Media Invitation
Final of the 2007/08 Research Councils' Business Plan Competition
Monday 20 October 2008 from 13:00 – Chelsea Football Club
Tackling contaminated water with a whisky-based by-product
Laser pen writes a more connected future
StroMoHab: aiding the recovery of stroke victims
Safer assisted childbirth with Safeceps™
Faster scans with real-time MRI
Fighting infections – developing new antibiotics
A whisky-based by-product used to treat contaminated land, an algorithm to deliver
flawless MRI scans and a laser pen that can write circuits into materials are just
some of the ideas that have made it to the final of the Research Councils' 2007/08
Business Plan Competition.
Battling for a prize of £25,000, the competition challenges researchers to present
their ideas to a panel of experts as viable business propositions worthy of investment.
We are pleased to be able to invite members of the media to the final judging
and awards ceremony at Chelsea Football Club on Monday 20th October.
The event begins at 13:00 with lunch. At 14:00 there is a brief presentation
from each of the finalists. After comments and questions from the judges, the overall
winner of the competition will be announced at around 15:30 and a presentation will
be made, with the winner receiving a trophy and a cheque for £25,000 to propel their
business idea to new heights.
On the day, you will be able to speak with the finalists about their projects.
This is the third time that all of the UK's Research Councils have joined together
to run the competition.
- ends -
Further information
If you would like to attend the event please email
Lawrie Jones
at the EPSRC Press Office or telephone 01793 444404 with the following information:
- Name
- Organisation
- Email and telephone contact details
- Whether you would like to attend a) the lunch; b) the prize giving and poster
session from 14:00 to 16:30; c) both.
- I cannot attend but would like the results emailed through on the day. Y/N
Detailed outlines of the team's business plan ideas are available from the EPSRC
Press Office.
The representatives of the six teams in the final are:
'Drink up' – whisky-based technology tackles contaminated water
Dr Leigh Cassidy
(Tackling contaminated water with a whisky-based by-product)
DRAM – Device for remediation & Attenuation of Multiple pollutants
University of Aberdeen
It seems that whisky's healing powers may be more than an old wives tale. Scientists
at the University of Aberdeen have developed a unique and environmentally friendly
method of removing multiple pollutants from contaminated water much more quickly
and at a fraction of the cost of current methods. With the clean up of polluted
water at contaminated land sites costing the UK around £1.2 billion pounds a year,
the opportunities are promising. An R&D group, including co-inventors Dr Leigh Cassidy
and Dr Graeme Paton, have developed DRAM – Device for Remediation & Attenuation
of Multiple pollutants. Using an organic by-product derived from Scotland's favourite
tipple, a 'passive' organic material is inserted into contaminated water in a device,
where it attracts and then breaks down active, harmful solvent pollutants.
Contact: Dr Leigh Cassidy
Tel: 01224 272700
Email: l.cassidy@abdn.ac.uk
An image (PN46-08DRAMTeam) for this project is available from the EPSRC press
office with the suggested caption: 'Members of the DRAM team with the device'.
Cutting to the core – revolutionary optical inscription technologies
Dr Henry Bookey
(Laser pen writes a more connected future)
Optoscribe Ltd.
Heriot-Watt University
Whilst most of us don't know it, optical devices are everywhere in our connected
society; the high speed broadband we experience today has been made possible by
the use of optical components including amplifiers, switches and filters. The current
state-of-the-art sensor systems used to monitor anything from pollutants in landfill
sites to the structural integrity of bridges are also reliant on optical technologies.
Scientists from OptoScribe are blazing a trail in the development of highly-sophisticated,
ultra-fast laser inscription technologies to make this hidden, but essential, part
of our lives cheaper and more adaptable, leading to significant scientific benefits.
Ground-breaking research at the university has concentrated on adapting academic
research to real-life problems. The team's laser uses short pulses of light to 'write'
three-dimensional photonic devices in transparent materials. This allows the rapid
manufacture of 3-dimensional optical circuits, without the need for expensive fabrication
processes.
Contact: Rob Goodfellow
Tel: 01314513616
Email: R.J.Goodfellow@hw.ac.uk
An image (PN46-08OptoScribeLogo) for this project is available from the EPSRC
press office with the suggested caption: 'The OptoScribe Logo'.
Helping stroke patients learn to live again
Dr A Pelah
(StroMoHab: aiding the recovery of stroke victims)
MedTred Ltd
University of York
Strokes are the biggest single cause of disability in the developed world, and
helping patients to recover is a major priority for the medical profession. MedTred
Ltd, led by Dr Adar Pelah and his team have developed cutting-edge virtual reality
technology to help patients recover the ability to walk, following a stroke, and
learn to live again. The machine, called StroMoHab, supports the patient in a harness
whilst they use a computer controlled treadmill to walk on. The patient is immersed
in a virtual reality world, allowing them to re-establish their confidence and ability
without the fear of injury. The skills developed on the treadmill translate directly
to the real world, enabling stroke victims to quickly regain the control they had
lost.
Contact:Dr A Pelah
Tel: 01904 432364
Email: ap23@york.ac.uk
An image (PN46-08MedTredLogo) for this project is available from the EPSRC press
office with the suggested caption: 'The MedTred Ltd Logo'.
Delivering for the future – safer methods for assisted childbirth
Dr Khaled MK Ismail
(Safer assisted childbirth with Safeceps™)
PRO Medical Innovations Ltd
Keele University Medical School
Childbirth can be a stressful experience, particularly for the 50,000 women each
year whose babies are delivered using medical instruments. PRO Medical Innovations
Ltd – a university spin-out venture – have investigated the issues involved and
created the Safeceps™; a unique, and potentially revolutionary concept for
assisted childbirth. Safeceps™ is a more sophisticated take on the traditional obstetric
forceps, turning a subjective medical procedure into an objective, measurable and
quantifiable process. The Safeceps™ software system provides real-time feedback
from the forceps and in addition warns of potential dangers and approaching hazards.
The software is constantly 'learning' - cross referencing real-time data with historic
data to give the most accurate analysis of the situation. The team is currently
securing commercial support for the venture with an aim to further develop the prototype,
begin clinical trials and take the idea to market within three years.
An image (PN46-08SafecepsTeam) for this project is available from the EPSRC press
office with the suggested caption: 'The PRO Medical Innovations Team, inventors
of Safeceps™'.
Faster scans with real-time MRI
Dr Ben Panter
(Faster scans with real-time MRI)
Blackford Analysis - Realtime MRI
University of Edinburgh
Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) scans are an essential tool in modern medicine
creating a visual image of any area of the body, providing invaluable diagnostic
information for a range of illnesses and ailments. Scientists from the Blackford
Analysis - Real Time MRI Team at the University of Edinburgh have developed
a complex algorithm which will stabilise MRI images, ensuring scans deliver their
life-changing results. The technique works by realigning the image within the computer
allowing the operator to assess the quality of the image in 'real-time' as the scan
progresses, highlighting when to take action when necessary to avoid a wasted scan.
The system also allows real-time image stabilisation – keeping the image static
even if the patient moves slightly – enabling scans for children and seriously ill
patients who often struggle to stay still for the entire duration of the scan. The
process will greatly reduce the number of wasted scans, saving hospitals and health
authorities millions, as well as ensuring scans produce results for patients.
Contact:Dr Ben Panter
Tel: 0131 6688228
Email: bdp@roe.ac.uk
An image (PN46-08RealtimeMRIScan) for this project is available from the EPSRC
press office with the suggested caption: 'Examples of Realtime MRI Scans'.
Fighting the infections of the future – developing new antibiotics
Professor Neil Stoker
(Fighting infections – developing new antibiotics)
Bloomsbury Antibiotic Discovery Company
Royal Veterinary College
Mention antibiotics, and the name Alexander Fleming - the inventor of penicillin
- will spring to mind, but the need to create new antibiotics goes on. With our
emerging resistance to current antibiotics, scientists from the Bloomsbury Antibiotic
Discovery Company are working hard to develop new classes of antibiotics to
fight the infections of the future. Led by Dr Sandy Primrose with scientists from
Birkbeck College, the Royal Veterinary College, and the School of Pharmacy, Bloomsbury
Antibiotics are developing multiple classes of new compounds active against latent
tuberculosis, and so-called MRSA and E. coli "superbugs". Most organisations concentrate
on adapting third or fourth generation variations of existing antibiotics, whereas
Bloomsbury Antibiotics are creating new classes of antibiotic for use against new
cellular targets.
Contact:Professor Neil Stoker
Tel: 020 74685272
Email: nstoker@rvc.ac.uk
An image (PN46-08ProteinStructure-BloomsburyAntibiotics) for this project is
available from the EPSRC press office with the suggested caption : 'structure of
a P pilus – a target for antibiotic design'.
Notes to editors
The competition manager is Sarah Cooper.
Tel: 01793 444570
Email rcbpcomp@epsrc.ac.uk.
The event is being held in the Drake/Harris Suite at Chelsea Football Club, Fulham
Road, London, SW6 1HS. The nearest underground station is Fulham Broadway.
About Research Councils UK
The Research Councils' Business Plan Competition provides support, mentoring
and training to produce high-quality business plans to commercialise research carried
out in UK universities and research institutions. Participants in the competition
submitted business propositions from across the arts, biosciences, the environment,
science and technology.
The seven Research Councils are independent non-departmental public bodies, funded
by the Science and Research Budget through the Department of Innovation, Universities
and Skills (DIUS). They are incorporated by Royal Charter and together manage a
research budget of around £3 billion a year. Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the
partnership between the UK's seven Research Councils. Through RCUK, the Research
Councils work together to champion the research, training and innovation they support.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
- Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC)