Summary of the impact

This case study demonstrates how research into ground source geothermal cooling has benefited a public service organisation (London Underground Ltd (LUL)), an international engineering consultancy (Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)) and the safety and comfort of staff and users of the London Underground.

Impact includes:

• Implementation of the cooling method at Green Park and Oxford Circus stations in 2012;
• Inclusion of the cooling approach within LUL's £500m Victoria line upgrade (2013);
• Additional revenues of £500k (PB) and new contract research for LSBU (£500k);
• A new commercial capability in design and analysis of ground water cooling (PB);
• Creation of a specialised professional level post (PB);
• A 2012 Rail Business Award for environmental innovation (LUL);
• International adoption and significant interest in the cooling method.

Summary of the impact

This case study demonstrates how research into Object Orientated programming has resulted in a feature-rich e-commerce platform that has transformed the management and operations of a traditional sheet music company (Faber Music) and its expanding business partner network.

Impact includes:

• Adoption of an efficient electronic enterprise and distribution model that provides global reach at significantly lower costs;
• Creation of a new income stream for the Company (£40k year 1, rising to £260k year 3 and growing) based upon digital distribution;
• A novel e-partner scheme delivering benefits through access to a wider range of digital content and routes to market;
• Mitigation of media piracy by being able to minimise the price differential as seen by the purchaser;
• Recovery of $1million from an illegal download site in Russia who are now an e-partner.

Summary of the impact

This case study is based on research investigating the nature, challenges and potential of audio-drama, and especially bilingual audio-drama. Specifically, it explored the possibilities for creating bilingual drama for monolingual audiences; the effects of using different recording environments; and the advantages of cross-cultural collaboration.

Impact includes: (i) a growth in the practice and reach of bilingual audio-drama in the radio broadcasting sector, both in the UK and internationally; (ii) the establishment of the radio play as an act of live theatre; and (iii) an increased awareness of the possibilities for collaborative audio-drama production across cultural and linguistic borders.

Summary of the impact

This case study relates to research that has had an economic and application impact through the continued operation of a University spin out company, Biox Systems Ltd. The success of the Company's AquaFlux device for measuring aspects of skin barrier performance has, since 2008, resulted in:

• Sales of 148 instruments producing revenues of £1.37million and net profits of £190k;
• Exports into 15 countries accounting for 82% of revenues;
• Significant reinvestment (£200k) in new product development;
• 3 new full time technical level jobs.

Access to AquaFlux has enabled commercial and R&D organisations, including health care, household product and cosmetic industries, to gain better insights into the performance of their products. AquaFlux has been cited as the "gold standard" for Trans-Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) measurement.

Summary of the impact

Research carried out by the SESRC has resulted in the development of three novel devices that improve foot and lower limb circulation. These have been commercialised by Actegy Health Ltd.

Since 2008, impact arising from this research includes,

• successful product efficacy trials satisfying Advertising Standards Authority requirements;
• filing of three patent applications;
• generation of total revenues of £53M of which in 2012 two thirds were overseas (£16.3M);
• created 22 direct jobs with significantly more indirect jobs in manufacturing, logistics and marketing;
• a Red Dot Good Design international award in 2012;
• recognition of Actegy Ltd as a Sunday Times fast track 100 company in both 2010(4^th) and 2011(17^th).

Summary of the impact

This case study details an impact relating to health and welfare in which educational practices regarding the dissemination of responsible drinking messages has been influenced, and on public policy and services where this evidence has stimulated policy debate. Specifically, research led to (i) the withdrawal of the Drinkaware Trust's 5-year flagship campaign, Why let the good times go bad? (WLGTGB), and (ii) a recommendation from an independent review to a) involve academics in future campaign development and evaluation, and b) implement changes to the current campaign based on our findings.

Summary of the impact

This impact case study demonstrates how research has benefitted mixed couples in their relationships as well as charitable and other organisations engaged in supporting `mixed' couples.

Impact relates specifically to:

(i) development and deployment by charities and professional agencies of e-learning resources to support people in `mixed' relationships and families;

(ii) increased awareness and understanding by `mixed' couples and families, and professionals, of issues relating to specific `mixed' relationships in difference to those faced by all couples;

(iii) the improved efficiency and effectiveness of charities and professional bodies in dealing with `mixed' couple matters.

Summary of the impact

This Case Study illustrates how research has had a significant impact on the awareness and management of hydrogen hazards across the UK's pre-eminent nuclear decommissioning and reprocessing organisation, Sellafield Ltd (formerly BNFL). It has enabled Sellafield to:

• Underpin safety cases for nuclear decommissioning operations where mitigation of hydrogen explosions is essential; this is estimated to have saved Sellafield over £550 million;
• Provide 100,000 man-hours of training/CPD on hydrogen hazards to Sellafield staff;
• Access the science relating to hydrogen-air ignition probabilities and options for mitigating potential explosions;
• Expand and update the Hydrogen Technical Guide and associated road map on hydrogen safety with the latest research findings;
• Obtain continued expert advice to the Sellafield Hydrogen Working Party.

In addition, LSBU has, since 2008, benefited from contract research from Sellafield valued at over £1 million.

Summary of the impact

This case study demonstrates how the application of GRBOM has been used to deliver a national e-student system. Key impacts include:

• Providing an e-student CRM system accommodating 80% of the student population in Macedonia;
• Savings of 237,014 student days with associated direct cost savings of 2.2million euros;
• Administrative and academic savings of 1,058 days and savings of 43,660 euros;
• Providing students with greater choice in the selection of their degree subject and modules;
• Providing the first electronic communication infrastructure integrating students, academics and their universities;
• Providing architecture and methodologies for CRM systems and an e-platform for adoption by Macedonia's Government in other sectors.

Summary of the impact

This Case Study demonstrates how research has benefitted a commercial company (Telent Ltd), a public sector organisation (London Underground Ltd (LUL)) and the safety of staff and 1.4 billion passenger journeys.

The research enabled Telent to:

• Access scientific knowledge in acoustic modelling and engineering, saving the Company ~£500k;
• Deliver a Public Address/Voice Alarm (PA/VA) system into 74 underground stations on time, returning £300k net profit for the Company;
• Gain the maintenance contract worth £1.5M over 13 years;
• Gain additional contracts for installation of PA/VA systems in 3 further underground stations;
• Create 5 new posts during the project period including one permanent engineering position.
  

  The new system also contributed to the revision of a BSI Standard (IEC BS EN 60268-16 2011).