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Research at LU carried out from 2003 to 2011 has made a significant impact on the practical realisation of Open Access (OA) to scholarly publications at an international level. Research into publisher's Copyright Transfer Agreements underpinned the development of the SHERPA/RoMEO service, widely used by repository managers across Europe [impact 4.1]; a cost-benefit model of scholarly publishing in relation to the main routes to OA influenced the publishing industry, and research strategy amongst UK funding agencies [impact 4.2]; further research influenced Research Councils UK (RCUK) policy in relation to mandates [impact 4.3], and the work of the European Commission in the development of its digital agenda [impact 4.4].
A reduction in planning uncertainties and financial risks of photovoltaics has been achieved by developing internationally accepted standards. Non-standardised characterisation and unreliable energy prediction caused a performance gap between expectations and realistic yields. Loughborough University (Prof. Gottschalg, Dr. Betts) conducted a series of research projects since 1999 which reduced this performance gap. The team consciously transferred developed methods to international standards for energy prediction and device characterisation. Standardisation has, with significant contributions from this team, resulted in the reporting period in a reduction of at least 2% calibration uncertainty, which has a value at today's prices of $1.500,000,000 per year (J. Wohlgemuth [5.1]).
This research has already saved the NHS in excess of £2.5 million over 3 years through bulk purchasing. It was used by the National Ambulance Fleet Strategy Group to develop a national specification of emergency ambulances to reduce costs and improve patient care with 6 of 11 Ambulance Trusts in England purchasing from the national contract. The design and testing of a second tier of vehicles and equipment has supported new systems of work through a Community Urgent Response Environment (for on-the-spot treatment) and has been used in a tender specification by NHS Supply Chain to purchase replacement portable equipment.
Loughborough University's (LU) research in the application of artificial intelligence techniques to enhance process safety since 1993 has resulted in novel computer tools that generated the following economic impacts through the creation of a University spinout company, Hazid Technologies Ltd, in 2002:
1) Raised over £1.3m shares capital from investors.
2) Developed research prototypes into state-of-the-art commercial tools for improving process plant safety.
3) Signed a global sales agreement with Intergraph Corporation in 2005.
4) Established a portfolio of major companies around the world as clients.
5) Employs two executive directors, three software developers and three chemical engineers.
The impact of the research at Loughborough University from 1999 to date has transformed informational processes in Leicestershire Police and has been adopted by other Police forces across the UK and internationally. Within Leicestershire it has led directly to [5.1]:
Fluvial geomorphology research at Loughborough University has impacted on the approaches and procedures of practitioners responsible for characterising and managing river-bed sediments. Dr Graham's research has underpinned the development to commercialisation of an automated method for measuring river-bed sediment size. The associated cost-saving benefits have had an international reach into field practice, demonstrated by non-academic software sales across Europe, North America and Australasia. Professor Rice's research has underpinned strategies focused on managing river sedimentation problems, as well as the design of new tools and adoption of new approaches, especially in the USA, aimed at better managing fish populations.
Research by Loughborough University academics has influenced the development of elite footballs used in numerous global tournaments including FIFA World Cups, UEFA European Championships and Olympic Games. Research findings have led to increased design freedoms that have allowed adidas to produce balls with improved commercial appeal resulting in a tenfold increase in sales whilst maintaining product performance in line with the highest certifiable level of FIFA standards.
Reducing vehicle noise and vibration is a key quality objective in the automotive industry. Historically, the approach has been costly palliation late in the manufacturing process; now a new approach applied earlier in the vehicle development cycle has been devised by Loughborough University and Ford and implemented at Ford that has led to savings of $7 per vehicle with respect to clutch in-cycle vibration (whoop). Ford has reported savings of $10M over 5 years, whilst reductions in transmission rattle have led to 5% fuel efficiency gains [5.1]. Ford has made an investment of £240M in its engine and transmission work at Bridgend, which includes aspects of work reported here and has created 600 new jobs [5.2].
A global consortium of libraries has adopted the innovative TOTEM registry data model to address urgent issues surrounding the preservation of digital artefacts. The core challenge for digital archiving is to match potentially obsolete software that originally created artefacts — `complex' objects with sound and visuals as well as data information — with later computing platforms that can thus preserve them. The TOTEM project has effected major change in the technical specifications of preservation: its technical strategy for `emulation' enhances previous processes through which old files are `migrated'. End-users confirm that TOTEM has had significant cultural and technical impact on the preservation practices of national libraries including the Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia, and US National Archives and Records Administration. Benefit to these organisations is technical, societal and economic, contributing to viable, long-term solutions in digital preservation policy.
Free and open access (OA) to publicly funded research offers significant benefits, but it also requires complex new systems to underpin it. University of Southampton research has resulted in software products enabling large numbers of research institutions to implement their own digital research repositories. Studies on the viability and impact of OA have steered institutions towards a more cost-effective and impactful model for disseminating research, and UK public policy has been directly influenced by the Southampton team's advocacy work. The research also led to economic benefits through two spin-outs and the development of digital archiving techniques, which have been widely used by broadcast and film institutions.