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The Technology Management Group (TMG) in the Department of Space and Climate Physics (also known as the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, or MSSL) at UCL has developed a range of professional training courses for industry that promote a forward-looking approach to the management of technology projects. Industrial customers have invested almost £2.4 million on the training within the REF impact period, greatly valuing its impact in helping their staff deal with the challenges of modern, complex projects, such as achieving high reliability in network-enabled systems that need to perform in the harshest environments. The training has improved engineering capability and organisational effectiveness for its customers, helping them to deliver excellent performance — to budget, on time and with the quality and functionality required. The TMG has also contributed to a systems engineering competency framework that is being used worldwide in the professional certification of systems engineers.
UCL research has been instrumental in creating critically needed new biocatalysts and bioprocess technologies for industrial biocatalytic process development. These have impact across the UK chemical and pharmaceutical sectors. BiCE enzyme technologies have been exploited through the formation of a spin-out company, Synthace, generating investment of £1.8m and creation of 7 new jobs. Commercial utilisation of BiCE enzymes by company partners has led to environmental benefits through sustainable syntheses and reduced waste generation. BiCE high-throughput bioprocess technologies have also been adopted to speed biocatalytic process development. UCL established a parallel miniature stirred bioreactor system as a new product line for HEL Ltd. [text removed for publication]. Related knowledge transfer activities have also benefited some 157 industrial employees from over 50 companies since 2008.
The results of research at the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering (DoEng) on global manufacturing networks were disseminated to industry through publications, events, training and consultancy. During 2008-13 more than 20 multinational corporations applied the findings to transform their global networks, determining the ideal location and roles of plants around the world, and achieving beneficial trade-offs of access to markets and resources, innovation and risk, while minimising cost. Corporations including Rolls-Royce, GSK, BAE Systems, and Caterpillar report impacts in terms of cost savings (measured in tens of millions GBP per annum), improved competitive differentiation and shifts in capital expenditure allocation (measured in hundreds of millions GBP per annum). GBP 2,158,181 revenue has also been directly generated in consultancy and training spin-offs.
New business models, technological innovations and global markets, demand that engineering firms better manage how they grow and achieve reliability during product development. A reliability growth modelling framework, developed from research at the University of Strathclyde, is being used by and influencing UK industry practice in the aerospace & defence sector. Our model underpins the modern approach to reliability growth management in Aero-Engine Controls (a Rolls-Royce company), Selex ES, and contributes to the Reliability Case required by the Ministry of Defence. The Strathclyde model is included in the international reliability growth standard (IEC 61164) which is adopted globally by manufacturing firms and procurement agencies.
UCL's creation of ultra scale-down (USD) technologies has led to economic benefits by speeding to manufacture next-generation healthcare products. This has resulted in documented savings for pharmaceutical companies in pilot-scale studies (eg ~£280k for a protein therapy) and in manufacturing cost-of-goods (eg ~£200k pa for an antibody). Licensing values realised for USD-facilitated manufacturing processes range from a £10m early-stage payment for an antibody therapy [text removed for publication] to US$1bn for a therapeutic vaccine.
Since 2008 some 40 companies have used UCL USD technologies, which have now also facilitated the formation of a spin-out company and additional job creation. Patient benefits have emerged through the contribution of USD to better bioprocess definition, with USD technologies now helping deliver the US Food and Drug Administration's Quality by Design initiative for biopharmaceuticals, valued at more than US$20bn a year through a 25% reduction in time-to-market and more robust manufacture.
Research in ERPE (1994-date) to measure customer reaction and attitude to communication interfaces in consumer services has widely influenced the design of customer services at Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds TSB (now Lloyds Group). The ERPE metric and the use methodology it relies on have been adopted by enterprises in several service industry sectors — telephony, retail, travel and financial services. Since 2008 the use and impact has been predominantly in the financial services sector and is encountered on a daily basis by the millions of retail and commercial banking customers who use internet banking, mobile phone banking and telephone banking services that have been created based on the ERPE metric.
ERPE has had intimate collaborations with Lloyds Banking Group, who have now adopted our refined usability metric into their business on a significant scale. Since 2008 their business benefits have been five times their £7.1 M investment in the ERPE research programme.
Research led by Professor Chapman at the Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) lab has resulted in a thriving partnership with the aerospace division of Rolls-Royce. KBE research captures domain-based knowledge and integrates it into refined computational models with automated tools to enhance design processes for engineering complex systems. This research has contributed to important improvements in the design processes used by Rolls-Royce to achieve substantial benefits in terms of accuracy, efficiency and ease of design and innovation in the development of jet engines. The techniques have also been exploited to enhance decision support processes for sustainable energy.
Research undertaken at the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering (DoEng) since 1998 on strategic technology management resulted in a principled and generalised method of creating roadmaps for technology and innovation management. This research was developed into a complete toolkit through case studies and consulting by the DoEng's wholly-owned subsidiary Institute for Manufacturing Education and Consulting Services Ltd (IfM ECS). Organisations in 26 countries commissioned over 115 consulting projects during 2008-13, benefiting through improved business performance and practices, the adoption of new technologies or processes and the better alignment of technology strategies with policy and commercial imperatives. IfM ECS's revenue from consulting, publications and events based on the research findings was GBP 3,479,758 in the period.
Engineering is central to ensuring economic growth in the UK and making sure the country remains competitive in the global economy, yet there is a persistent lack of engagement with the subject in schools. Addressing this challenge, researchers at the University of Glasgow led a collaborative project to achieve sustainable educational change. Working with engineers at the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde — as well as with industrialists, teachers and policy-makers — they raised the profile of engineering within the Scottish school curriculum and embedded engineering in teaching and examination.
Research carried out at the University of Southampton has enabled major players in the aerospace industry — among them Rolls-Royce, Airbus, and Boeing — to produce more fuel efficient, longer lasting engines and aircraft at reduced cost. The research has provided the aerospace industry with modelling tools and software enabling companies to explore complex new designs quickly whilst managing product risk in a competitive market. The research team has also developed new design processes for unmanned aircraft, which — as a result of strong media interest - improved public understanding of such new technologies through worldwide coverage. A spin-out company has achieved strong technological and economic impacts in its own right.