WALES IN SILICON VALLEY

GrEGYNOG AWArdEd

fUJITSU CONTrACT

SONY Uk

POWIS

STrATEGIC

PArTNErSHIP

MIT and theUniversity of Wales

November 2011VOL. 01 NO. 01www.awenwales.com

NEWSLETTERNews and events from the University of Wales and Awen Cymru Ltd.

A NEW BEGINNINGMerger with the University of Wales: Trinity Saint david and Metropolitan University

“We want to take the best 0f Wales to the world and bring the best of the world to Wales.” Prof. M. Clement”

The University’s trading arm Awen Cymru Ltd. covers a wide range of commercial activities for the University of Wales. Awen is the welsh word for inspiration. It is part

of the motto of the Uni-versity of Wales: Goreu Awen Gwirionedd. The Best Inspiration is Truth.

Running as a complete-ly seperate entity from the University , with its own staff, board and decision-making pro-cedures, Awen’s mani

focus is on knowledge enterprise and ventur-ing.

If you’d like to see some of Awen’s activities first hand, please visit our new University of Wales shop which is located in the High Street Arcade in Cardiff city centre.

Goreu Awen GwirioneddThe Best Inspiration is Truth

Welcome to our first newsletter. It’s been a very busy year for the University of Wales and its

new trading arm Awen Cymru Ltd.

Our Prince of Wales Innovation (PoWIS) Scholars are now working with various companies across

Wales; we’ve celebrated 50 years at our newly re-vamped Gregynog Hall and our Press has been nomi-nated for several prestigious awards.

The University of Wales has recently joined forces with Sony and MIT in exciting new collaborations.

Another new partnership is taking place, with the merger of the Trinity University College, and Met-ropolitan University, creating the new University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

This newsletter features some of the developments and commercial activities which have taken place

at the University of Wales during the past year. We hope you enjoy reading our latest news.

YmgynghoriaethAwenis-gwmni ym mherchnogaeth lwyr Prifysgol Cymru

YSBRYDOLI ARLOESEDD

www.awenwales.com

Mae Ymgynghoriaeth Awen yn is-gwmni ym mherchnogaeth lwyr Prifysgol Cymru, yn darparu gwasanaethau dan reolaeth prosiectau yn defnyddio nifer o sefydliadau a sefydliadau cyswllt o safon fyd-eang Prifysgol Cymru, gyda chronfa helaeth iawn o dalent, yn cynnwys:

Ysgolion RheolaethYmchwil Dylunio a Datblygu CynhyrchionAthrofa Gwyddor BywydYsgoloriaethau Arloesi Tywysog Cymru (POWIS).

Caiff pob prosiect ei reoli’n fewnol gan dîm o reolwyr prosiect PRINCE2 penodedig sydd â phrofiad o ddiwydiant, a fydd yn tywys y cleient trwy bob cam o’r prosiect, o’r dechrau i’r diwedd.

Amdanom ni

Awen Consulting a solely owned subsidiary of the University of Wales

www.awenwales.com

Awen Consulting is a solely owned subsidiary of the University of Wales, providing project managed services via a number of world class University of Wales institutions and affiliates, with a very wide pool of talent, including:

Schools of ManagementProduct Design and Development ResearchInstitute of Life SciencesPrince of Wales Innovation Scholarships (POWIS).

Each project is managed in house by a team of dedicated industry experienced PRINCE2 qualified project mangers, who will take a client through each stage of a project, from start to finish.

About us

A sense of historyand a new beginning

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales and the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David, Professor Medwin Hughes said:

“I warmly welcome the his-toric decision taken today by the University of Wales Coun-cil. The transformed Univer-sity will serve and deliver for Wales. Our country will have several Universities which can all be regarded as national institutions, each one deliv-ering to their core strengths and specific mission. After a decade of leading academic institutions, I look forward to working with the Government and other institutions in Wales to establish a strong higher education sector. Wales needs strong brands, and the Univer-sity of Wales has committed itself to an irreversible change which will deliver for our Na-tion; it signifies a sense of his-tory but also a commitment to a new beginning.”

The University of Wales Council re-affirmed its merger with the

University of Wales: Trinity Saint David and Swansea Metropolitan University. In a significant change to its previous position Council agreed that the unified institution will be merged under the historic 1822 Royal Charter of Trinity Saint David, rather than under the 1893 Univer-sity of Wales Charter.

The Trinity Saint David Charter is the oldest university Charter

outside of Oxford and Cambridge in England and Wales. The govern-ing body of Swansea Metropolitan University has also confirmed its commitment to this proposal as has the governing body of University of Wales: Trinity St David.

The University’s decision was made in the context of the

objectives set by the Welsh Gov-ernment and in particular the rec-ommendations of the Review of Higher Education Governance (the McCormick Review) with regard to the reconfiguration of higher educa-tion. This merger, as approved today, addresses all of the requirements identified in the McCormick Review.

The University of Wales has served the people of Wales for almost 120

years, and the Council has reflected upon its heritage and inheritance to the nation. The transformed University will build on existing brand loyalty and will enhance its influence on public life in Wales and within an international context. To this end the transformed University proposes to establish a Wales Trust which will act as a stakeholder group.

At its meeting, the University of Wales Council also resolved to

establish Adduned Cymru – a Wales Pledge –– which will secure an ongoing commitment within the transformed University to support Welsh culture. This commitment will include the Univer-sity of Wales Press, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (A Dictionary of the Welsh Lan-guage), support for Welsh and Celtic Studies and support for The Learned Society of Wales. The Pledge will also articulate a clear commitment to the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and will ensure that the transformed University will continue to support the develop-ment and enhancement of Welsh medi-um provision in higher education. This resolution will be honoured through a ‘Deed of Commitment’.

A new beginning

10

Over 1,000 graduates andtheir guests joined theUniversity of Wales to

mark the end of their studies ingraduation celebrations spreadbetween Cardiff and London.

On Friday 6th May, scholars from acrossthe globe descended upon the iconicWales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.

Presided over by the Most Reverend DrBarry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales andPro-Chancellor of the University of Wales,each student was personally greeted byVice-Chancellor Professor Marc Clement,along with the Chair of the University’sCouncil and other senior officers of theUniversity of Wales.

The ceremonies were also streamed liveon the University’s web pages enablingfriends and family who weren’t able tomake the journey to Cardiff to see theirloved ones’ shining moment on stage inthe spotlight.

“This was a truly international event. It provided the opportunityfor individuals to celebrate their achievement in front of aninternational audience and created a morale boost for me todevelop my professional career.”Dammika Liyanage, University of Wales Graduate

Graduation Celebration 2011

The University of Wales signed an agreement with the Geospatial Data

Centre (GDC) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineer-ing System Division to work together to develop solutions for cyber security research and education.

The agreement is one of the main outcomes of a major summit held

in Cardiff to discuss key issues in the critically important and growing area of Cyber Security. With leading aca-demics from some of the world’s top universities such as Harvard University and the University of Oxford in at-tendance, delegates met at the Na-tional Museum for Wales for the first ever geospatial cyber-physical supply chain summit, hosted by the Univer-sity of Wales.

They were joined by representatives from the United Nations, US De-

partment of Defense, Northrop Grum-mann, Microsoft, IBM and Sonalysts.

New Strategic Partner

MIT & University of Wales partner to develop cyber-security research and education

Organised by the University of Wales Global Academy and MIT’s Geospatial Data Centre, the summit discussed specific aspects of the cyber-security threat, including environ-mental security, supply chain management and high perfor-mance computing.

Professor Marc Clement, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wales, was delighted that the University of Wales was able to host this unique and ground-breaking event with colleagues at MIT and saw it as a major coup for Wales:

“Part of the mission of the Global Academy is about bring-ing the best of the World to Wales, and we have had a won-derful event over the last two days that will make a real dif-ference to the discourse on the growing importance of cyber security in all aspects of our lives”.

Following the event, Professor John Williams, Director of MIT’s Geospatial Data Centre, said:

“The summit has been a tre-mendous success. The con-ference has concluded that a multidisciplinary team is neces-sary to address the problems of cyber security and that the UK and the US would need to produce many thousands of experts in this field over the next few years. That’s why the Geospatial Data Centre at MIT and the University of Wales have signed an agreement to jointly develop solutions for cyber security leadership and training, an agreement that will place Wales at the forefront of developments in this area.”

“Connecting Welsh technology companies to Silicon Valley is crucial to accelerate Welsh in-novation. Silicon Valley is home to the world’s largest technology companies as well as the num-ber one location for VC funding where more than 40% of all US VC Investment is transacted - Wales is now part of this with the Initiative of University of Wales locating a foothold in downtown San Jose.”

Sir Terry Matthews, Newport-born serial hi-tech entrepreneur, said: “San Jose and the remain-der of Silicon Valley continue as a major concentration of high technology companies and ven-ture capitalists. The new Welsh Innovation Office will be a signifi-cant benefit to any new company looking to enter the market for sales opportunities or access to sources of capital. I congratulate the team on this initiative”

In a move that will propel innova-tive Welsh companies into the

heart of the American venture capi-tal market, the University of Wales has opened an office in San-Jose, the self-proclaimed ‘capital of Silicon Valley’.

The Irish Innovation Centre (IIC), a launch-pad organisation for Irish

start-up businesses in Silicon Valley, has invited the University of Wales to base itself within their company in a nod to a shared Celtic heritage and entrepreneurial spirit.

Together with its affiliate or-ganisation, the Irish Technol-

ogy Leadership Group (ITLG), the Centre offers a wealth of resources to technology companies making the difficult transition across the Atlantic, including office space, legal and administrative help, conference facilities, and media/PR support.

The support network of the IIC, coupled with its location in Sili-

con Valley, will present a goldmine of opportunity for Welsh companies wishing to penetrate the US market. The establishment of a Welsh en-trepreneurial base in the area could potentially make the US a far less hostile or risky area for Welsh inves-tors and businessman, serving the dual purpose of diversifying and stimulating the Welsh economy.

When Professor Dylan Jones-Evans, Director of Enterprise

and Innovation of the University of Wales, first heard about the IIC, he was very impressed by its concept and thought that Wales ought to have its own equivalent, which is ex-actly what he has set about to estab-lish. Professor Jones-Evans said:

“It will be an office for Wales, for Welsh business and for high-

technology firms that want to have a presence in Silicon Valley. Our aim is for Wales to have a foothold in the area through working closely with the Irish Innovation Centre to help a few companies to come over there and see how it works. If we are success-ful, then there may be the possibility of replicating the concept for Welsh companies.” .

Essentially the role of the University of Wales will be to provide an office-space for Welsh companies who feel ready to present their innovation technology to potential investors in Silicon Valley, taking advantage of the soft-landing that the IIC provides to companies already based there. Professor Jones-Evans is quick to acknowledge the important role of organisations like the IIC in promot-ing innovation.

John Hartnett, founder of the IIC and chief executive of the ITLG, wel-comed the decision by the University of Wales to locate an office in Silicon Valley:

Wales in Silicon Valley

The recent achievement of the coveted Investors in People award has enabled the Univer-sity of Wales Gregynog Hall to introduce exciting new busi-ness initiatives.

Karen Armstrong, Director of Gregynog Hall at Tregynon, near Newtown, says achieve-ment of the IIP Leadership and Management Model, on her second anniversary in post, reflects a commitment to con-stantly improve service quality and business performance. The model provides a framework of good working practices to fol-low, which enables businesses to plan, develop and benefit from effective internal leader-ship and management.

“Development of tourism and our weddings business, stag-ing more events, opening the Grade I Listed gardens to the general public and launch-ing our courtyard café have all been made more achiev-able through leadership and management. The model is an example of exemplary HR management which, hopefully, is just one facet of running the wider estate.” said Karen.

Gregynog Hall estate compris-es the eye-catching black and white mansion, picturesque gardens, a woodland Site of Special Scientific Interest, 11 tenant farms and a reservoir. Fifty staff are employed on the estate, which was bequeathed by Margaret Davies as a deed of gift to the University of Wales half a century ago.

Gregynog Achieves Leadership and Management Award

Gregynog awarded

fujitsu contract

It represents a quantum leap forward in high performance computing in Wales. It will give Wales the most advanced and evolving computing tech-nology available.

High performance computing technology has the capacity to handle and analyse mas-sive amounts of data at high speed, bringing innovation to the market faster.

The High Performance Com-puting Wales (HPC Wales) pro-ject is of strategic importance to the Welsh economy, creat-ing super computing capabil-ity and capacity across Wales, accessible to both universities and industry. It will position Wales as a leading internation-al centre for specialist compu-tational research, providing a strong competitive advantage.

fujitsu win contract to boost super computing in Wales

The scale and distributed na-ture of the undertaking, com-bined with its open access to business, makes it a unique initiative, unprecedented in the UK and the rest of Europe.

The investment in super com-puting facilities and equip-

ment, accessible via a net-work linked to 12 sites across Wales, is backed by a major investment in high level skills development and training, as well as tailor-made train-ing and research support for business.

Fujitsu will commence work immediately, with support from their partners, including household names such as Microsoft and Intel. The aim is for the HPC project to be fully operational before the end of this year.

The main computer hubs for HPC Wales will be in Cardiff and Swansea/Pembroke, linked to spokes at Swan-sea, Aberystwyth, Bangor and the University of Glam-organ, with further links to University of Wales Alliance Universities and business in-novation centres throughout Wales.The £40m investment will cover equipment, man-agement and operational costs over the first five years to 2015. HPC Wales will de-velop a plan to deliver sus-tainability at the end of five years.

The High Performance Computing Wales (HPC Wales) project is of strategic importance to the Welsh economy

Global technology giant Fu-jitsu has today (March 22)

been named as the successful bidder to partner with the Uni-versities in Wales to create a unique £40 million world-class super computing network, a research and innovation insti-tute and a skills academy.

The supporting infrastruc-ture will stretch to the four

corners of Wales and have a reach across the rest of the globe.

The contract is worth £15 million over four years to

Fujitsu, who will provide infra-structure and services.

Striking an innovative partnership, the University of Wales Global Acad-

emy, in cooperation with Sony UK’s Technology Centre, recently awarded the University of Wales Newport a Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarship (POWIS).

The POWIS award will fund a dedi-cated researcher to work at Sony

for three years to develop their tech-nological capabilities while, at the same time, studying for a PhD under the academic supervision of the Uni-versity. It will cover all tuition fees and an annual stipend of £20,000 (3 years) plus a one off research grant of £5,000.

In forming this faction, both the Cog-nitive Robotics Research Centre and

Sony UK gain access to a high calibre scientist with cutting-edge ideas who will help to drive research and busi-ness forward.

Panakos Andreas from Greece, a graduate of Electronic and Com-

puter Engineering from the Techni-cal University of Crete, is the scholar chosen to embark on this particular project – he begins this month.

Sony Uk collaboration

The University of Wales Global Academy and Sony UK share common vision

Sony is a leading global manu-facturer of audio, video, com-munications and information technology products. It estab-lished a Welsh manufacturing plant (Sony UK Technology Centre) at Pencoed in 1992, of-ficially opened by Her Majesty the Queen. Sony UK Technol-ogy Centre manufactures high technology broadcast, profes-sional cameras and camera systems for the world-wide market.

The University of Wales Global Academy has specifically de-signed POWIS to bring the private sector together with bright graduates from around the world and academic exper-tise from both within Wales and around the globe. Launched in 2009 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the POWIS scheme, which is part funded by the Eu-ropean Regional Development Fund, and investment from the University of Wales itself, has an £11.4M budget with which to encourage Welsh companies to undertake collaborative R&D innovation projects.

Sony UK Technology Centre General Manager, Gerald Kelly, spoke of his enthusiasm for the project:

“Here at Sony, we’ve always believed in long-term business partnerships, particularly with academia. Having a POWIS scholar on board is a fantastic opportunity to get support from academia over a period of 3 years, which we are confi-dent, will help us achieve our goals for this project. I whole-heartedly support the POWIS project and look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.”

POWIS brings in £12.5million to Welsh economy

In less than two years since its first scholar was appointed, the Prince

of Wales Innovation Scholarship (POWIS) project has demonstrated its potential to help Welsh compa-nies boost their innovation capacity, speed to market and commerciali-sation potential. It is also helping companies attract investors to Wales from innovation hotspots such as Silicon Valley in the USA and to work with prestigious institutions such as the MIT.

Launched in 2009, POWIS has already exceeded its European

funding targets for the number of enterprises which it has created, in-vestment induced and the number of new products registered.

POWIS is an £11M business fo-cused innovation programme

part funded by the European Re-gional Development Fund (ERDF), the University of Wales and the private sector which is running until December 2014.

For example, POWIS was tasked with helping its participating companies

attract £10M of new investment in their R&D projects by 2014. Remarkably, less than two years into its five year period, POWIS has already exceeded its overall investment target by raising £12.5M, more than the overall cost of the pro-gramme itself and significantly more than the £400k ERDF drawn down to date.

PoWIS ProgrammeThe programme also had a

target of establishing five new enterprises by 2014 but had created seven new businesses by September 2011. At this stage of the programme, POWIS should have supported 44 collaborative R&D projects with participating companies. Instead, it has actu-ally supported 72 collaborative R&D projects within the Conver-gence region of Wales. It has also enabled 44 new products, pro-cesses and services to be regis-tered against an overall project target of 30 new products, pro-cesses and services.

These early stage results show clearly that not only does working with POWIS help Welsh companies innovate better and grow faster, but that large numbers of com-panies are choosing to work with POWIS because it offers a unique combination of inno-vation support services pre-viously unavailable to Welsh enterprises.

European-funded programme exceeds target in less than two years and helps to attract investors from Silicon Valley.

A POWIS Scholar and Mechanical Engineering graduate, Chris Moriarty, will be workingwith the Swansea Institute ofLife Sciences and its Calon Cardio team on the pro-duction ofa revolutionary new heart pump.

It may be only the diameter of an AA battery, but the tiny heart assist pump, known as ‘Calon’ (Welsh for heart), being developed by the Swansea-based company, aims to trans-form the lives of the millions of people across the world suffer-ing from heart disease.

Chris will be undertaking his PhD to examine how to re-duce the production cost of the heart assist pump by as-sessing the material selection and manufacturing processes. Whilst Calon’s device is cur-rently manufactured from titanium – an expensive mate-rial with high manufacturing costs – Chris hopes to develop a low cost alternative based on a polymer or ceramic design.

POWIS is part-funded by the European Regional Develop-ment Fund (ERDF) through the European Union’s Conver-gence programme adminis-tered by the Welsh Assembly Government, private sector investment and the University of Wales’s own funds. The Uni-versity is actively seeking new companies and research pro-jects all year round.

Medical innovationPoWIS scholar works with In-stitute of Life Sciences and Calon Cardio team.

University of Walessponsors research chair

University researchNew Research chair sponsored by the University of Wales. Professor Kelvin Donne of Swansea Metropolitan Univer-sity is the first recipient of a University of Wales sponsored Research Chair.

Professor Donne is Dean of the Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering at Swansea Met-ropolitan University. In 2007, he was awarded the prestig-ious National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Stand-ards (NAFEMS) World Congress award for Most Innovative Use

One of seven new research Chairs being funded by the University.

One of seven new Research Chairs being funded by the University, five of which will be based within institutions which form the ‘University of Wales Alliance’ which includes the University of Wales; Swansea Metropolitan University; Uni-versity of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC); University of Wales Newport; Glyndŵr University; Trinity University College, Carmarthen and University of Wales, Lam-peter.

The Chairs will also act as focal points for work on pan-Alliance initiatives. This in-cludes working with the University’s pres-tigious industry-based programme, the Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships (POWIS).

Congratulating Professor Donne on his appointment, University of Wales Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marc Clement, said:

“The University is delighted to welcome Kelvin Donne as the first University of Wales Research Chair. The developments planned at Swansea Metropolitan Univer-sity exemplify the approach being adopt-ed by the University of Wales Alliance to support and benefit Welsh industry using innovative thinking and applied research.”

University Shop

University of Wales launches new webshopwww.awenwales.com/shop

Whether you are looking for a memento of your time as a student of the Univer-sity of Wales, or searching for gifts for friends and fam-ily, the University of Wales Shop is the perfect place to visit.

The University Shop, locat-ed in the heart of Cardiff’s castle quarter, features a wide selection of high qual-ity merchandise such as clothing, jewellery and gifts carrying the University’s logo.

As well as merchandise, the shop is perfect for the general book lover as well as the more seasoned aca-demic reader, with a broad range of books and journals published by the University of Wales Press available to purchase.

The online shop also offers you the chance to purchase a more ornate, hand-fin-ished version of your de-gree certificate for display purposes as a unique me-mento of your studies at the University.

It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, shop se-curely online now at

www.awenwales.com/shop