ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FACTS AND FIGURES

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Monica Gardner
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1 ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS FACTS AND FIGURES

2 Front cover image: Graphene crystal, courtesy of the University of Manchester

3 PIONEERING RESEARCH AND SKILLS The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the main government agency for funding research and postgraduate training in the physical sciences, investing around 800 million a year to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. From mathematics to materials science, structural engineering to information & communications technology, EPSRC s portfolio underpins UK commerce and industry while generating research that helps lead to improvements in everyone s health, lifestyle and culture. This publication highlights key facts and figures and provides a snapshot of recent achievements from EPSRC s research and training portfolio.

NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS EPSRC supports and trains the most talented and forwardthinking early career researchers, investing in the next generation

4 NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS EPSRC supports and trains the most talented and forwardthinking early career researchers, investing in the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our major contribution to the flow of skills is such that we fund 34 per cent of all PhDs qualified in engineering and the physical sciences.

5 PARTNERSHIPS FOR GROWTH We have around 2,000 unique collaborators on all grants.

6 FACTS AND FIGURES Total value of EPSRC s research portfolio 2.2bn The EPSRC-funded research community is highly connected. In 2011 over 42% of papers by EPSRC-funded researchers included at least one international co-author.

KEY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROSPERITY EPSRC has Strategic Partnerships with 28 organisations, including Rolls-Royce, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline and the MoD.

7 KEY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS FOR PROSPERITY EPSRC has Strategic Partnerships with 28 organisations, including Rolls-Royce, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline and the MoD. Total research funding is 320 million 195 million from EPSRC and 125 million from our Strategic Partners. These strategic agreements have given partner organisations access to valuable long-term academic research that underpins the research they fund themselves.

NEW WELDING TECHNIQUES A welding technique for manufacturing horizontal and inclined structures, developed by researchers at the EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre at Cranfield

8 NEW WELDING TECHNIQUES A welding technique for manufacturing horizontal and inclined structures, developed by researchers at the EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre at Cranfield University, has radically improved weld-based manufacturing practices without the need for additional tooling or any type of fixtures. The process can be used to manufacture a wide range of functional parts, from small turbine blades to large aerospace structures. It also produces no waste materials. The Ready to Use Additive Manufacturing (RUAM) project attracted 21 industry partners including Airbus, Doncasters and Bombardier.

THE ROBOT YOU CAN RELATE TO EPSRC-supported scientists at Plymouth University have built a robot to study how humans interact with it, in a project that could pave the way for a generation of more

9 THE ROBOT YOU CAN RELATE TO EPSRC-supported scientists at Plymouth University have built a robot to study how humans interact with it, in a project that could pave the way for a generation of more lifelike androids. Project leader Dr Tony Belpaeme (pictured with the robot) says: People interact with robots in a similar way to the parent-child relationship. But the inert nature of most robot faces means people do not really respond to them. The robot is capable of reproducing subtle and natural expressions thanks to computer-generated responses projected onto its face. The 200,000 EPSRC-funded project is proving so influential that a number of overseas institutions are now using the technology including an experiment in Qatar to create the world s first robot receptionist.

10 FACTS AND FIGURES Number of principal and co-investigators funded as of March 2012 Over 5,500 Total value to date of joint investment with Technology Strategy Board 133m

11 META-MATERIAL COULD MAKE INVISIBILITY CLOAKS A REALITY A typical sample of Metaflex held with tweezers. A team based at the University of St Andrews and led by Dr Andrea Di Falco, an EPSRC-sponsored Career Acceleration Fellow, have developed a new material known as Metaflex. Using tiny atoms that can interact with light, the flexible smart material could theoretically appear invisible to the naked eye. Although cloaks designed to shield objects from both terahertz and near infrared waves have already been designed, a flexible material that can cloak objects from visible light poses a greater challenge. Among potential applications for the technology, the material may one day be used as an attachment to contact lenses, potentially leading to perfect eyesight.

50 ACTIVE YEARS AFTER 50 A team of EPSRC-funded researchers led by Professor John Fisher at the University of Leeds are developing new technologies that will produce replacement body parts to help

12 50 ACTIVE YEARS AFTER 50 A team of EPSRC-funded researchers led by Professor John Fisher at the University of Leeds are developing new technologies that will produce replacement body parts to help people remain active for longer. The project is focused on regenerative therapies such as joint and organ replacements that will help to ensure people can live as actively up to 100 years of age as they did up to 50 years.

3D LENS BREAKTHROUGH A new form of microscope which can produce results in seconds rather than hours dramatically speeding up the process of drug development is being developed by researchers at the

13 3D LENS BREAKTHROUGH A new form of microscope which can produce results in seconds rather than hours dramatically speeding up the process of drug development is being developed by researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. The lens will be capable of showing three-dimensional images within cells and tissues at the same time as showing the whole organism, something which is currently not possible with any single imaging device. The research is led by Dr Brad Amos, seconded to the University of Strathclyde through an EPSRC Knowledge Transfer Account. The research has also received funding from the Medical Research Council.

NOBEL PRIZE FOR PHYSICS EPSRC-funded researchers Professor André Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov shared the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics for their ground-breaking work on graphene.

14 NOBEL PRIZE FOR PHYSICS EPSRC-funded researchers Professor André Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov shared the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics for their ground-breaking work on graphene. EPSRC has supported the two materials scientists for a decade, and EPSRC funding was pivotal to their discovery of this remarkable material. The two materials scientists were subsequently knighted in 2011.

15 Nobel Prize winners, Professor Sir André Geim (left) and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov. At just one atom thick, no material is thinner than graphene - it is a million times thinner than a piece of paper and 200 times tougher than steel. Graphene is the strongest material ever measured. Among many potential applications, graphene could be used to make next-generation transistors a fraction of the size of current devices and so help miniaturise microelectronics, speed up computers and other devices. Funded through the EPSRC and Technology Strategy Board (TSB) an additional 50 million will be spent to keep the UK at the forefront of research, helping to establish the UK as a graphene research and technology hub, that will lead to the rapid commercialisation of graphene technologies in the UK.

GREEN CLEANING In the electronics industry, particularly for the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs), current technology employs harsh chemicals to provide surface treatment of the board, an

16 GREEN CLEANING In the electronics industry, particularly for the manufacture of printed circuit boards (PCBs), current technology employs harsh chemicals to provide surface treatment of the board, an essential first step in laying down the conducting pathways for the circuit. A green solution for this process may be at hand. An EPSRC-sponsored team from Coventry University s Sonochemistry Centre have devised a method involving a simple combination of water and ultrasound to treat the surface of the material used to make the printed circuit board. The team s rapid progress to date suggests that ultrasonic cleaning technology could be in place in the electronics industry within three to five years.

17 FACTS AND FIGURES Percentage of EPSRC s research portfolio that is collaborative with business and other research users 44% Number of current research fellows 397

18 FACTS AND FIGURES Number of Strategic Partnerships 28

INTELLIGENT PLASTICS Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have developed a product to help reduce the estimated 8.3 million tonnes of household food that is wasted every year in the UK.

19 INTELLIGENT PLASTICS Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have developed a product to help reduce the estimated 8.3 million tonnes of household food that is wasted every year in the UK. EPSRC has co-funded research into developing an intelligent plastic indicator that will change colour when the food is about to lose its freshness. Fresh food emits a number of gases and hormones as part of the ripening process. The level of accumulated gas in a package provides a measure of the degree of ripening undergone by the packaged fresh produce. The gas and hormones will then react with an ink in the packaging to change the colour and indicate when food had spoiled. Currently freshness indicators typically take the form of labels inserted in a package but these come at a significant cost. Professor Andrew Mills holds a film of intelligent plastic food packaging, which changes colour if the food becomes spoiled.

CHEQUE MATES An electronic cheque which eliminates the need for costly processing by banks but preserves the simplicity and ease of a traditional cheque book has been designed by a team from York,

20 CHEQUE MATES An electronic cheque which eliminates the need for costly processing by banks but preserves the simplicity and ease of a traditional cheque book has been designed by a team from York, Newcastle and Northumbria universities. The digital cheque book is part of world-leading research at Newcastle University relating to ageing and health. According to Age UK, over 70 per cent of people over 65 still frequently use cheques.

21 FACTS AND FIGURES Total value of EPSRC s training portfolio 1.1bn

22 FACTS AND FIGURES Percentage of EPSRC-funded PhD students who entered business or the public sector during 2010/ % Over 9,300 students funded through EPSRC Centres, collaborations with industry and grants to universities, as of March 2012

SOLAR CELLS SHINE Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new kind of solar cell which could capture significantly more of the energy from the sun than current cells, leading to an

23 SOLAR CELLS SHINE Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new kind of solar cell which could capture significantly more of the energy from the sun than current cells, leading to an increase in the maximum efficiency of solar panels by over 25 per cent. The research was funded by EPSRC and forms part of the RCUK Energy Programme. The team, led by Professor Neil Greenham and Professor Sir Richard Friend, have developed a hybrid cell which absorbs red light and harnesses the extra energy of blue light to boost the electrical current.

LIGHT FANTASTIC University of Cambridge researchers have developed a new technique that paves the way for the UK manufacture of affordable LED light bulbs, in a deal that researchers say could have a

24 LIGHT FANTASTIC University of Cambridge researchers have developed a new technique that paves the way for the UK manufacture of affordable LED light bulbs, in a deal that researchers say could have a dramatic impact on carbon emissions. The process will be utilised by UK semiconductor manufacturer Plessey. It involves growing gallium nitride crystals on silicon and could drastically reduce the cost of making LEDs for lighting in offices and homes. Researchers estimate that a worldwide switch to LEDs, which are far more energy-efficient than traditional tungsten filament bulbs, would enable the closure of 560 power plants and result in annual CO 2 savings equivalent to the output of all the cars on the planet. EPSRC has funded the research since its inception, over 10 years ago.

MET EFFECT Scientists at the University of Bath are working with the Met Office to improve its forecasting operations for extreme atmospheric events.

25 MET EFFECT Scientists at the University of Bath are working with the Met Office to improve its forecasting operations for extreme atmospheric events. The research has enabled a new method of adapting computational grids to increase the efficiency and reliability of Met Office operational codes for computing extreme weather events. This has led to better forecasting of surface temperature, and improved Open Road software used to advise county councils on road gritting procedures. The research was funded by EPSRC through a 3.4 million Knowledge Transfer Account.

26 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET Tel: Web site:

Engineering and physical sciences research council

Engineering and physical sciences research council KEY FacTS AND FigurES 2015 Fractal-like patterns on thin polymer films. Image courtesy of Jonathan Rickard, University of Birmingham, an entrant in the