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The nanobiotechnology research group at the University of Kent (Bruce et al.) has pioneered the ability to control, manipulate and commercially process magnetite nanoparticles. Two spinout companies, EryDel and Dietheva have been formed, with a €6 million venture capital grant, as a direct result of the Kent-led research. EryDel (in collaboration with Philips Healthcare) are exploiting the materials worldwide for drug delivery (Erydex), with US and European approval for Orphan drug designation given in 2013 for genetic diseases, and Diatheva are marketing the technology for forensic diagnostic kits. The predicted five-year revenue is €35 million with a potential market of €17 billion.
Loughborough University research led to the development of a porpoise deterrent pinger, which, by generating ultrasonic acoustic signals, deters harbour porpoise from accidental capture in fishing nets. The research of Professor Bryan Woodward has led to the development of a commercially available pinger (AQUAmark100) with over 14,000 system sales internationally.
The impact of the research has:
1) Influenced changes in government / EU policy
2) Influenced worldwide debate around achieving reductions in accidental by-catch by fisheries.
3) Contributed to commercial growth of UK business through sales.
The development and marketing of the Chemcatcher passive sampler has significantly improved the way water quality is monitored. These cost-effective devices are either used alongside or can replace established approaches that rely on infrequent spot or bottle sampling. We have contributed to the development of national and international standards for the use of passive samplers, and the dissemination of results to end users has facilitated the uptake of passive sampling technology worldwide. Our passive samplers have been used to monitor a diverse range of environmental problems, from pharmaceuticals in drinking water to the release of radioactive caesium after the Fukushima nuclear reactor incident in Japan.
Over a period of 20 years, Professor Mangat and colleagues in the Materials and Engineering Research Institute's (MERI's) Centre for Infrastructure Management have developed significant expertise of concrete materials and structures related to deterioration, repair and maintenance of infrastructure. This body of research has led to professional practice and economic impacts related to repair selection, asset management systems, curing systems and novel repair/building materials. Mangat's expertise in concrete deterioration, its remediation and repair has been developed into commercial software systems for bridge and asset management and the national, professionally accredited training course for bridge inspectors/engineers. In the REF impact period, bridge management software has been adopted by over 30 UK local authorities and training delivered to 392 bridge management professionals. Commercialisation of two of Mangat's research innovations, alkali activated materials (AAMs) and low voltage accelerated curing systems (LOVACS), has achieved direct sales of £0.5m and development of the spin-out Liquid Granite Ltd. Additionally, his corrosion protection systems have been adopted by engineering consultants Mott MacDonald, enabling them to win commissioned corrosion-remediation works of over £1m
This case study is about the development of flame retardant (FR) polypropylene yarns used in upholstery fabrics for domestic and office furniture, automotive and floor coverings that will have predictable and reproducible fire retardant properties when subjected to standard testing procedures. Through the UK DTI funded project FLAMTECH (2002-2005) shared by Camira Fabrics Ltd., and the university, a range of novel polypropylene yarns having higher levels of consistent fire performance than the previously existing products in the market place were developed. A testing protocol which could establish individual fibre/yarn/fabric structural-fire property relationships and correlate these with (and hence predict) final fabric performance was also established. The project overlapped a concurrent EPSRC funded research in which nanocomposite fibres (including polypropylene) with improved flame retardancy and reduced melt dripping were developed. Camira were also members of the consortium managing this project. The major commercial outcome from these projects since 2005 is a flame retardant polypropylene product being marketed by Camira fabrics within their Perfentex brand and others are also being considered. This work also inspired the Production Director of Camira Fabrics to register at Bolton as a PhD-by-publication candidate and hence gain more knowledge about the subject area, as evidenced by the publication of her research papers (see Paper 1, Section 3).
Cranfield's work on ethylene supplemented storage is now exploited in the supply chains to major supermarkets in the UK, including Waitrose and Tesco, reducing waste and avoiding volatility in supply for fresh food products such as onions and potatoes. By prolonging storage life by up to six weeks it is also having a positive impact on the UK's self-sufficiency in these products, displacing imports from overseas.
Complementary work has also led to commercial ethylene scrubbing technologies for packaging, which typically save around 50% of in-store waste and add two days to the product life for a range of fruit and vegetables. Such packing is now in use in most mainstream UK supermarkets, and in the USA where it has created a new export market for the manufacturer.
This case study describes the impact on practitioners and services through the development of new international standards based on research at the University of Aberdeen on Portland-limestone cements undertaken in 2004-8. The findings of this research have been adopted into revised international specifications for Portland cement mixtures in the European Union, Canada and the United States. The findings have also been incorporated into an industry standard software package (CEMDATA) for modelling thermodynamic properties of cement mixture, now established as part of the GEMS software suite freely available.
The impact presented in this case study is the commercialisation of 15 products with perfume microcapsules by Procter and Gamble (P&G), made possible using capsule mechanical strength data provided by Prof Zhibing Zhang's research group at Birmingham. Use of microcapsules gives improved freshness performance, and thus commercial advantage, compared with traditional formulations; they have been incorporated in P&G's four major billion-dollar brands — Downy, Febreze, Lenor and Tide. This has significantly improved their competitiveness enabling P&G to retain their leading position in the USA and Western Europe. A novel micromanipulation technique developed at the University of Birmingham has been used extensively to obtain mechanical properties data for the micro-particles, including microcapsules prepared in Birmingham and provided by companies, which is related to their formulation and processing conditions and end- use performance. In addition, the knowledge generated has helped 15 other companies to commercialise new functional products containing micro-particles.
Led by Professor Andrews, a computational method for real time mission planning, based on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD), was developed in the Mathematical Sciences Department at Loughborough University (LU) from 1993-2003. This is fast and accurate and can be used to support decision-making on system utilisation in real-time operation, which has led to the ability to diagnose in flight faults for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications.
The research has changed the understanding and awareness of the advantages of BDD, resulting in integration into major industrial trials and proprietary software products, including at BAE Systems, one of the world's largest companies in an area of vital importance to UK security and economic development. The methodology has attracted significant research funding in collaborative programmes with industry.
Building Information Management (BIM) involves the creation and use of digital information about built assets. Mandated by UK and other governments because of its potential to reduce waste and optimise efficiency, its successful exploitation requires changes in construction technology and process. This research has had a transformational impact on both. Our technical research forms the basis of the National Library of BIM objects, as well as technological solutions and product developments for many organisations. Our work with UK and overseas governments has shaped industry's uptake of BIM. We have founded a centre of excellence to introduce BIM to practitioners and organisations, and created a commercial joint-venture consultancy company.