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Regional
University
Innovation Centres
University Innovation
Centres were established as a series of related projects to play an important
role in the Government’s aim to strengthen regional capabilities in
innovation, skills and enterprise. They were created to facilitate knowledge
transfer between Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and industry, and to
encourage small businesses to participate in the generation and exploitation of
knowledge. Their main aims are to:
Stimulate
private sector R&D;
Be
at the heart of regional cluster development
Help
universities to play a central role as catalysts of growth;
Each University Innovation Centre is focused on a sector
recognised as being of strategic importance to the region it is based in and is
intended to serve as an exemplar of collaboration between industry and higher
education. It is anticipated that they will inspire similar projects in other
sectors and regions. It is envisaged that further University Innovation Centres
will be established in the future, with funding from a range of sources
including HEIF.
Nanotechnology and Microsystems in the North East. (allocated funding of
£7.2 m). The UIC for Nanotechnology and
Microsystems is a national multidisciplinary resource based in the five
universities in the North East (Newcastle, Durham, Northumbria, Teesside and
Sunderland) plus industrial partners. It is also a key component of the Centre
of Excellence in Nanotechnology, Micro and Photonic Systems,
CENAMPS.
Some of the industrial partners involved, alongside several high-tech SMEs,
include Filtronic, Atmel, ICI, BAE Systems, Procter & Gamble and DuPont. An
early stage venture finance company,
NStar
has been formed to maximize the benefits of the UIC, along with wider
entrepreneurial activity in the North East, through a Proof of Concept and
Co-Investment fund. The UIC also aims to catalyse the growth of new industrial
clusters in the North East and in the UK as a whole. Its facilities are open to users from industry and
academia, also offering incubation and space for spin-offs, visiting users and
embedded teams.
Organic
materials in the North West. (allocated funding of £4.25 m). Under the
leadership of the North West Chemical Initiative (NWCI) and the University
of Manchester, with collaboration from Liverpool University, the North West
University Innovation Centre in Organic Materials has been established and
is known as OMIC- the Organic Materials
Innovation Centre.Participating
in the venture are a number of international companies active in the region,
including Avecia, UCB Films, Victrex, AG Fluoropolymers, Great Lakes
Chemical and Unilever. OMIC aims to establish a World Class Centre to
coordinate, develop and exploit the North West’s existing strength in
organic materials and polymer chemistry. This will be achieved by ensuring
that university research is focused on the needs of the region's chemical
industry thereby helping to establish new product lines and foster
innovation in existing firms, and spawning new start-up companies.
Communications, computing and content technologies
in the South West - 3C Research Ltd (allocated funding of £7.62 m).The
Greater Bristol area has one of Europe's largest concentrations of high
technology industry including computers, communications, digital media, and
e-commerce. The UIC is centred on the University of Bristol and aims to
unite the key industrial and academic research in this field already taking
place in the region. The University will also provide incubation space;
entrepreneurship support and technical facilities for spin off companies
emerging from the centre. Companies involved in the UIC include Qinetiq Ltd,
STMicroelectonics (R&D) Ltd, Toshiba Research Europe Ltd, U4EA
Technologies Ltd, Matrix-Data Ltd, ProVision Communication Technologies Ltd,
Thales Ltd and Granada Media
Group Ltd. 3C Research's website, www.3cresearch.co.uk
gives more information on current projects.
Business to business e-commercein theWest Midlands (allocated funding of £5 m) involving BT Syntegra, Sun Microsystems, the Parametric Technology Corporation,
Advantage West Midlands and Groove Networks. In partnership with DTI, Warwick
Manufacturing Group has established the National Business 2 Business (B2B)
Centre which includes demonstration, incubation and R & D facilities. The
centre has been designed specifically for SMEs to enable them to explore,
create and test drive e-business solutions for their business needs where this
would not be cost effective to carry out in a ‘live’ business environment.
Further information can be found on the UIC’s website:www.nb2bc.co.uk
Aerospace
manufacturing inYorkshire (allocated funding of £5.93 m). The UIC brings together
the University of Sheffield, with Boeing,
Hamble
and Technicut and other research organisations and companies from throughout
the aerospace components supply chain in a unique partnership in materials
cutting technology. The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) will
provide a flexible and integrated research and development facility focusing
on advanced machining technologies and improving manufacturing methods for
the aerospace industry. It will also play a central role in the development
of a flagship 100–acre advanced manufacturing park in South Yorkshire for
innovative companies and associated supply chains which is being
developed by Yorkshire Forward to enhance its ongoing work on cluster
development.
Further information can be found on the UIC's website: www.amrc.co.uk
