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Our research on the physiological effects of the electromagnetic fields generated in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used by: (i) the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) in establishing advisory limits and action values in their published regulatory guidelines; (ii) the EU Commission as part of the evidential basis in their decision to derogate MRI from the scope of the Physical Agents Directive 2004/40/EC. These decisions have enabled the continued operation of MR scanners across Europe, safeguarding the access to MRI for 500 million people. The economic benefits arising from the manufacture of MRI equipment were also secured. Our work has thus resulted in impact on public policy, the economy and healthcare.
Research in the Microelectronics Group of the Cavendish Laboratory in the area of single-electron nanoelectronics, quantum computing and spintronics has been exploited by Hitachi, one of world's leading microelectronics companies. Research breakthroughs made in the Cavendish have defined Hitachi's R&D directions in quantum computing and spintronics, led to several Hitachi product developments and influenced senior Hitachi strategic decision makers regarding the future of computing.
Research in the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering at the University of Sheffield has generated economic impact through the creation of a spinout company, Magnomatics Ltd, commercialising high performance electric drives, in particular those employing magnetic gearing technologies. Magnomatics employs 35 full-time staff, had a turnover of £1.4M for the year 2012, and its technologies are now being developed for applications in utility scale wind turbines, hybrid vehicles and marine propulsion.
A device developed for spintronics research at the University of Oxford has been adapted as the basis for robust, high-performance position or composition sensors to detect many different materials including metals, plastics, ceramics and fluids. These sensors are capable of making contactless measurements in very hostile environments. A spin-out company was formed in 2004 to exploit and apply this technology to a wide range of technical and engineering problems and has achieved over £2.5m revenue. These sensors form the key elements of products that have been successfully deployed in automotive and other transport applications. Benefits to end users include ease of use, speed and the cost savings.
The London Low Temperature Laboratory (LLTL) led by Professor Saunders in the Department of Physics, has developed novel ultra-low temperature (ULT) platforms and instrumentation alongside its programme of fundamental research.
Groundbreaking UCL research and development of magnetic nanoparticles for biomedical applications led to the introduction in 2012 of the world's first licensed nanoparticulate injectable medical device, the Sienna+ tracer, and its associated detection system, the SentiMag. A UCL spinout company, Endomagnetics Ltd., has introduced this new technology to better diagnose and treat cancer without the need for invasive surgery. The system uses magnetic materials, rather than radioisotopes, to locate the sentinel lymph nodes that are the key indicators of the spread of cancer away from the primary tumour site. As well as improving patient outcomes, the system considerably improves hospital workflow and efficiency since, unlike radioisotopes, the injectable magnetic tracer (Sienna+) is readily available and requires no special handling
Heat capacity is the measurable physical quantity that specifies the amount of heat required to change the temperature of an object or body by a given amount and is an important quantity to establish in any application that requires knowledge of the thermal response of a material. It is quite usual in the development of new materials that the volume of material available in single crystalline form is limited, and the ability to measure small samples sensitively has particular importance for this reason. We claim a dominant influence on the design of an ultrasensitive heat capacity microcalorimeter that is now sold by the UK company Cryogenic Ltd as a heat capacity option for their cryogenic measurement systems. The microcalorimeter makes it possible to measure ultra-small samples, particularly magnetic samples that are invisible to other commercial probes. Research was carried out within Imperial's Physics Department in 2003-04 to develop the instrumentation; the design was published in 2005 after which it transferred to UK company Cryogenic Ltd. In the past three years the approximate total sales of the heat capacity option at Cryogenics amount to £500K, as a valuable component of a physical properties measurement system with a total sale value in the region of £2M [section 5, source E].
UCL's discoveries of the existence of magnetic flux ropes in the solar atmosphere and their link to sunquake generation have stimulated public interest in science and led to a large volume of engagement activities. Since 2008, there has been a high demand for public and schools talks related to research conducted by staff within the Department of Space and Climate Physics — also known as the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) — with attendees being inspired and gaining increased knowledge. Teaching resources and talks at teacher training events have enabled teachers to include MSSL research in inspirational science lessons. Sustained and on-going relationships have been developed with local schools, adult education groups, the media and the local community; for example, at the 2009 MSSL open day visitors from the local area benefited from raised awareness and improved knowledge about space science.
A software package called CPO has been developed that simulates the motion of charged particles in electromagnetic fields. More than 200 benchmark tests have established CPO as the gold standard in low-energy charged-particle optics. A spin-off company was formed to market CPO, [text removed for publication]
XMaS is a dedicated materials science beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). It develops and disseminates novel instrumentation and sample environments that allow new experiments which support emerging technologies. By commercialising the intellectual property through licenses to companies economic impact is derived directly. Further economic impact is facilitated through knowledge transfer by trained people and expertise in new processes, which enhances the capability, capacity and efficiency of other central facilities. Public interest and awareness are engendered through individual research projects being highlighted in the media and through people's skills and experience being utilised in a broad range of sectors.