny sensors that measure the resistance exerted on the cornea by the internal pressure of the eyeball when the wearer blinks. Lead academic Professor Ahmed Elsheikh explains: “The sensor is powered magnetically and transfers data to a pair of glasses with a magnetic coil connected to a pocket-sized device, which stores the pressure data over a 24-hour period. “Glaucoma, which can lead to blindness, is a group of diseases that damage the eye’s optic nerve. The damage is most commonly caused by raised pressure inside the eye, which can be managed with medication. The new lens will allow a longer analysis and more accurate measurement of the pressure allowing clinicians to determine the correct treatment. It has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research and initial test results from a prototype have been very promising.”
polyphotonix // 22
See the light
Richard Kirk introduces printed electronics pioneer PolyPhotonix and explains how he has his sights set firmly on success with help from the University of Liverpool
What is PolyPhotonix and what is your role within the organisation? I am CEO of a company that has many strings to its bow. Most of the people that work here have doctorates, so there is a lot of skill within the company. We are primarily a high-tech research and development company, and most of our staff are either physicists or chemists. The
work we do is broadly in the area of printed electronics, which is a fairly new technology. Our main focus is organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), which are commonly used in mobile phones; however, we use this technology to make lighting. As well as printed electronics, we also work on medical development projects. One of our main partners in this area is
the University of Liverpool. We work with Liverpool’s biologists, giving us the full complement of scientific know-how to progress these projects. How did you come to partner with the University of Liverpool? To advance what we are doing we needed to seek partners. The University of Liverpool
polyphotonix // 23
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Left: The PolyPhotonix laboratory based at the Centre for Process Innovation. Below and below left: One of their OLED products at the testing stage
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, supported by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), promotes academic and commercial collaborations. Offering businesses the opportunity to work in partnership with an academic institution and a KTP Associate who is a recently qualified graduate, companies are able to obtain knowledge and expertise they lack to exploit new technologies and innovations. PolyPhotonix used this programme to support the OLEDs study. The key benefits for the company were:
has recognised skills, expertise and credibility, which are really important to us. Although we are credible scientists, we have no experience in the medical field. The University has brought this strength, which is essential when you have commercial aspirations like we do. We appreciate how important our relationships are with universities, so we channel a lot of the funds we raise back into their research projects. Can you tell us a little more about the 12-month testing protocol on OLEDs you did with the University of Liverpool? The study involved looking at the impact of certain wavelengths on the body, using OLEDs as the light source. The results of the study fell in line with our expectations, and considering what we did was pioneering, we were really happy with this result.
What are the benefits of your partnership with the University of Liverpool? It goes back to Liverpool’s credibility. If we have a medical development project we always turn to Liverpool, they have so much expertise in that area. When we work with Professor Simon Harding’s team from the University’s Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, we know we are working with star quality. Professor Harding is a recognised, world-class individual and working with him is both a pleasure and a privilege. What are your plans for the future of PolyPhotonix? Things are going very well and that’s important as a lot of start-ups succumb to the valley of death – a funding issue in the area of science. If you are too small, you traditionally fall under the radar of large-scale funding, but you are too big for the venture capitalists. Despite the Government saying that more money needs to be invested in manufacturing, that isn’t chiming with investors, especially banks.
✱✱ Development, implementation and embedding of biological and cellular testing capabilities with the company ✱✱ Increasing staff knowledge and understanding of these capabilities to enable effective engagement with clinicians, patient groups and future trial partners ✱✱ Creation of a pathway for a new medical device to be developed from the concept to commercialisation ✱✱ Establishment of academic and clinical credibility through the partnership ✱✱ Building an ongoing dialogue between the University and PolyPhotonix for future collaboration.
So it is really difficult to get money, but thankfully PolyPhotonix is over that now, which means we can start to make more solid plans for the future. The work that the University has done has been crucial for our first product release, which hopefully will start to enter the public domain in the coming months. We intend to build on that, capitalise on it and become a substantial business on the back of it.
partner profile // 24
The Serious Business of Innovation With Enterprise Zones at the centre of Government plans to give the UK a competitive edge, John Leake, Business Development Manager for Sci-Tech Daresbury, tells Realise how partnering with the University on its worldclass scientific research is boosting business
What is Sci-Tech Daresbury? Sci-Tech Daresbury, which launched in 2006, is one of two National Science and Innovation Campuses in the UK. The flagship Enterprise Zone site is situated between Liverpool and Manchester and run by a joint-venture company comprising developer Langtree, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and Halton Borough Council. Widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading centres for innovation and business, Daresbury is a location where globally significant research has been taking place for more than half a century and the site has developed an international reputation for scientific excellence. Just over 10 years ago, the site’s operating model evolved and we began to focus our attention on attracting high-tech companies to the site. Our vision was to create a location where high-tech businesses and world-leading scientific research could operate side-by-side, creating synergies
through collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships. The site’s culture of open innovation and collaboration is one which we believe plays a significant role in the success of the companies based here. Our focus on dynamic enterprise coupled with world-leading science and technological innovation is an unbeatable combination and we now have about 500 scientists on site and around 500 people working in high-tech businesses. The scale of companies ranges from start-up businesses to large corporates such as IBM, Perkin Elmer and Lockheed Martin. Which research areas does Daresbury really excel in? We are renowned for two main areas: accelerator science and high-performance computing. Within accelerator science we have three prototyping or test facilities that are developing accelerator technology into new applications. One of our facilities is
Realise // 25
looking at the use of synchrotron light to more effectively identify cancer in various parts of the body, and another is developing technology which could in time be applied to proton therapy units treating cancer. On the high-performance computing front, we have one of the world’s largest supercomputers dedicated to software development. It is also the most powerful supercomputer in the UK. Researchers are working on advanced modelling and simulation in a variety of different areas, as this technology has applications in almost every area of our lives. In particular, there is a focus on the automobile and aerospace industries. For example, we are working with the University of Liverpool (through their Virtual Engineering Centre), Bentley Motors and a number of SMEs to develop advanced models of the interior of the Bentley cars of the future. Chancellor George Osborne recently described projects like Daresbury as ‘crucial’ to boosting the UK economy. Why are research clusters and Enterprise Zones so important? Clusters create a physical environment that allows people within organisations to rub shoulders and connect with other innovators in a relaxed setting, which is conducive to developing connections. This helps them to develop a better understanding of different topics and build relationships with organisations that they wouldn’t normally come into contact with. By co-locating scientists and entrepreneurs we increase the chances of collaboration. This also creates a cultural shift, which gives both parties valuable insight into the respective merits of what each side does and the synergies and support which could be gained by working collaboratively. Can you tell us more about your relationship with the University of Liverpool? The University of Liverpool has been working with us on campus for many years. Today, it has a variety of activities taking
place on site. There are University scientists that spend most or all of their time on our campus, particularly in facilities like the Virtual Engineering Centre, the Cockcroft Institute and the SuperSTEM facility. The University brings its expertise and capabilities to the development of new science, especially around high-performance computing, virtual engineering and accelerator science. The University has been one of Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Gold Partners for the past two years. This partnership has enabled the University to work closely with companies, understanding their needs and identifying opportunities to collaborate, in particular accessing relevant expertise and key technical facilities based at the University. How do both parties benefit from this approach? Knowledge exchange is key, with both parties seeking to make the most of the knowledge and skills they have to offer one another. Companies at Sci-Tech Daresbury get essential access to expertise and facilities that allow them to innovate and grow, while the University benefits from the companies’ understanding of the needs of the market and how particular technologies can be applied. What are the ambitions for the future of the company? We plan to grow Sci-Tech Daresbury developing a further one million square feet of world-class scientific and business facilities to accommodate 10-15,000 people over the next 20-25 years. This will require several hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and the Enterprise Zone status that Sci-Tech Daresbury secured from 2012 will be key in supporting this expansion. Working in collaboration with the University of Liverpool is key to us, both in terms of helping to attract companies to the campus and in supporting the growth of these businesses, often globally, as they carry out and commercialise further innovation.
case study // 26
Alzheimer’s breakthrough The University and Callaghan Innovation are leading the
way in preventing Alzheimer’s disease
Realise // 27
The Brief More than 400,000 people in the UK, and some 25,000 in New Zealand, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 50% of dementia sufferers. The cost to the UK economy is £23 billion per annum - more than the cost of cancer and heart disease combined. In New Zealand, deaths from Alzheimer’s disease increased by 346% between 1990 and 2010. Current treatments for dementia The Results can help with symptoms, but cannot slow or stop This project has been a breakthrough in developthe underlying disease. ing a new chemical approach to make complex Callaghan Innovation is an advanced technolsugars, which could provide the basis for the development of a safe drug to treat a devastating ogy institute, funded by the New Zealand governillness. The benefit to the University has been ment to support research and innovation, and in the expansion of its efforts to develop heparinparticular, its commercialisation. It links businesses based drugs for a number of diseases including with research organisations, as well as operating its neurodegeneration, cancer and spinal cord injury, own extensive science, engineering and technology through the availability of chemically synthesised laboratories and specialist equipment. compounds for the first time. For Callaghan InnoThe Project vation, it has provided access to new targets and Finding targets for effective new treatments for assays to expand the portfolio of applications for Alzheimer’s is a major goal for researchers across its unique world-leading carbohydrate chemistry. the world. Scientists at the University of Liverpool The teams are now working together to obtain discovered that a family of long chain sugars, further funding to continue the work, and transcalled heparan sulphates (HS), which are found late their current preclinical studies ultimately in nearly every cell of the body, can inhibit an into clinical trials and commercialisation of novel enzyme called BACE. BACE causes the formation drugs in the future. of small proteins that form ‘amyloid’ clumps in the brain, which lead to progressive memory loss. Partners Callaghan Innovation Despite considerable efforts by drug companies, Activity type Collaborative research BACE had proved to be a difficult enzyme to block. Academic lead Professor Jerry Turnbull, Callaghan Innovation had developed expertise Head of Molecular Glycobiology Research Group, on synthesis of sugars of this type, based on the Institute of Integrative Biology blood-thinning drug heparin, and was looking Supported by Biotechnology and Biological for a partner to generate new drugs. Colleagues at Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Callaghan Innovation used their expertise to develop Council, Alzheimer’s Research UK and New a chemical approach to synthesise the natural sugars Zealand Government research grants needed by the Liverpool team to block the action of BACE. Improved versions of these chemically synthesised compounds are being developed and tested with additional funding from Alzheimer’s Research UK. Liverpool’s Institute of Integrative Biology is the UK’s first integrative biology centre bringing together the full range of biosciences. The Glycoscience Research Group focuses on the structure and function of complex sugars - ‘glycans’ - in health and disease. Glycans regulate many of the key functions that impact on human health, so their study will have major consequences for our understanding of the organisation and regulation of cells and tissues, disease processes and new treatments.
“We have developed new compounds which will now be tested to identify those with the best activity and fewest possible side effects, as these have potential for development into a drug treatment that targets the underlying cause of this disease.”
Dr Peter Tyler, Callaghan Innovation
case study // 28
Jaguar Land Rover The University’s Virtual Engineering Centre helped Jaguar Land Rover
develop quicker, cheaper, standardised procedures for safety analysis
Realise // 29
The Brief Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest car manufacturer with a rich heritage and powerful consumer appeal and loyalty. The automotive sector is highly competitive with short product development times, and Jaguar Land Rover is acknowledged as a leading organisation for incorporating the latest and best technologies to achieve the global market requirements and standards. Jaguar Land Rover and the University’s Virtual Engineering Centre combined their expertise and skills in the development of scientific workflows, By accessing HPC facilities, Jaguar Land Rover enabling them to improve their modelling and achieved a tenfold increase in the investigated simulation processes in order to meet increasingly complex scenarios, using the Virtual Engineering higher safety standards for vehicles. Centre’s access to more than three million corehours on the Hartree Centre’s computing clusters. The Project Tailored numerical methods for optimisation led to Jaguar Land Rover continuously seeks to improve improved designs, significantly reducing developits development processes and product performent time from weeks to a timescale of several days. mances. Accessing the expertise of the Virtual Engineering Centre led to the development of a Partners Jaguar Land Rover computer-aided engineering (CAE) process for Activity type Collaborative research maximising vehicle performances, supporting Academic lead Dr Georgia Georgiou Jaguar’s future designs to be assessed in days (Engineering/Virtual Engineering Centre) rather than weeks normally taken. The Virtual Supported by Hartree Centre, Science and Engineering Centre provides a focal point for leadTechnology Facilities Council, Daresbury ing and emergent virtual engineering technology, Laboratory research and expertise, and enables improved business performance and competitiveness info For more information visit: through virtual engineering tools. www.virtualengineeringcentre.com A key enabler was the Centre’s seamless access to the UK’s largest supercomputing facilities provided by the Hartree Centre, also based at the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Daresbury Laboratory. Using its high-performance computing (HPC) resources, the Centre created and tested hundreds of design variants, invoking powerful modelling tools through automatic procedures and allowing an extensive exploration of the design space and vehicle’s performance. Regression techniques, implemented by the University of Liverpool, were used in optimisation workflows, leading to the most optimal design. The generic nature of the developed CAE process enables its rapid implementation for different vehicles, standardising the procedure for safety analyses and reducing costs as well as time to market.
“The Virtual Engineering Centre provides access to unique and outstanding facilities. Their experts and the work they did for Jaguar Land Rover was excellent and of a high quality.”
The results The project resulted in a robust methodology for associating virtual product design and simulation data and a platform to automatically create finite element models of vehicles for pedestrian safety and structural stiffness load cases, reducing the iterations needed for virtual designs and analyses.
Dr Tayeb Zeguer, Multidisciplinary optimisation (MDO), safety and advanced CAE, Jaguar Land Rover
case study // 30
The AHRC Cultural Engagement Fund Funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council has given four early
career researchers the opportunity to collaborate with a cultural organisation
Realise // 31
The Brief The Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Cultural Engagement Fund has supported recently completed arts and humanities PhD students undertaking three-month projects with local, creative-sector SMEs or public- and third-sector cultural organisations. The University of Liverpool was one of 45 universities to receive funding from the project, which strove to cultivate significant collaboration between research and practice. The Curator of Archaeology universities and cultural organisations, support organised a new public display and more than 700 the engagement of university arts and humanities people visited the NML’s World Museum’s interacacademic staff, and provide early career researchers tive events. Research from Hallé’s archives was used with the opportunity to gain experience and develop in a virtual exhibition, launched to coincide with the a wide range of skills for their future careers in which Manchester International Festival. The exhibition research partnerships will be essential. is now permanently hosted on the Hallé website, thus boosting the profile of Hallé. In addition to a The Project two-day conference for academics and practitionThe Cultural Engagement Fund facilitated four colers from a variety of disciplines, the final project resulted in the publication of an independent report laborative projects at the University of Liverpool, all and the development of free online teaching materiof which strengthened the University’s relationships with regional cultural organisations. als. The early career researchers involved in each The first project, ‘Beyond Constructivism: Rethinkproject have stressed that the skills and experience they have acquired will be invaluable to their profesing Gallery Education’, brought academic researchers from the University’s Centre for Architecture and the sional development. Visual Arts together with gallery professionals from The University of Liverpool also organised and Tate Liverpool to discuss current theories in gallery hosted a showcase event to celebrate, review and education and public engagement. learn from the Cultural Engagement Fund projects In the second project, ‘Sorting Through the that took place across the UK in 2013. The University Stones’, links were established between the Departproposed the event to provide further opportunities for the associates and cultural partners to share research ment of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology and findings and to develop ideas for future collaboraNational Museums Liverpool (NML). A Curator of Archaeology was appointed at the NML’s World tion. The event succeeded in delivering a national Museum with the aim of raising public awareness forum for sharing best practice and for enhancing and knowledge of archaeological artefacts through the development of research projects. the creation of a new archaeological display, a series of interactive events and the use of social media. Partners Tate Liverpool, FACT, Bluecoat, In the third project, the archives of the Manchester Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Manchester Hallé Orchestra contained a valuable but under-utiHallé Orchestra, National Museums Liverpool, lised collection of documents about Hallé’s history. As Liverpool Biennial part of ‘Music, Repertoire and Value: Popular Concerts Activity type Collaborative research at the Hallé’, the Institute of Popular Music and the Academic leads Dr Richard Koeck, Director, Centre Department of History conducted research into the for Architecture and the Visual Arts; Professor John archives to engage scholarly and public interest. Gowlett and Professor Larry Barham (Archaeology, The final project, ‘Patterns of Thought: Art and Classics and Egyptology); Professor Sara Cohen, Philosophy for Children and Families’, evaluated Director of Research (Music); Dr Giles Hooper, and built on workshops run by the Department of Head (Music); Dr Margaret Procter, Director of Philosophy during the recent Liverpool Biennial to the Master of Archives and Records Management generate new strategies and resources for teaching (History); Dr Panayiota Vassilopoulou and Dr Daniel philosophy of art to children and families within Whistler (Philosophy). gallery spaces and museums. Supported by Arts and Humanities Research Council The Results Alongside a DVD showcasing the main discussion themes, the first project produced a working paper with a set of recommendations for further work in
Realise // 33
A Place for
Policy and
Practice The Heseltine Institute of Public Policy and Practice promises decision-makers an experienced and authoritative source of evidence and fresh ideas
G
iven his political hinterland, Michael Heseltine always seemed an unlikely champion for Liverpool, but his relationship with the city and his work in regional revival, especially in the North West, can be traced back to the early 1980s. Starting with the establishment of government offices in the regions and more recently with the publication of Rebalancing Britain, a report he co-authored with Sir Terry Leahy which studied the potential for growth and job creation in Liverpool, Lord Heseltine has always been committed to giving cities greater powers to shape their own futures. Later in 2012, he was granted the Freedom of Liverpool and at the end of 2013, his work was further recognised by the University with the launch of the Heseltine Institute for Public Policy and Practice. The Institute combines excellent policy research with an engaged approach to deliver projects that have real impact giving clear policy direction, practical solutions and space to think differently. It brings together interdisciplinary research from across the University to address global policy challenges in new ways. Projects are co-designed and co-produced with external partners. Professor Alan Harding, Director of the Institute, says: “Lord Heseltine has set out a challenging agenda which
sees the success and sustainability of our major provincial cities as key to economic rebalancing and the UK’s future competitiveness. We are delighted the institute that bears his name will focus the University’s considerable expertise on how those aspirations are realised in practice.” Lord Heseltine believes it is critical that universities seize the opportunity to define the future policy agenda to help unleash the energy of the UK’s cities, especially during these straitened times. “The University must offer inventive and useful solutions which are vital in a climate of austerity, economic recovery and profound societal change,” he says. Academics involved in the Institute bring together key strengths in Economy, Health and Wellbeing, Society, Governance, Environment and Technology giving policymakers and practitioners an experienced and authoritative source of evidence and fresh ideas. The Institute works with organisations in the city, nationally and internationally, providing research programmes, consultancy and learning options that seek to build prosperous and sustainable futures for places. Combining expertise from across these areas enables the Institute to consider complex questions like: why are some cities pulling away from the rest, how can we make communities more resilient, what will rural areas look like as cities seek to grow and yet become more sustainable, and how best can we harness the power of new technology? Across the globe, long-term economic and political processes are driving differentiation at every conceivable scale – international, national, sub-national and intra-city. These processes are giving cities like Liverpool and their regions greater responsibility for their own futures. We can view this as a threat or an opportunity but what is certain is that the challenges of lasting economic recovery, sustainable living or lifelong health and wellbeing cannot be overcome by a ‘business as usual’ approach. If they are to be managed for the benefit of places, we need to understand the mechanisms that produce them and then think carefully and creatively about how we can influence them. Overleaf we outline some of the Institute’s current work with public, commercial and third-sector partners into still largely unchartered areas of policy investigation. What connects them is a common concern to find and create better places.
Realise // 34
Success and sustainability in KEY sectors
Economy
Led by: Alan Harding, Professor of Public Policy Alan has played a prominent role in rethinking the relationship between urban and regional policy, governance and the role of key urban centres in the national and global economy. “Globally, we see evidence of a group of cities outperforming the rest and managing their transition from industrial to ‘knowledge-based’ economies better. In the UK, differences within cities are stretching and disparities between places are growing. Governments have pledged to rebalance economic activity but have struggled as the causes are interrelated. Two alternative and opposing schools have dominated public policy and debate. The first emphasises the importance of agglomeration economies, citing the benefits that arise when businesses locate close to one another. It says rather than ‘bucking the market’, public policies should react to problems generated by economic growth and facilitate labour mobility to economic ‘hotspots’. The second has critically analysed this approach, challenging the idea that growing disparities are ‘natural’ and saying ‘the state’ can influence more. The Heseltine Institute feels that we must move beyond these competing perspectives. By focusing on a number of specific examples of ‘urban massification’ (the selective process of asset development that lies at the heart of divergences in the performances of city economies) and engaging with decision-makers, we can offer a more dynamic account and define the role of public policy.”
Health and Wellbeing
Led by: Rhiannon Corcoran, Professor of Psychology Rhiannon’s work focuses on the psychological determinants of mental health. “One of the biggest challenges facing UK cities is the worsening impact of mental and physical health inequalities, which has been exacerbated by the economic downturn, and how to help communities prepare for this problem. According to recent surveys, it is a question which looms particularly large for Liverpool. The government’s 2011 Marmot Review, Fair Society, Healthy Lives outlined six policy objectives to reduce inequalities, and the Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group has focused its strategy on building ‘resilient communities’. Our approach to urban planning has been dominated by highway engineering and architectural aesthetics, but nurturing prosocial communities will mean redefining our understanding of good design so that it improves the wellbeing of people and communities. Our Prosocial Place Programme is an action research initiative to promote best practice and community cooperation. It aims to provide guidance for the design of new developments and regeneration programmes, and to create urban places that encourage and nurture prosocial activites and engagements. By putting people first, we can help foster long-term resilience within communities and avoid the creation of the kind of urban environments that become our future toxic assets.”
Society
Led by: Alex Balch, Dr of Politics Alex has published extensively on the development of immigration policies in the UK, Spain and the EU. “Few would argue that immigration has become one of the key political issues of our time. In the UK it regularly tops the lists of voter concerns. Despite this sustained political focus, the issue regularly gets governments into deep water. The main challenges and priorities for UK immigration policy depend entirely on where we sit. Opinion polls show the majority of the general public want to reduce immigration. But this is easier said than done because of the scale of international movement, globally connected markets and supply chains and labour market needs. For immigrants and those championing their interests, the challenge is to mitigate the often cruel and irrational outcomes of policies. Ultimately, immigration policy is not merely a question of process, implementation and presentation: it raises deeper questions about who we are, and how others see us. The role of the Heseltine Institute is to enable research that develops new ways of thinking about immigration, and provide space for different sides to meet. By doing this we can begin to address the cycle of policy failure and reduce the toxicity of public and political debates. Much of our research is rightsbased and stands in stark contrast to the currency of much public debate. Our work can help to challenge prevailing assumptions and highlight the real-life policy impacts.”
Environment
Led by: Malcolm Bennett, Professor of Veterinary Pathology Malcolm’s work focuses on infectious and wildlife diseases, tackling them by bringing together human and animal health, biodiversity, sustainability and environmental wellbeing. He is concerned with the future of rural areas as cities grow, especially balancing the need for food production with biodiversity, the countryside as an escape for urban dwellers and a dynamic rural economy. “The challenge is that with rural policies, even more than for urban, interventions into what appear to be single-issue problems can have multiple knock-on consequences. There are also complex relations between local and national governance, and rural and urban areas. Questions need to be asked about what, and whom, the rural environment is for: who owns it and who governs it? The patterns of exchange and interdependence between urban communities and their rural hinterland are themselves dynamic and changing. If the challenges facing UK policy makers are complex, they are nothing compared with those countries facing rapid urbanisation. If we are to have greater impact and improve policy, research and debate about rurality and rural issues, we must move beyond disciplinary academic silos. The Heseltine Institute is an important space – bringing academics from different backgrounds and disciplines together, and providing a forum for the wider community. If we are genuinely committed to delivering a fair, prosperous and sustainable future, we cannot afford to see rural policy as an (almost literally) marginal pursuit, subordinate to urban challenges.”
Governance
Led by: Laura McAllister, Professor of Governance Laura researches devolution and constitutional change, gender and politics and political scrutiny. Having worked on the development of devolution in Wales, her focus has been on capacity constraints and how they affect mature devolved politics. “As a member of the Richard Commission, I helped produce a seminal report setting out what some believe will be the definitive statement on workable devolution. There is now another UK Commission on Devolution, the Silk Commission, covering capacity of devolved parliaments and what they need to fulfil their responsibilities. The work of the Heseltine Institute will focus on the key challenges of capacity and the equally important area of lesson learning. In the Welsh Assembly, its size, in our view, is the single most critical material factor that prevents the maturing of the Welsh state. Using new comparative research, we hope to stimulate further debate on numbers and also its relevance to public perceptions of democracy and their political representatives to develop a clearer idea of the optimum number. This ongoing research has huge potential for transferability and far wider public policy relevance. We are, therefore, extending our work on Welsh devolution, via the Heseltine Institute, into a broader governance and democracy framework that applies to the UK and beyond.”
Technology
Led by: Simon Maskell, Professor of Autonomous Systems Simon’s research covers all aspects of analysing ‘Big Data’ to improve decisionmaking in difficult scenarios. “Historically the programming of clusters of computers was computer scientists’ domain. But Hadoop and other Big Data platforms have relegated the network engineer to the back office and elevated the data scientist’s status. Hadoop lets you write software to analyse data and submit the job to a cluster, overcoming the entry barrier and meaning Big Data is full of opportunities and challenges. There are numerous accessible datasets that can be viewed as under-exploited for commercial gain such as social media, mobile phones and malware. In the past, everyone’s data was submerged in the sea of everyone else’s data. Now the tide has turned and it is the enormity of the datasets that makes them such an appealing asset. As we ask how we may exploit the opportunities of Big Data for policy and commercial applications, we cannot afford to overlook the implications it carries for how we educate the population and how we legislate to protect individuals. The Institute is developing tools to highlight emergent memes in social media, improving the analysis of geospatial data from mobile devices, and enhancing our ability to understand malware. We want to contribute thinking about policy and ethical principles to underpin Big Data’s use.”
What we can offer Evidence and new perspectives: Continuously looking for new research opportunities Problem solving: Policy advice to individual organisations and consortia through tailored research projects and evaluations, and bespoke ‘stimulus’ sessions for boards Learning options: An informed and specialised approach to continuous professional development Space to think differently: Events offering access to new networks and perspectives
Viewpoint: Alan Welby
Thinking big The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is making the most of its relationship with the University of Liverpool to ensure that the city region continues on its upward trajectory. Executive Director, Alan Welby, outlines some of these future plans
Realise // 37
I
n recent years, government has given greater autonomy to local authorities, encouraging them to invest more in their local communities and helping regions to prosper. Liverpool has very much embraced this. Here at the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), we work with our members and partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors to grow and develop the economy in Liverpool City Region for the greater good of the city, its people and UK plc as a whole. Part of supporting the growth of the economy and getting people into work comes from generating investments and spearheading transformational changes that help to make a big difference. Here at the LEP we are currently focusing on the development of four key areas, and these are areas that we feel will deliver the biggest benefits for the city region. We currently have an estimated 19,000 too few companies and to bring us in line with the national average, we need to focus on attracting businesses and investment. Step changes The four key areas we are focusing on are: the Knowledge Economy, the Visitor Economy, Low Carbon and the creation of a new SUPERPORT. A huge amount of money has been invested in Liverpool over the past 20 years and this has been responsible for increasing the amount of business and tourism coming into the city region - this is something we need to continue to build upon. As well as focusing on local priorities, we also take a much wider view. In areas such as supporting the low-carbon agenda, we are currently looking into how we can support offshore renewables and the regeneration of energy, right through to hydrogen networks. In terms of SUPERPORT, Liverpool is striving to position itself as the port of the north. Currently, Peel Ports estimate that some 91% of containers coming into the UK come through the South East, with almost half of that cargo destined for customers in the north. With the investment going into the development of the port, opening up its capacity to deal with larger ships, Liverpool will be able to help tackle issues of cost, carbon emissions and congestion.
Developing the Knowledge Economy is vital and within the city region the University of Liverpool makes a huge contribution. It alone is responsible for attracting 36,000 students and 5,500 staff from around 132 countries, and it has a long and distinguished track record of working with and supporting local businesses. It helps to link the city region with countries like China, India and the USA through its research collaborations and overseas campuses. The University helps to give the city region a competitive advantage - whether that be in research and development, innovation or in developing a niche. Thanks to the knowledge, expertise and know-how that exist within the University, working in partnership with it can really help us to capitalise on our prospects. Working in partnership Our relationship with the University is vital, not only for the success of developing our Knowledge Economy but also for the success of all four of the areas we are focusing on to take the city region forward. The University is at the centre of the city’s economy, it has a wealth of expertise and is certainly responsible for helping attract companies to the region. Our partnership with the University has recently helped us launch the Stepping Stones project. Graduate employment is obviously a huge concern across the country and we jointly felt that we needed to do something. Stepping Stones organises placements for University graduates within local organisations. Not only does the scheme help students into a work environment, and get some of the vital experience they need, but the businesses concerned benefit from the knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm that the students bring. The University acts as a magnet for the brightest and the best. Its expertise and facilities have helped create an organisation that is brimming with opportunities and we are happy to be working in partnership with the University and other partners throughout the city region. Alan Welby is the Executive Director of the Liverpool City Region LEP. He works with the public, private and voluntary sectors to grow and develop the economy in Liverpool and get more people into work.
in brief // 38
University to establish Microbiorefinery facility
£7.5M for health protection research
T
A
state-of-the-art Microbiorefinery (MBR) is to be established by the University of Liverpool to develop the next generation of sustainable chemicals for use in the manufacture of materials, plastics, solvents and pharmaceuticals. Fossil fuel sources currently provide the basis for the majority of chemicals used by industry, but decreasing supplies and environmental considerations mean there is a growing requirement for renewable and sustainable sources for raw materials. The new facility, in collaboration with Unilever, will give a huge boost to our quest to find new bio-derived organic and sustainable chemicals that have commercial application. It will be available for large industry, researchers or start-up companies to use on an open access basis.
he National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has awarded the University more than £7.5 million in funding to establish two Health Protection Research Units (HPRU) in partnership with Public Health England and other institutions. One HPRU will be in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, in collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Emerging infections present significant challenges to human health. The HPRU will explore new ways of detecting and characterising pathogens, for example those which cause brain infection. The Unit will also develop novel surveillance and epidemiological approaches, and improve our understanding of disease transmission and the effect of climate change on this. The other HPRU will focus on Gastrointestinal Infections, in partnership with the Universities of East Anglia and Oxford, and the Institute of Food Research. Diarrhoeal diseases disrupt lives, with up to 17 million people affected annually. The Unit will integrate natural science and social science methodologies to work out how best to control diarrhoeal diseases. Chief Medical Officer Professor, Dame Sally Davies said: “These partnerships will bring together research from academia and Public Health England and will have a significant impact on the health of the population.”
Realise // 39
Help needed to build historic record of major Indian cities
New consumer data research centre
T
he University of Liverpool is part of a multi-million pound research consortium that will analyse the large amount of consumer data generated by the retail sector. The Consumer Data Research Centre aims to create national resources in reusing data that is routinely collected by business and local government organisations. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Centre is led by University College London and also involves the University of Oxford. It will unlock valuable insight about consumer behaviour from the vast amounts of data collected by retailers, drawing on Liverpool’s expertise in applied spatial analysis and geographic data science.
R
esearchers at Liverpool are investigating how Indian cities have acted as a cultural gateway to the rest of the world over the centuries. The research team, in collaboration with Jadavpur University, are looking for people living in Goa, Kolkata, Pondicherry and Chandigarh to submit historic and modern photographs, paintings and maps to help them build a record of the levels of cultural interaction these cities have had with the outside world since the 16th century. The project, called Envisioning the Indian City, is supported by a UKIERI grant and brings together architects, historians and geographers, working alongside art and literary experts. Together, they will produce publications as well as an online gallery showing how different cultures have interacted in the cities over time.
Liverpool Law Clinic
B
aroness Hale of Richmond, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, has officially opened Liverpool Law Clinic’s new premises. The Clinic, established five years ago, offers free legal advice to the local community, delivered by final year law students working under the supervision of qualified lawyers. It provides students with the opportunity to develop legal skills within a practice context to maximise their employment prospects on graduation. Baroness Hale said: “It was truly visionary of the University of Liverpool to open the Liverpool Law Clinic. I am not sure that, five years ago, anyone could have foreseen what has happened to the publicly funded legal services sector and how acute the need would be for clinics like this. Providing such a facility will help to secure access to justice for some of the most vulnerable people who would not otherwise have it, and provides valuable legal experience for students.”
Knowledge, expertise & skills that help your business to grow Tapping into our cutting-edge research expertise can help you to respond to technological changes and achieve your objectives; transforming ideas into creative solutions, technologies, strategies, applications, products or skills. By gaining a deep understanding of your needs, we develop solutions that enable your business to become more innovative, profitable and competitive.
Offering:
programmes · Research · Consultancy facilities and equipment · State-of-the-art Transfer Partnerships (KTP) · Knowledge Professional Development (CPD) · Continuing · Student projects and placements
Plus a whole lot more...
www.liverpool.ac.uk/business