Log in
Research into industrial process tomography has been performed at the University of Leeds from 1999 to the present day with much of this being in collaboration with Industrial Tomography Systems plc (ITS). This research, together with the associated intellectual property, has provided the foundation of 5 innovative new products developed and produced by ITS during the eligible period. These new products have generated sales of £5m and are in large part responsible for increases in turnover and employment of approximately 60%, and exports of 67% since 2008. These instruments are used in a significant number of new applications and are generating major benefits to end users in the oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, consumer products, minerals and food sectors.
Research at the University of Leeds underpinned the development and manufacture of RF filter technology by Radio Design Ltd, including the 3G `Universal RF Combiner Unit' with sales of >£18M (40,000 units) since 2008, which led to the company's Queen's Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2011. This technology was subsequently improved specifically for the 2012 London Olympics for shared use by all five cellular operators, and has now been further developed, again using Leeds research, for 4G systems (with >£4.2M sales in 2013). Leeds research has contributed directly to ~75% of Radio Design's products, and its expansion from 11 employees in 2008 to 150 employees today. Leeds-designed RF filters have also been widely utilized by other manufacturers, with estimated annual international sales of tens of millions of pounds since 2008.
In parallel, Leeds research on the physical modelling and design of pHEMT switches has been used since 2008 by RFMD (UK) Ltd (previously Filtronic Compound Semiconductors), who supply all major mobile phone manufacturers — over 2 billion pHEMT switches are used worldwide, with RFMD's estimated sales exceeding £250M since 2008.
Research into on-line control of crystallisation at the University of Leeds started in 2002 which led to a collaboration being formed with Malvern Instruments Ltd (MIL) in 2006 and subsequently to the development of a new type of instrument capable of measuring particle shape and shape- distribution. The instrument range, Morphologi, launched in 2007 has since generated sales for MIL of approximately £11 million since January 2008. The instrument is now operational within many industrial sectors and used e.g. to optimise process efficiency and enhance product quality. The success of this instrument has contributed to providing secure employment at MIL and to obtaining the "Queen's Awards for Enterprise: International Trade" in 2011.
A ground-breaking range of innovative sensor products — the EPIC Sensors — has been developed and marketed world-wide by Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. The EPIC Sensors allow contact-free measurements of electric phenomena, initially aimed at the health, sports and automotive markets. They operate on the non-invasive, low-cost, generic, award-winning Electric Potential Sensor (EPS) technology invented and developed at Sussex as a spin-off from fundamental low-temperature physics research. Income to the University from licence fees, costs and royalties started during 2012. Sustained industry engagement with key strategic partners in the medical, forensic, security, materials testing and geophysics sectors, including government organisations, industry and academia, is leading to a wider awareness and adoption of this novel technology.
Over the past 10 years there has been a massive expansion in biomass use for power generation, particularly in the UK and Europe. Research at the University of Leeds has been crucial in addressing many of the challenges inherent in moving from coal to biomass including milling, combustion characteristics, deposition and corrosion enabling adoption of biomass for power generation. The research has impacted: (1) company strategy and industry practice for the use of biomass and key technology choices; (2) society, health and environment via CO2 reduction and emission reduction; (3) national energy security through an increased fuel inventory; (4) UK Government and EU policy as expert members of advisory groups.
Rotating machines are ubiquitous key elements for power generation. Research has led to impacts that have improved the design and performance of rotating machinery for component vendors, original equipment manufacturers and end-users:
(a) Siemens has adopted new designs of interstage turbine disc rim seals that reduce gas leakage paths and hence increase power efficiency/fuel savings in power based gas turbines. The impacts have protected 4-5 R&D jobs, improved seal product design, and enabled reallocation of corporate budgets.
(b) Integrated dynamic/thermal analysis has enabled preventive design against unstable shaft thermal bending, known as the Morton Effect in the field of turbomachinery.
(c) Research into the functionality of active magnetic bearings has been transferred into the standard ISO 14839 1-4 that has brought technology normalisation, involving changes to company design practices, to the field. Part 4 was published in 2012.
(d) An oil-free experimental facility has been delivered to GE Global Research (Munich) to aid in their compressor designs for subsea machines. GE has benefitted through knowledge transfer and the training of engineers for the design of new machines.
Research at the University of Leeds, in partnership with the US company Agilent Technologies, has directly resulted in the development of high performance vector network analyzer instrumentation used by electronics, aerospace and defence companies globally to measure the high frequency properties of electronic devices and materials. University of Leeds research also directly resulted in the development of two further Agilent Technologies products — a high frequency dielectric probe kit and a capacitance scanning probe microscope. Agilent Technologies confirms that the collective sales of these products are in the region of tens of millions of dollars annually since 2008.
The development of microelectronic sensor arrays for biological applications, pioneered at the University of Glasgow, is central to a unique gene sequencing system developed by Ion Torrent. The Ion Torrent personal genome machine is a bench-top system that, compared to optically mediated technologies, is cheaper and easier to use. Ion Torrent was founded in 2007 and bought by Life Technologies in 2010 for $725M; they, in turn, were bought by Thermo Fisher for $13Bn, citing Ion Torrent as a motivation. Ion Torrent now has 62% of the bench-top sequencing market, estimated to be worth $1.3Bn in 2012.
This impact case concerns the stimulation of public discourse, informing the awareness, attitudes and understanding of the public as to the potential for automating science, and the consequences that then arise regarding ethics, rights and the acquisition of knowledge. It also concerns debate among legal practitioners.
The Robot Scientist was the first system to fully automate the process of scientific investigation. This work showed that it was possible. The idea was immediately picked up by the popular press and covered worldwide (the fourth most significant discovery in 2009 according to TIME magazine, reported by TV, radio, national newspapers and magazines, and bloggers). It engaged the public in debate about AI, robotics, lab automation, and science.
This case study describes the impact of a sustained programme of research conducted over more than 10 years, which has changed conceptualisations of young children's abilities and needs, and shaped national and local provision from birth to five. The research has influenced early years policy, secondary legislation, professional standards and training, curriculum, and the daily experiences of babies, children and practitioners in every childcare setting in England. It has produced innovative resources to enhance multi-professional practice, and significantly contributed to the deployment of high-quality, interdisciplinary research findings to improve provision, stimulate debate and challenge conventional wisdom about children and childhood.