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High Performance Computing (HPC) is a key element in our research. The Particle Physics Group has accumulated expertise in the development and optimisation of coding paradigms for specific supercomputer hardware. Our codes are deployed on supercomputers around the world, producing high-profile research results. We have developed a simulation environment, BSMBench, that is, on the one hand, flexible enough to run on major supercomputer platforms and, on the other hand, pushes supercomputers to their limits. These codes are used by IBM and Fujitsu Siemens for benchmarking their large installations and mainframes. The third party company BSMBench Ltd has commercialised the usage of our codes for analysing and optimising HPC systems of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The research on the use of single source precursors in quantum dot synthesis undertaken by Professor Paul O'Brien in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College between 1994 and 1999 resulted in papers and a patent which led to the formation of Nanoco Group PLC, currently a world-leader in the supply of quantum dots (QDs). Quantum dots have applications in backlighting for LCD displays, LED general lighting and thin film solar cells. Nanoco was listed on AIM on the London Stock Exchange in 2009 and by January 2013 Nanoco employed 78 people, had annual revenue of £3 million, and had signed agreements with several major companies in the US and Japan including Dow Chemical, Osram and Tokyo Electron.
i2c Pharmaceutical Services is the trading name for a Cardiff University spin-out company based on Cardiff University research excellence and specialising in pharmaceutical inhaler product research and development. i2c's research in formulation technologies and clinical testing has enabled development of new inhalational medicinal products for the healthcare markets in both developed and emerging countries. Impacts arising from research are at local, national and international levels and evidenced by marketed products, the improved business performance of commercial concerns and the creation of highly skilled jobs.
Nanoco, is a University of Manchester spin out company having a current market capitalisation of £384m (31/7/2013). Nanoco's proprietary processes enable, for the first time, commercial quantities of high-quality quantum dot nanoparticles, free of toxic heavy-metals, to be manufactured economically — for incorporation into next-generation displays & solar-cells."
As a result of its world-leading disruptive technology, Nanoco has, in the REF period, forged down-stream global business partnerships that have generated around £11m revenue, creating 95 jobs with Nanoco (at a cost of over £3m/year), substantial secondary employment in the supply chain, and underpinning technology to enable the delivery of more energy-efficient electronic devices.
The University of Oxford is a leading centre for research in opera and music theatre, where the work of musicologists and practitioners intersects to mutual benefit, and outputs have attracted the wide attention of new audiences well beyond the academic community. Oxford Opera encompasses a broad historical range, but shares a set of common aims and objectives: exploring new and historical modes of performance and realisation; challenging received operatic conventions and performance traditions in a scholarly and creative manner; and disseminating research results to new listeners through professional collaborations. Young people, the general public, and other professional practitioners have all been beneficiaries.
MMU Researchers were the first to develop a novel method of microbial identification using intact bacterial cells and MALDI-TOF-MS (matrix assisted laser desorption ionisation, time of flight mass spectrometry). The research laid the foundations for the development of a new commercial microbial identification system that is now being purchased in diagnostic, pharmaceutical and other applied microbiological laboratories. The system allows real time identification of isolated organisms, reducing the diagnosis time by at least 24hours.
The huge patient benefit and clear potential to save many lives comes with economic gains already evidenced by sales of 800 units at circa £100k per unit in 2011 and 2012, delivered globally to microbiology laboratories by one of two companies selling the system. The ultimate potential of the market of laboratories seeking empowerment is estimated at £10bn.
University of Huddersfield research in physical organic chemistry has delivered economic, industrial and societal benefits. It has led to process improvements in chemical manufacturing, most notably in the optimisation of the synthesis of antisense oligonucleotides and in the use of liquid ammonia as a solvent. It has also led to the development of new inhibitors of bacterial β-lactamases for use as antibacterials. The research team's expertise has been reflected in the success of IPOS (Innovative Physical Organic Solutions), a unit established in 2006 to carry out research in process and other areas of chemistry for the chemical industry. IPOS expanded significantly from 2009 to 2013 and has now collaborated with more than 150 companies, many of them based in Yorkshire/Humberside where regeneration is critically dependent on the success of new, non-traditional, high-technology firms and industries. Through these collaborative projects, IPOS has contributed to the growth and prosperity of both regional and national industry.