NETWorks Winter 2010

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NETWORKSThe Sc ience Engineer ing & Technology Magazine


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CONTENTS

06. NEWS & EVENTS...NOT TO BE MISSED

07. THE NETPARK CONNECTOR PROJECT

08. SOLAR PV - YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED09. FROM SCIENCE 2 BUSINESS...AS EASY AS ABC

10. DEVELOPMENT OF LOW CARBON PLANT UNDER WAY

11. NEW OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE FOUNDATION DESIGN

12. NE FIRMS CAPITALISE ON SOLAR POTENTIAL

15. INVESTING IN INNOVATION

16. APPROVAL GIVEN FOR ONSHORE TEST RIGS

17. FIRST SWITCH EV CARS HIT THE ROAD IN NE ENGLAND

18. MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH ON OFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT

19. SCIENTISTS HELP SHAPE A GREEN FUTURE FOR EGYPT

21. FAMILY FOOD SUPPORT INSPIRES SOFTWARE SUCCESS

22. STEM CELLS AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

23. BRINGING SCIENCE TO LIFE

24. SUPPORTING SCIENCE AND H EALTHCARE COMPANIES

25. DRIVING INNOVATION IN HEALTHCARE AND WELLBEING

26. EASI ACCESS TO NATIONAL CLIENTS

27. THE KINGS FUND RESPONSE TO THE SPENDING REVIEW

28. ROOM TO GROW AT NETPARK

29. IMPROVING THE WAY IN WHICH BREAST CANCER IS DET ECTED

31. 2M SECURED FOR POINT OF NEED DIAGNOSTICS

32. EXPLOSIVE RESEARCH CASTS NEW LIGHT ON SUPERNOVAS

33. IMPROVED TESTING METHOD FOR AUTISM

34. TEST COULD PROVIDE ADVANCED WARNING OF EARTHQUAKES

35. THATS YOUR LOT!

36. RECRUITMENT COMPANY SUPPORTS BUSINESS EXPANSION

37. BREAKING THAT AWKWARD SILENCE

38. TIGERS AND POLAR BEARS HIG HLY VULNERABLE

39. CASTING LIGHT ON A DISTANT GALAXY

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Where brilliantideas grow.

The NETPark Incubator doesnt just provide space to work, it provides a total-support

environment in which science and technology businesses can develop and grow.

I your business is based on the research, design and development o new

technologies, and displays the potential and ambition or growth through

innovation, then why not join us? I you have a product to develop, well help you

turn it into a business.

To fnd out more, visit us at:www.NorthEastTechnologyPark.comOr contact us at:

The NETPark Incubator, Thomas Wright Way, Sedgefeld, County Durham TS21 3FD

e-mail: [email protected]

NETPark enquiries: +44 (0)1740 625180

where business grows

NETPark is developed by:

INCUBATOR


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NEWS & EVENTS...NOT TO BE MISSED

THE NETPARKCONNECTOR PROJECT

THE SCIENCE ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE7

Project C (C or Commercialisation, Collaboration andCommunities), aims to embed innovation in local communitiesusing NETPark - the North East Technology Park at Sedgeeld - as aocus to build partnerships between the community, education, andbusinesses. The project is a joint initiative between Durham Universityand the County Durham Development Company and is undeduntil at least the end o March 2012 to raise aspirations and increaseawareness o opportunities in science, engineering and technology.

SCHOOLS AND EXTENDED SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

In partnership with local schools and colleges, the project team hasdeveloped science and innovation workshops andactivities suitableor KS3, 4 and post-16 students that can be delivered in schools.These activities aim to engage pupils and enhance learning andinclude ater-school science club sessions and workshops on topicsincluding DNA, orensics, smart materials and electronics, as well asbusiness planning, transerrable skills development and inventionworkshops.

Special themed days can be run in school, at NETPark or at DurhamUniversity including innovation days or oundation science studentsand amazing materials days or KS3.

Current school projects include:

n Full on utures, student-researched and organised science careersevents.

n A science careers lming project to support Kinetick, NETParkswebsite linking pupils with industry to address real businesschallenges.

n School science estivals or local communities.

n Recharging the Earth, in collaboration with Sanyo in which studentsdevelop materials to raise awareness o the science behindbatteries and battery recycling, to encourage sustainable living andemphasize the potential o science to inorm sustainable living.

n A business planning competition primarily or Key Stage 4 students.

n Scientists@work, a practical and competition-based projectbringing teams o secondary (Year 12) or FE students into directcontact with a working scientist.

n Summer schools/residential events providing unique opportunitiesor students to benet rom innovative and challenging courses

and a ull and varied social programme to give students agenuine experience o lie in a university.

n A orensics project where students are challenged to analyse acrime scene using cutting-edge techniques.

n A renewable energy project or students to explore developingtechnologies.

COMMUNITIES PROGRAMMES

There are also opportunities or community groups, including amilyand adult learners, to become involved in the NETPark Connectoractivities. One-o special events such as NETParks summerBrainwave event, evening Appliance o Science workshops andholiday amily science activities orm part o the project. Scienceand books are being investigated in local libraries whilst a s cience-art project and workshops aiming to support parents/guardians insupporting their childrens learning are in development.

LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED?

The project team are keen to develop partnerships with businessesand individuals, developing new projects and giving students andcommunity groups the opportunity to understand the contributionthat local organisations are making in the commercialisation oscience and technology products and services.

As part o our drive to raise aspirations o young people acrossCounty Durham to encourage their innovative fair and to supporttheir entrepreneurial ambition, we are currently looking to recruitvolunteers to act as mentors to student groups, to be a judge inour Business Planning Competition or to support STEM enrichmentactivities in schools and colleges. I you are keen to share yourknowledge, passion and experience to challenge young people,to help raise their aspirations and to encourage their innovativefair and entrepreneurial ambition, we would welcome yourinvolvement.

Please contact Lorraine Coghill on 0191 334 2331- [email protected].

NETPARK NET CLINIC SCHEDULE 2011 FIRST QUARTER

DATE SESSION EXPERT COMPANY TOPIC

25th Jan 2011 Joanna Berry & Paul Watson Inkspot Cloud Computing benets to your company?

1st Feb 2011 Nick Edgar IP Group Access to Equity Finance

8th Feb 2011 Martin Vinsome UDL IP advice or your business

22nd Feb 2011 Sean Robson Nimis Tendering or opportunities and winning contracts

8th Mar 2011 Esteban Chaparro Centre or Process Industries Commercialising your high-tech opportunities

22nd Mar 2011 Bruce Watson Northumbria University Design expertise or high growth businesses

2009 CARBON EMISSIONS FALL SMALLER THAN EXPECTED

An analysis o 2009 emissions data issued in the journal NatureGeoscience shows that carbon emissions ell in 2009 due to therecession.

However, at 1.3% the gure is below the projected level.Industrialised nations saw big alls in emissions - but majordeveloping countries saw a continued rise.

NUCLEAR BATTERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TANKERS?

New designs that could deliver saer, cleaner and commerciallyviable orms o propulsion or the global merchant feet arehigh on the agenda. A consortium which brings together British,American and Greek interests is to look at the possibilities o smallmodular reactors (SMRs).

The Strategic Research Group at Lloyds Register, HyperionPower Generation Inc., British designer BMT Nigel Gee, andGreek ship operator Enterprises Shipping and Trading SA are tolead the research into nuclear propulsion, which they believeis technically easible and could drastically reduce the CO2emissions caused by commercial shipping.

SCOTLAND PUBLISHES ITS LOW CARBON ECONOMIC STRATEGY

November saw the launch o the Scottish Governments plansto utilise Scotlands natural resources in a way that will ensure

economic growth, cut emissions and secure an estimated 60,000new green jobs.

The low-carbon economy strategy is built around thedevelopment o low carbon goods, processes and services in

rapidly expanding markets. It aims to ocus public sector supporton low-carbon industries whilst orging new private sector andinternational partnerships.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION RELEASES ENERGY STRATEGY TO 2020

November proved a popular month or energy strategies asthe European Commission (EC) presented its energy strategytowards 2020, naming ve top priorities, including creating apan-European integrated energy market and maintainingEuropean leadership in energy research and development.

Energy 2020, A strategy or competitive, sustainable and secureenergy sets the agenda or an EU energy summit to take placenext February.

SOLAR PV NEEDS A STABLE FRAMEWORK

In a response to Energy 2020, the European PhotovoltaicIndustry Association (EPIA) says all necessary national supportinstruments or renewable energy including solar photovoltaics(PV) must be preserved.

LOW-CARBON ENERGY CAN MEET NEEDS BY 2050

The Ris Energy Report 9 lists a wide range o energytechnologies in the market with low or no emissions ogreenhouse gases, describing how several o these will be made

commercially available in the next decades.The report predicts that, taken as a whole, energy sources withlow or no carbon emissions could easily cover the global energysupply in 2050.


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FROM SCIENCE 2 BUSINESS...AS EASY AS ABC

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An innovative project looking into potential bio-mass materialsis close to conclusion, and Teesside Universitys Science 2Business (S2B) Hub is keen to spread the word about the utureo low carbon manuacturing in the region.

The Assessing Biomass to Chemicals (ABC) Project, sponsoredby DEFRA and DECC through the Renewable Materials LINKProgramme, is assessing the commercially sound conversion obiomass to chemicals. Eight representative industrial chemicalproducts have been investigated to assess methods oproducing chemicals sustainably.

The conversion o biomass to chemicals is vital to the uture omany industries, as developing ways o reducing the usage oossil uels in chemical production becomes more critical.

The S2B Hubs Project Manager, Dr Roy Huzzard, understandsthe importance o such projects. He said, Innovation doesnt

just happen! Science using companies rom the North Eastmust be made aware o excellent collaborative projects likethis, so they have the knowledge and condence to make astart. Thats where we come in. S2B helps create projects andinnovative solutions to help businesses meet the economic andtechnological challenges that lie ahead.

Teesside University, led by Proessor Maria Olea, alongsidethe universities o Newcastle and Surrey have drawn on theexpertise o seven ront-line industrial partners AkzoNobel,GrowHow, Scott Bader, Jacobs Engineering, GraphiteResources, Link2Energy together with recent member Invista, toexplore a wide range o possible bio-mass material. Wood chip,municipal waste and cereal/cereal waste have been identiedas most suited to its needs.

The North East o England Process Industry Clusters TechnicalManager, Mark Lewis, explains, The range covers key bulkchemicals such as ethylene and ammonia which provideertilisers and base materials or everyday living in the UK.But it also looks at speciality chemicals such as styrene andpropylene glycol which also have an important job to do inmeeting specic needs o society.

The consortium considered sources likely to be plentiul,competitively priced and not competing or use o agriculturalland needed to supply the ood chain. Its ultimate aim is toachieve a practical understanding about which industrialchemicals could be manuactured most cost-eectively romthe biomass types under examination.

With the source bio-material dened, the project is lookingat possible manuacturing routes. It is also addressing twoundamentally dierent processing principles ther mochemistryand ermentation which oer potential and justiyexamination. It expects to have a listing o possible routings andan insight into associated costs in the near uture.

Finally, the project will investigate uture scenarios to assess andoptimise when a cross-over might be economically attractiverom oil-based manuacturing.

Find out more about the Science 2 Business Hub and their workwith companies in the North East, visit www.tees.ac.uk/s2b.

SOLAR PV - YOURQUESTIONS, ANSWERED

THE SCIENCE ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE

A typical domestic Solar PV system could generate an incomeo about 850 annually. For an initial layout o between 6-10,000 payback could be achieved within 7 12 years.

Solar Photovoltaics (PV) work? They convert the energycontained within the suns rays into DC electricity. The strengtho a PV cell is measured in kilowatt peak (kWp) - thats t heamount o energy the cell generates in ull sunlight. The greaterthe intensity o light, the greater the level o electrical chargegenerated.

What are the costs? A typical domestic solar PV systems costsbetween 5000 - 7000 per kW. Most domestic systems rangerom 1-2kW, thereore the cost should be in the range o 5000- 14,000 ully installed. A roo integrated system will cost morethan panels placed on top o the roo, however i your rooneeds replacing this could provide a great opportunity to installan integrated solar system.

What are the savings? The government have recentlyintroduced the Feed in Tari. The scheme requires energysuppliers to make regular payments to householders andcommunities who generate their own electricity romrenewable technologies, it will benet the generator in 3 ways:

1. Generation tari a set rate paid by the energy supplier oreach unit (or kWh) o electricity you generate and once you

join you will continue on the same tari or 25 years in t he caseo solar electricity (PV). This could mean a system is paid or in10 years but continues at a higher rate or the remaining 15.

2. Export tari you will receive a urther 3p/kWh rom yourenergy supplier or each unit you export back to the electricitygrid. The export rate is the same or all technologies.

3. Energy bill savings you will be making savings on yourelectricity bills, because generating electricity to power yourappliances means you dont have to buy as much electricityrom your energy supplier. The amount you save will varydepending how much o the electricity you use on site.

Stand alone systems or grid connected? In some areas theremay not be an option to connect to the grid. In such cases aSolar PV will generate electricity straight in to your building or viaa battery system. Even i you are o - grid, you will still be eligibleto receive a generation tari at the rate 29.3p/kWh. I yoursystem is not tted directly to a building but electricity generatedis wired back to the building to be used on site, then you will beeligible to receive the tari rate (see www.est.org.uk).

Is your roo strong enough? Solar panels are not particularlyheavy, however the roo must be strong enough to take theirweight, especially i the panel is placed on top o existing tiles.I in doubt, ask a construction expert or an installer. They canalso be installed on a garage roo or the ground.

How do I nd an installer? In all cases, installers should beMicrogeneration Certication Scheme certied installers(inormation overlea), otherwise you will not be able to claimthe Feed in Tari. As in all situations ensure you secure at leastthree quotes.


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NEW OFFSHORE WINDTURBINE FOUNDATION DESIGN

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It is anticipated that the market or oshore turbines willsignicantly outstrip the current manuacturing ca pacity.A consortium o companies rom the Northern Way regionare examining a new and innovative abrication process oroshore wind turbine oundations which has the potential toallow the necessary production capacity to be met.

Several oundation concepts are being considered or thenext generation o oshore turbines, including monopiles,tripods and braced jacket structures. All are manuacturedrom tubular steel sections. Typically, these are abricated byrolling thick plate and welding longitudinally to produce cansand then joining the sections together with circumerentialwelds. Rolling thick plate (>100mm) requires heavy rollsand hence high capital investment, limiting the numbero acilities capable o carrying out the process. It is also atime consuming operation and the length o each ring isrestricted by the width o the rolls and plates, commonlyto 3-4 metres. The novel multi-aceted design proposedin this work is abricated rom strips o fat plate weldedtogether longitudinally, hence eliminating the rolling step.This allows sub-assemblies o greater than 10m in length to bemanuactured, reducing the number o circumerential weldsnecessary in the oundation. This approach is enabled throughthe use o rapid, thick-section welding techniques or thelongitudinal seams.

Geotechnical and structural aspects o the proposed designconcept have been considered to determine whether theoundations will be t or purpose. Preliminary results havedemonstrated that a multi-aceted design can be developedwith equivalent section properties to the circular design,albeit with a thicker wall. Detailed calculations have shownsatisactory perormance in the Ultimate Limit State andServiceability Limit State. Initial results show suitable atigueperormance and urther analysis is being carried out to lookat this aspect in detail. Increased wave load, abricationtolerance and weld location have been highlighted asimportant actors in the structural assessment o multi-acetedoundations.

The entire production route is currently being examined interms o perormance, logistics and economics, in order todetermine the viability o the novel multi-aceted approach.

The FabFound project is a collaboration between TWI, RCIDat Newcastle University, SEtech, Parsons Brinkerho, McNultyOshore Construction, Vattenall Wind Power, Scottish PowerRenewables and Clipper Windpower Marine. The work issupported by the Northern Wind Innovation Programme.

DEVELOPMENT OF LOWCARBON PLANT UNDER WAY


Work has started on a unique new low-carbon technology thatgenerates electricity using waste heat rom industrial sites inNorth East England.

The DRD Power project will be demonstrated at the HuntsmanPigments site at Greatham, Hartlepool, using hot water romthe plant to generate up to 200kW electricity - saving between600 and 750 tonnes o CO2 per year.

Stuart Johnson, Site Development Manager at Huntsmansaid: We are very pleased to host the trial o this cutting-edge technology on our site. It demonstrates our continuingcommitment to develop sustainable, energy ecientmanuacturing and to reducing our impact on theenvironment.

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit will use waste waterrom the plant to heat a fuid with a lower boiling point, andthe resulting pressure drives a generator. The unit is capableo recovering low-grade heat (between 90-130C) generatedby the process industries which is currently emitted to theatmosphere.

This 1m project is due to be operational by March 2011 andhas received 248,000 investment rom One North East throughthe Tees Valley Industrial Programme.

As well as being used or waste heat recovery at processplants, the ORC technology could be used at industrial sitesincluding reneries, petrochemical complexes, steel works,

cement works, paper mills and as part o biomass, CHP andwaste-to-energy plants.

Ian Williams, Director o Business and Industry at One NorthEast, said: The technology that DRD Power is developing ishighly innovative, has the potential to be applied in a rangeo other areas and will clearly increase the eciency o plantoperations, leading to lower carbon emissions and lowerenergy costs.

Should this pilot prove successul, the ORC unit will be o greatinterest to businesses throughout the region, allowing NorthEast England to gain a competitive advantage and to urtherstrengthen our reputation as a centre o innovation and aleader in developing the low carbon economy.

* The Tees Valley Industrial Programme (TVIP) is a 60m investment overthe next two years rom One North East and the Department or Business,Innovation and Skills (BIS) to support

A schematic representationo a welding bay orproducing the longitudinalseams within the multi-aceted design.

A joint in a potential 10sided oundation design.The joint was made usingthe high speed reducedpressure electron beam(RPEB) welding process.

A proposed noveldesign o windtower oundation,abricated romfat plate. This multi-acetted approachto abrication has thepotential to meet theincreasing capacityor wind arms at areduced cost.

Modelling o the atiguestresses within a 10 sided

oundation design.

Each segment o the multi-aceted oundation couldbe in excess o 10 metresin length, whereas usingconventional manuacturingmethods each ring is 3-4mlong. Consequently, the newdesign reduces the numbero circumerential weldsnecessary to be made on-site.


7/21

NE FIRMS CAPITALISEON SOLAR POTENTIAL


MORE THAN 80 representatives rom businesses and publicsector organisations focked to a national photovoltaic (PV)conerence to explore opportunities to capitalise on a astgrowing renewable energy sector.

Representatives rom businesses across the region and theUK, attended the Solar Flair 10 conerence organised by theCounty Durham Development Company (CDDC) at LumleyCastle, Chester-le-Street to hear rom world leading speakersabout key changes and advancements in the industry.

Industry expert Phil Crosby o the Square Kilometre ArrayTelescope Project said there are real opportunities or the NorthEast to benet rom the solar energy revolution. Mr Crosby,one o 17 speakers at Solar Flair, said that the North East could,and already is, playing a key role in a number o projects in thisgrowing sector.

The CA Group is one North East business that looks set tocapitalise on the opportunities the sector presents. The Bishop

Auckland-based metal roong and cladding manuacturer hasstarted to design and deliver PV systems into large-roo buildings.Commercial director, Brian Watson believes that there are realcommercial opportunities in developing PV products.

He said: The largest PV installation on a roo in t he UK so ar is100kV and we have talked about doing it 28 times bigger.

We see real potential in PV. The North East is well situatedto take advantage o the opportunities presented by PV, onexisting building stock and some o the opportunities that arelikely to come up in the North East.

Another business that has already tapped into photovoltaicsis Romag Ltd. Kevin Webster, managing director, was one othe speakers at the event. He said there has been a real stepchange in the business since the Government introduced itseed-in tari, but that the region needs a simple, open andtransparent business support system, to help it take advantageo the opportunities that exist.

Conference speakers Phil Crosby and Dr Joseph Boisvert

Mr Webster, said: There is a lot o scope or the North East in thissector.

This is an industry that will be here or a long time to come.There needs to be investment in businesses in this sector thathave a long term uture here in the North East.

The event was attended by representatives rom the Centreor Renewable Energy at Durham University, London SouthBank University, and the Electronics, Sensors and PhotonicsKnowledge Transer Network (ESP-KTN).

The event, which was organised by CDDC on behal o theevents nancial backer ESP-KTN, came as the Governmentstepped up its drive to channel more solar-generated powerinto the national grid. Speakers at the event explored howgovernment incentives could present resh opportunities or thesector, as well as examining how solar power could be usedin sectors such as construction, space technology and powergeneration.

CDDCs managing director Stewart Watkins said: Theconerence brought together leaders on the rontline o thesolar energy revolution, and presented a unique opportunity orus to prole the North East, and its businesses to national andinternational audience.

There are vast opportunities that exist in this sector, that thisregion is well placed to take advantage o, and showcasingthe acilities and inrastructure we benet rom in this cornero the country will go some way towards positioning CountyDurham and North East England as a location o choice orbusinesses in this sector in the uture.

Alongside Mr Watkins, other speakers at the event includedrepresentatives rom the UKs national fagship printableelectronics acility PETEC, based at NETPark, County Durham,Romag plc, Devereux Architects and Spectrolab Boeing,among others.

For more inormation please visit www.solarfair10.com.

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8/21

INVESTINGIN INNOVATION

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Northstars proessional venture capital team backs ambitiouscompanies with strong prospects throughout the North East o

England. Northstars three unds represent a vital boost or bothtalented individuals that want to move ahead with new ideas andexisting businesses looking to achieve their ull potential:

15m Finance For Business North East Proo o Concept Fund supporting innovative technology projects with investments obetween 20k and 100k.

20m Finance or Business North East Accelerator Fund investingbetween 100k and 500k in early stage high potential enterprises.

2.4m Finance or Business North East Creative Content Fund investing between 50K and 250k in commercial creativeopportunities.

The Finance or Business Proo o Concept and Accelerator undsare backed by the European Investment Bank, the EuropeanRegional Development Fund and One North East. The Financeor Business North East Creative Content Fund is unded by theEuropean Regional Development Fund.

CASE STUDY: SENSELOGIX

SenseLogix has developed pioneering energy saving solutionswhich aim to save organisations money. The company retrots itssystem into existing electrical inrastructure in oces and schoolsto lower carbon emissions and increase operational eciency.The system also provides user level inormation to help engageenergy users and improve user behaviour.

SensLogix has recently secured a 1M investment round,

including a contribution rom Northstar Ventures, which backedthe company on behal o the Finance or Business North EastAccelerator Fund. The investment will help SenseLogix progressits innovative product line and realise its commercial potential.Reducing energy in the built environment is an expanding ocusarea or organisations, making SenseLogix a perect t or theaim o the Accelerator Fund which has been set up to helpcompanies invest in their uture growth plans and succeed.

Creating a boost or north east manuacturing, SenseLogixhas engaged with Connor Solutions, an electronic servicesprovider based in Houghton le Spring, who will manuacturecomponents or a range o intelligent products that will monitorand save electrical waste. As part o its expansion drive,operations will be managed in-house rom SenseLogixs newpremises in Newton Ayclie.

This year, SenseLogix won an award at the Innovation &Sustainability Awards or Best Innovation in Green Productsor Services and also announced a product partnership withMarshall Tufex, a leading provider o cable managementproducts.

CASE STUDY: REINNERVATE

Earlier this year, Northstar led an investment round which sawReinnervate Limited receive over 1.6m o unding.

Reinnervate, a spin-out biotechnology company, emanatedrom research conducted at Durham University. It developsnew and innovative ways to manage the growth and unctiono cultured cells. Its technologies have multiple applicationsand are particularly relevant to the control o stem celldierentiation and engineering tissues in in-vitro cell culture.

Northstar has supported the company throughout its growthwith investments in 2008 and 2009 through its Co-InvestmentFund. Further investment through the Finance or BusinessNorth East Accelerator Fund has helped progress the launch oalvetex, a unique scaold which enables cell culture to growin 3-dimensions in the lab. 3D cell cultures are more akin to theway cells grow in tissues in the human body than conventional2D cell culture technologies where cells grow in fat sheets. Theuse o alvetex derived 3D cell cultures is expected to providegreater insight into how cells behave in the body in responseto external actors (such as drug candidates) than is currentlypossible with existing technologies.

Reinnervate has also announced the appointment o Durhambased Classic Industries Europe or the commercial assemblyand packaging o alvetex plates.

Reinnervate will manuacture alvetex at its new purpose-builtresearch and production acility at NETPark near Sedgeeld.The nal product will be assembled by Classic IndustriesEurope at its production acility in nearby Barnard Castle, then

blister packed and sterilised in preparation or distribution andsale. Reinnervate has already begun discussions with majordistributors o cell culture products in the UK and overseas to sellalvetex.

Northstars new unds provide an exciting opportunity orambitious north east enterprises to access the developmentcapital they need to get started and grow. Northstarsexperienced and approachable team are always keen to hearrom innovative and creative entrepreneurs looking to developtheir businesses and succeed. Please contact:

Northstar Ventures - Maybrook House, 27-35 Grainger Street,Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 5JE.

Tel 0191 229 2770

[email protected]

www.northstarventures.co.uk


9/21


FIRST SWITCH EV CARS HIT THEROAD IN NORTH EAST ENGLAND

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North East Englands unique Switch EV electric vehicledemonstration project was ocially launched at Nissans test

track on Wearside.Thirty-ve new vehicles made by North East companies arebeing made available to organisations, individuals and carclubs across the region. They include the Nissan LEAF, the AvidCUE-V, the Liberty E-Range, and the Smith Electric VehiclesEdison Minibus and Taxis.

Switch EV is one o eight projects running in the UK, supportedby the Technology Strategy Boards 25m Ultra Low CarbonVehicles Demonstrator Programme in partnership with theDepartment or Transport (DT). The investment allows thedemonstration and development o new vehicle platorms andcomponents to stimulate the electric vehicle market.

The rst organisation to take the CUE-V on trial was Narec, theNational Renewable Energy Centre or the UK and six o itsemployees will trial the vehicle over the next six months, using asolar PV charging canopy at its their head oce in Blyth.

Narecs Director o Electrical Networks, Alex Neumann, said:Electric vehicles are set to play an important role in bothour transport and power systems o the uture. Narec is well

placed to be involved in these trails to help the market tobetter understand the technology and will use the trial to

analyse usage patterns, energy consumption and vehicleperormance.

The project has developed alongside the Plugged in Placesscheme, which will see 1,300 charging points installed acrossthe North East over the next three years.

Drivers trialling cars will also benet rom the North EastsCharge Your Car scheme, which will issue personal electronictags or charge posts all around the region, accessing reeparking whilst charging. The website www.chargeyourcar.org.uk will provide inormation.

The Charge Your Car service is the rst o its kind in the UK andsince it went live in October has attracted large amounts ointerest.

Dr Colin Herron, Manuacturing and Productivity Manager atOne North East, said: This is the beginning o a new era o low-carbon transport in the UK. From now on, electric vehicles willbecome an increasingly common sight and we are proud thatNorth East companies are fying the fag or this dynamic newindustry.

APPROVAL GIVEN FORONSHORE TEST RIGS

North East renewables test centre Narec has been grantedplanning permission or three new onshore test rigs to be builtin Blyth, Northumberland.

The county council gave approval or:

n Project Nautilus, a 3MW drive train test rig, will allow Narec toperorm certication activities and reliability andperormance appraisal o new marine devices. Basedaround the existing dry docks, there will be no comparableopen-access R&D acilities elsewhere in the world. Theproject is supported by the Government, One North Eastand the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13.

n A new 100m blade test acility to accelerate thedevelopment o new blade designs beore they are

taken oshore. It will be the largest o its type in the worldand expands on Narecs existing blade testing capabilitydeveloped over the past ve years. The new acility is jointlyunded by the Department or Business, Innovation and Skillsand the Department or Energy and Climate Change(11.5m) and Regional Development Agency One NorthEast (3.5m).

n Project Fujin will be the worlds largest oshore wind drivetrain test acility rated at 15MW. It will test whole powersystems under realistic conditions.

Funding or the build o a major oshore wind turbinecomponent and drive train testing rig has the support o theEnergy Technologies Institute (ETI) and One North East.


10/21


SCIENTISTS HELP SHAPE A

GREEN FUTURE FOR EGYPT

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Experts rom the North East are helping to develop a GreenCode to ensure the sustainability o buildings in Egypt.

Northumbria Universitys Sustainable Cities Research Instituteis working with the Housing and Building National ResearchCentre in Cairo to develop the ratings system.

The Green Pyramid Rating System will measure the sustainabilityo buildings using indicators including carbon use, indoor airquality, heat loss and materials.

Proessor Dave Greenwood, Associate Dean (Research) inthe School o the Built and Natural Environment and Directoro the Sustainable Cities Research Institute, said: Winning thecontract to help develop Egypts sustainability rating system isa real coup or the University and is very impactul. Not only willit become that countrys standard rating system but other ArabLeague countries could adopt the same standard.

In addition, a model has been developed to assist architectsand other consultants with the issue o sustainable design inEgypt. The Sustainable Design Process Model has been basedon work by award-winning international architectural practiceDevereux Architects, who have been collaborating withNorthumbria in the development.

Proessor Greenwood said: In eect, we have designed aprocess model which will oer guidance to built environmentconsultants in Egypt on how to build sustainably and this willcross-reerence with the Green Pyramid Rating System

A key challenge or architects across the world is to ensurethat buildings designed now and in the uture are the mostenergy-ecient while still meeting the needs o the people whooccupy them. Its an accolade that Northumbria Universityis at the cutting edge o this agenda and engaged in suchimpactul work.

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH ONOFFSHORE WIND DEVELOPMENT

European governments have signalled the next stage in thedevelopment o oshore wind.

A Memorandum o Understanding has been signed by tenEuropean ministers rom countries bordering the North Sea.

The Memorandum covers an agreement to develop anoshore electricity grid enabling interconnection betweencontinental, oshore and British energy resources.

Among those welcoming the decision is RenewableUK, the UKs leading renewable energy trade association.

Dr Gordon Edge, RenewableUKs Director o policy said: Largescale interconnection with our European neighbours is vital i

we are to connect up our massive oshore wind potential andintegrate it into European Markets.

The agreement is a vital rst step orward in agreeing the ruleso the game without which investment cannot happen.

The ministers rom nine EU member states and Norway haveagreed to start working on regulatory and technical issues,as evidence suggests that sourcing electricity rom a widerEuropean geographical pool o generators can increase use orenewable electricity and drive down cost to the consumer.


11/21

21

FAMILY FOODSUPPORT INSPIRESSOFTWARE SUCCESS

A North East entrepreneur has secured unding to t urn thesotware he created to help a amily members battle withan eating disorder into the UKs rst and only online dietprogramme not aimed at dieters.

Newcastle-based Paul Dayan is now working ull time onpreparing PlanMyFood, an online service helping people withmedical conditions like diabetes, irregular cholesterol andeating disorders monitor their diet.

PlanMyFood came about when Paul, who has worked insotware or over 30 years, designed a sotware programme tohelp a amily member battling an eating disorder monitor theircaloric intake.

Paul used his sotware skills to develop a small desktopprogramme, beore realising that the sotware he haddesigned had commercial potential.

It just occurred to me that all the existing online diet serviceswere aimed at slimmers, Id come up with somethingcompletely new he said.

Nothing out there was aimed at people who need to managetheir diet but arent trying to lose weight. Not just people withmedical conditions, but sports people ollowing a specicnutrition programme or parents making sure their children areeating healthily.

PlanMyFood could eventually bring together up to 100,000oods to show users what nutrition they are getting rom themeals they eat compared to the nutrition they need, and aswell as allowing then to track and set targets or things like t heirblood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels.

Paul has now secured Proo o Concept unding to developthe sotware, with a view to the site being up and running bysummer 2011.

He was supported by Sunderland Sotware City, the regionalinitiative supporting the growth o the sotware industry in theNorth East, and credits their Sotware Ventures programme

which helps budding entrepreneurs develop their sotwarebusinesses beore presenting their ideas to a panel o investors with connecting him to the sources o unding he needed toturn his idea into a business.

Sotware Ventures is like a writer going to an agent ratherthan a publisher with their book. I a publisher gets your bookthrough the post unsolicited the chances are theyll just ignoreit no matter how good it is but i the book comes to t hem romsomeone they know only brings them the best products, theyknow its something worth looking at, he said.

He was also supported by Sotware Citys Intelligence Servicewhich provides rapid market research to help new sotwarebusinesses better understand their market, customers andcompetitors in as little as 48 hours.

Bernie Callaghan, Sunderland Sotware Citys Chie ExecutiveOcer, said: Sunderland Sotware City is all about taking the

best sotware ideas in the North East and giving the peoplebehind them the support to turn those ideas into prot-makingproducts.

Paul has come up with a unique and ground-breaking pieceo sotware, not to mention one which could have a hugeimpact on the quality o lie o a lot o people, and weredelighted to have been able to help him get his business othe ground.

For more inormation about Sunderland Sotware City visitwww.sunderlandsotwarecity.com, get in touch on [email protected] or 0845 872 8575 or ollow @sunsotcity on Twitter.

Sunderland Sotware City initiative is beneting rom over 6.5mo European Union investment rom the ERDF CompetitivenessProgramme 2007-13, secured through regional developmentagency One North East. The ERDF Programme is bringing over300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise andbusiness support across the region.


12/21

BRINGINGSCIENCE TO LIFE

Newcastle Biomedicine prides itsel on both its academicexcellence and the impact o its science on the health andwealth o the region.

As an Academic NHS Partnership between NewcastleUniversity and the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust,embracing other academic institutions and NHS Hospitalsacross the North-East, we are proud o the work that we do withwider stakeholders to make a dierence. Below are just threeexamples o the kind o activities we are involved in.

CANCER RESEARCH

Over the last twelve months, Researchers at the NewcastleCancer Centre at the Northern Institute or Cancer Researchhave been out en masse to help raise awareness o theirground breaking work in the ght against cancer.

In early December 2010, the Centre hosted its rst ever CancerResearch Practical Course giving AS level students rom acrossthe North East the opportunity to go behind the scenesand experience what lie as a cancer researcher is really like.Students took part in our workshops across the day learningabout the polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis,western blotting, tissue culture, survival assays, data analysis,the theory o DNA damage and repair, PARP inhibitors, drugdesign & synthesis and ethics surrounding cancer research.

From demonstrating DNA extraction using strawberries atcommunity events, to opening up the Newcastle CancerCentre to the public through a series o Lab Tours, the ResearchTeam are committed to building and developing a strong linkwith the region in which its based.

STEM CELLS

NESCI, the regional stem cell initiative, staged another o itsregular Stem Cell Weekends in October in collaboration withthe Centre or Lie.

The event took place at the MetroCentre. Shoppers wereoered the chance to discover more about stem cells asthey passed by. A variety o activities and exhibits, includingmicroscopes and a stem cell jigsaw, were used to explain whatstem cells are, how theyre being used in research and whypeople use them. Scientists rom NESCI guided people throughthe exhibits to answer questions about their research and lie asa scientist.

Past events have taken place at dierent locations in the NorthEast, to refect the act that NESCI is a regional collaborationthat involves Durham University, Newcastle University and localNHS Trusts. Each Weekend has had a slightly dierent ocusto refect cutting-edge issues in the eld at the ti me romcytoplasmic hybrids (cybrids) to stem cell tourism andrefect the broad range o research done in the region.

BRAIN AWARENESS

The Institute o Neuroscience is committed to bringing theexcitement o brain science into the wider community.Whether it is hosting public lectures and innovative artexhibits or running workshops or schoolchildren, we aim tocommunicate our research in un and interesting ways todiverse audiences throughout the year.

A major event in our public engagement calendar comes inMarch when we celebrate Brain Awareness Week. Each yearwe develop dierent activities to mark this global campaignto increase public awareness about the progress and benetso brain research. In 2009 we organised a site-specic artinstallation at Tynemouth Station and a symposium looking atthe eects o plants on the brain; while 2010 saw a sciencemeets dance workshop inspired by research into birdbehaviour and an interactive exhibit on new technologies,including the opportunity or participants to control computergames using only the electrical signals rom their brains.

www.ncl.ac.uk/biomedicine

TOP RIGHT: Researchers from the NewcastleCancer Centre at the Northern Institute forCancer Research demonstrating strawberryDNA extraction at the Big Bang North East

BOTTOM RIGHT: Metro Centre shoppersexamine stem cells down microscopes

MAIN: Brain Awareness week 2010, creditRaoul Dixon / North News & Pictures Ltd

23

STEM CELLS ANDREGENERATIVE MEDICINE


Given their unique regenerative abilities, stem cells oer newpotential or treating diseases such as diabetes, heart diseaseand cancer.

Conventional treatments or patients have been based on eithersurgery or drug therapy, treating conditions and illnesses thatresult largely rom ageing. Stem cell science can help doctorspredict and prevent illnesses long beore they occur and theNorth East is rapidly becoming a world leader in the eld.

Durham and Newcastle Universities have come together withtheir related NHS Trusts and a range o other partners to ormthe North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI). Their worklooks at a range o stem cell types and scientists and cliniciansare working together on developments that can be used in areal-lie medical setting to transorm lives.

Spin-out companies have already been created to developthe technologies and these are attracting industrial partners.These acilities will put the North East at t he oreront ostem cell science nationally and internationally in stemcell biology and regenerative medicine, human genetics,reproductive medicine, drug discovery and biopharmaceuticalbioprocessing.

Large elements o the work are built upon the successo the International Centre or Lie, in Newcastle, whichhas brought together dierent disciplines o scientists andclinicians with ethicists, social scientists, public educators andcommercialisation agents.


13/21

DRIVING INNOVATION INHEALTHCARE AND WELLBEINGTHROUGH DESIGN

Research conducted by the NHS and independentorganisations, has indicated that on average in t he UK only 2out o every 100 innovative healthcare related ideas go on toreach the market. Many ail due to a lack o external supportthrough what can be a chall enging journey. NorthumbriaUniversity, led by its Centre or Design Research is aiming toboost those statistics in the North East.

Building on its design, healthcare and technology innovationand development expertise, Northumbria University is deliveringthe unique Nurture Programme, an integrated service t o NorthEast based SMEs seeking to develop healthcare products andservices.

Nurture is providing 1.6m o design led support, unded byOne North East and the European Regional Development Fund(ERDF) over 3 years, to work with regional businesses seekingto develop products and services or the Healthcare andWellbeing market.

The programme oers North East based busiensses accessto a unique, integrated design led service to encourage thedevelopment o innovative new product ideas and thenprovide access to the mix o necessary skills to design, develop,and ultimately manuacture and market successul Healthcareand Wellbeing products.

Nurture provides a complete programme o design anddevelopment services, oering North East businesses a clearand practical development route rom initial research and userneeds capture through to the development o market-readyproducts and services.

Our key services are;

n Due Diligence/Feasibility and innovation modeling (includingan initial review o any intellectual property opportunitiesand development o a strategy to inorm the design o theproduct or service)

n Design Research and Investigation (including access to usersand healthcare proessionals)

n User-Centred Healthcare Concept Development

n Product Development (Mechanical, Electrical and Sotware)

n Rapid Prototype Development (to quickly validate productconcepts)

n Clinical Testing (in collaboration with regional partners)

n End User Testing (Clinical/Focus Groups)

n Bridging support to Manuacture and Distribution

Northumbrias overarching aim is to support North Eastbusinesses grow through innovation and the development ocommerically succesul Healthcare products and services thatprovide high value to the end user.

Bruce Watson, Enterprise Development Manager or the Schoolo Design said: In the current economic climate, companiesR&D plans and budgets are oten the rst area to suer.

Northumbria Universitys Nurture Programme aims to ensure t hatthe pipeline o new innovative healthcare and wellbeing ideasremains fowing in the North East. Through the HTDP, SMEs will beable to access key design and development skills coupled withunding support to ensure that they remain at the oreront otheir sector.

Northumbrias Nurture Programme is open to all SME businessesin the North East looking to develop ideas or the Healthcareand Wellbeing market. The programme will oer a range oproduct development services and ensure that these areaccessible through unded support provided by One North Eastand the European Regional Development Fund.

I you are a North East based business looking to developproducts and services or the Healthcare and Wellbeing sector,we can help.

For more inormation contact Bruce Watson on 0191 243 7063or bruce.watson@northumbria .ac.uk

25

SUPPORTING SCIENCE ANDHEALTHCARE COMPANIES


Science and healthcare companies across the region can nowaccess specialist marketing services rom a new business thatset up in March o this year specically to support the sector.

Horizonworks Marketing was established by SamanthaDavidson, ex marketing manager with over 12 years experienceworking in strategic marketing and senior management rolesor both public and private companies including DickinsonDees, Northumbria University and the Centre o Excellence orLie Sciences (Cels).

Following her time at Cels, Samantha saw a gap in the marketto provide science and healthcare companies with strategicmarketing support. These sectors are highly specialisedand a deep understanding o the challenges involvedwith commercialising science and dealing with complextechnological issues and commercial sensitivities is paramount.

Horizonworks Marketing delivers a wide range o marketingservices to healthcare and science based companiesincluding carrying out a ree marketing healthcheck to

assess the marketing needs o a business, creating marketingstrategies, brand development plans, marketing materialsand implementing PR, sales campaigns and online marketingcampaigns.

Based on the experience the team has gained in workingwith science and technology driven companies, one o thekey areas where an injection o resource is required is salesand marketing. Many companies, especially in this economicclimate, are looking to reduce their overheads but maintaina strong presence in very competitive markets. HorizonworksMarketings solution is to provide these businesses with anoutsourced marketing department oering.

The advantage to businesses o outsourcing their marketingdepartment is that they will have access to highly qualiedmarketing proessionals who have had the experience inmanaging a marketing department and have the know-howto make marketing a success and achieve the desired results.Its a great option or start ups, university spin outs and smallbusinesses as its a risk ree option that reduces capital costs ora business.

Some o Horizonworks Marketings current clients includeregeNer8, the translational centre or regenerative medicinewhich brings together the work o the North o Englandstop scientists with UK and international industry to advancethe development o tools and technologies to acceleratetherapies through to clinic. Horizonworks Marketing has beenappointed via Cels Business Services Ltd (CBSL) to deliver themarketing or regeNer8.

They also provide marketing strategy, PR and campaignmanagement or leading assistive technology providerEasibathe/Easiaccess, who work exclusively within theadaptation on the delivery o daily living aids and adaptationsor bathing and access solutions.

Another client within the sector that they have acquiredvia business partner Strategies to Solutions, is NorthumbriaUniversitys Nurture Programme which is run by the School orDesign Research and oers SMEs, based in the North East oEngland, access to skills and expertise to develop innovativesolutions or the healthcare and wellbeing market.

Horizonworks Marketing is also strategic marketing partnerto Newcastle Science City and oers a range o marketingservices to NSCs start-up companies and existing SMEs romthe science sector across Newcastle.

The company has recently recruited Gaia Hudson as marketingaccount manager and is moving to a new city centre oce atthe end o December.

Samantha Davidson, Managing Director at HorizonworksMarketing, said: The North Easts science and healthcaresector is booming and its exciting to work with individuals andcompanies who are developing ground breaking science andcutting edge technologies.

I you would like to discuss how Horizonworks Marketing couldhelp your business, or i you want a ree Marketing Healthcheckcontact us on 0191 269 6919 or by [email protected]

Samantha Davison - Managing Director


14/21

EASI ACCESS TONATIONAL CLIENTS


Dunston based Easiaccess has opened a new warehousingacility in Doncaster this month as part o its growth plan toincrease market share across the UK.

The UKs leading access solutions provider chose the hearto the metropolitan area or its second home over a numbero other locations across the UK. Excellent transport links andconnectivity to southern parts o the UK were key actors inchoosing this location.

Easibathe already services clients in the Doncaster areaincluding East Riding o Yorkshire Council, Leeds City Counciland Manseld District Council. This new acility will help support

clients in this region more eciently as well as help drive newbusiness in the southern regions o the UK.

Easiaccess is an award winning company, which providesenvironmentally riendly access solutions, rom small thresholdramps to large metal ramps, to Local Authorities, Councils,housing associations and individuals. They are the only providerin the UK to provide access solutions that are 100% recyclableand have the UKs largest purpose built assessment area toenable customers to trial the products.

Winner o the 2008 North East Small Business o the Year orTyneside & Northumberland, Easiaccess already works withNewcastle City Council, Housing Hartlepool, GatesheadCouncil and South Tyneside Homes in the North East. A recentproject was providing Newcastle City Library with a hoist systemin the opening o their new acility in the City Centre last year.

The company has also recently won a contract worth over 1mwith Your Homes Newcastle or the installation and provision ospecialist temporary ramps and hoist bathing equipment to itsNewcastle based properties.

Mark Buckley, Business Development Manager at Easiaccess,comments: We are delighted to be opening up a new acilityin Doncaster. It will help open up so many doors or us in theSouth Yorkshire region and beyond as well as broaden ourcustomer base and visibility across the UK.

Martin Cook, Managing Director at Easiaccess, said: Ourmove to Doncaster is part o a strategic move to oer extensivecoverage o our products across the UK and ultimately provideour customers with a more ecient service beore and aterinstallation.

We pride ourselves on having a dedicated team o experts that

provide an exceptional service and having the highest qualityaccess products or the adaptation sector in the UK. Our moveto Doncaster demonstrates that despite tough economicconditions, we are still going rom strength to strength and arecommitted to delivering a rst class service to our Nationalclients, he adds.

Over the last 3 years, Easiaccess has seen an approximate40% increase in turnover year on year. The Doncaster acility isprojected to represent an additional 20% o total business orEasiaccess over the next year, highlighting its an integral moveor the company.

Easiaccess has a sister company, Easibathe, which specialisesin special needs bathing and hoist equipment.

For urther inormation on Easiaccess and Easibathe visitwww.easi-access.co.uk and www.easibathe.com

THE KINGS FUND RESPONSETO THE COMPREHENSIVE

SPENDING REVIEWCompared to other departmental budgets the NHS settlementis a generous one. But, while the increase in health spendingmeets the pledge to protect the NHS budget, an increase o0.1 per cent a year in real terms will soon be swallowed up bycost pressures such as incremental pay drit and the increasein VAT. The net result will be a reduction in the NHSs purchasingpower.

This places even greater emphasis on nding the 20 billion inproductivity gains targeted by the NHSs Chie Executive thestatus o this has moved rom an ambition to a commitment.Our work has highlighted opportunities to improve eciencyat every level o the health system. Delivering on this representsthe biggest nancial challenge the NHS has ever aced but it isimperative i it is to maintain quality and avoid cutting services.

The 1 billion increase in grant unding or social care couldprovide some respite or hard-pressed local services andbuys time while the Dilnot Commission works on a long-term

unding solution. But this money is not ring-enced so there is noguarantee it will be spent on social care.

Used wisely, the additional 1 billion rom the NHS budgetto break down the barriers between health and social careprovides a real opportunity to improve service delivery andsave money by, or example, reducing the length o timepatients spend in hospital. Again t hough, with the ring enceon local authority grant unding having been removed, andlocal government unding slashed overall, it remains to be seenwhether this translates into increased unding or social careservices.

The commitment to ring-ence unding or public healthmakes good on the commitment made by the ConservativeParty in opposition. There is no detail though about how muchunding will be provided, or where it will come rom this willpresumably ollow in the public health White Paper due to bepublished later this year.

L to R: Martin Cook and Mark Buckley

27


15/21


ROOM TO GROWAT NETPARK

The rapid expansion o the North Easts premier science parkis set to continue apace at er approval was given or two morebuildings, capable o housing 120 sta.

And the latest phase o development at the North East

Technology Park (NETPark) will urther enhance its growingreputation as an international hub or groundbreaking scienceand technology.

Plans or the buildings, providing mixed oce, laboratoryand production space at NETPark in Sedgeeld, have beenapproved by Durham County Councils planning committee.

County Durham Development Company, which is responsibleor developing, managing and promoting NETPark on behalo Durham County Council, plans to expand the scope o thescience park to not only cater or fedgling companies, butalso to encourage growing rms and major investors to locatethere.

The expansion is part o NETParks Grow-on Space project,which comprises three new buildings on the site, to ensurethere are suitable premises available t o companies which havedeveloped at its Incubator acilty and are ready to expand.

The Grow-on Space scheme has already born ruit with thesuccessul expansion o Kromek at NETPark rom the Incubatorinto the rst o the three new state-o-the-art acilities.

Kromek, which produces cutting edge imaging technologyor the security, medical and industrial sectors was the rstoccupant o NETParks Incubator. It grew so quickly that muchlarger premises were needed relatively quickly.

Stewart Watkins, Managing Director o CDDC, said: Kromeksgrowth at NETPark is proo not only o the strength o itsproducts, but also o the potential NETPark has as a placewhere science and technology companies can access theright support and acilities to blossom.

We want to replicate Kromeks success with other companies.To do that we must ensure we have the capacity at NETPark tosupport them that means having the right premises.

All three buildings are being developed with unding romDurham County Council, which invested 4m, 5m rom theEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2007-13 and aurther 1m rom One North Easts Single Programme.

This project is part nanced by the European Unions ERDF Competitiveness programme 2007-13,securing 0.22m o ERDF investment through the Regional Development Agency One North East. TheERDF programme is bringing over 250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise andbusiness support across the region. This project has received unding rom Durham County Councilthrough County Durham Development Company.

An architects impression of one of thenew buildings planned for NETPark

IMPROVING THE WAYIN WHICH BREASTCANCER IS DETECTED

29

NETPark-based x-ray technology specialists Kromek haveannounced that the company has secured a our-yearcontract with the University o Massachusetts Medical School(UMASS), to develop an advanced system or breast cancerdetection and diagnosis. The contract, which has beenunded via $4m rom the US National Institute or Health (NIH),is worth approximately $1.5m to Kromek, and represents

one o very ew scientic programmes, globally, with thepotential to dramatically improve the way in which breastcancer is detected and subsequently treated. Although x-raymammography has saved many lives and is considered theimaging mode o choice or early detection o breast cancer,one o its limitations is that the recorded image represents athree-dimensional (3D) object in a two-dimensional (2D) plane,meaning varied tissue structures e.g. normal breast tissueversus tumour tissue, can be dicult to dist inguish.

Kromek and NOVA possess a unique technological answer tothe challenge o achieving better resolutions o breast tissue,without increasing doses o radiation or patients.

Chie Executive Arnab Basu said We are extremely excitedby this contracts potential to signicantly advance clinicaldiagnostics, in the eld o breast cancer detection, andpotentially way beyond. The programme is at an early stage,but to be working with UMASS on behal o the NIH is proo othe unique technological advantages Kromek and NOVA oer,and the contribution we can make to improved detectionsystems in the medical eld.

Dr. Stephen Glick, Proessor o Radiology at UMASS,commented:

UMASS is one o the worlds ew research groups investigatingthe use o x-ray CT imagers or use in breast cancer detectionand diagnosis. It was thereore essential that we selectedthe most innovative and cutting-edge partners to join theprogramme.

The modality we are using, which combines photon countingand cone-beam CT imaging, holds unique promise or themedical imaging market. We are looking orward to workingtogether with Kromek and NOVA towards a solution that couldchange the way breast cancer detection is carried out ormany years to come.

Rising incidence o breast cancer in industrialised as well asdeveloping nations is a principal actor infuencing growthin the mammography market. One o the key drivers orgrowth in the market would be an introduction o digitaland new modalities in t he mammography market. The USmammography equipment market is orecast to be worth$585m per annum by 2015. The contract lends urther weightto Kromeks presence in the medical imaging market, ollowingthe announcement earlier this month about our work withSiemens on CT imaging development in Germany and the US.

Kromeks new HQ at NETPark


16/21

2M SECURED FOR POINTOF NEED DIAGNOSTICS

31

Enterprise Europe Network North East (EEN) has helped tosecure grant nance totalling 2m or a local SME, SelectiveAntibodies Ltd. It will be used to urther extend the capabilities otheir innovative platorm technology or the detection o smallmolecules, to a portable, hand held detection device.

ABOUT SELECTIVE ANTIBODIES

The UK based diagnostics company have developed a newplatorm technology that promises to overcome the keytechnological problems central to the production o highperormance, point o need systems, or the detection o smalltarget molecules. These can include; medicaments, naturaland unnatural toxins (such as ungal toxins and pesticides),orensically important substances and those o importance tothe environmental, ood, beverage and water industries.

The aim o Selective Antibodies has been to bring the clearadvantages o speed, simplicity, convenience and precisiono immunodiagnostic systems (as seen so clearly in the homepregnancy test) to the rapid, reliable detection o low molecular

weight substances or which there is a potentially massivemarket. The company has successully achieved and openedup a wealth o new opportunities.

HOW EEN HELPED TO SECURE FUNDING

Selective Antibodies requested assistance to secure grantnance in order to urther the research and development o theirdetection platorm technology.

Working closely with Selective Antibodies to ully understandtheir technology, business strategy and objectives, the EEN teamidentied appropriate regional, national and European undingsources. EEN then helped to create an engagement modelthat would support Selective Antibodies with EU FrameworkProgramme unding (FP7).With EENs help, a strong proposal that aimed to develop aportable, real time device was composed or an FP7 submission.EEN provided assistance in; the shaping o the project, ormationo the budget, building the consortium o partners and nal

submission o the proposal. The project was awarded anoverall grant o 3.2m, o which, Selective Antibodies wasawarded 1.2m. Furthermore, EEN helped Selective Antibodiesto strategically integrate into another EU FP7 nanotechnology-based consortium, which involves 21 partners and received21m, o which, 680k was awarded to Selective Antibodies Ltd.

Proessor Sel, CEO o Selective Antibodies Ltd, said The

proessionalism, knowledge and clear ocus o the EEN teamhas been outstanding during this whole process and has beencritical in our competing successully to bring these highlycompetitive awards into the North East o England..

EEN SERVICES

Enterprise Europe Network North East o England providebespoke, hands on assistance in developing R&D proposalsor businesses, to successully secure unding rom public andprivate sources including EU Framework Programme Seven,central government and local public bodies.

For more inormation about Enterprise Europe Network NorthEast visit www.een-northeast.co.uk

VALUE CREATED

EEN North East helped Selective Antibodies Ltd to:

n Secure 2m nance rom EU FP7 nance and 100K rom GRD

n Move the technology platorm towards revenuegeneration stage

n Secure grant nance which lowered risk or potential investors

n Saeguard 4 jobs


17/21

EXPLOSIVE RESEARCH CASTSNEW LIGHT ON SUPERNOVAS


A team o Canadian physicists have mimicked a supernova-- an explosion o a star -- i n miniature.

The scientists rom the University o Toronto and RutgersUniversity had been looking at a type o supernova where thedetonation starts with a fame ball.

Stephen Morris, a University o Toronto physics proessor, said:We created a smaller version o this process by triggering aspecial chemical reaction in a closed container that generatessimilar plumes and vortex rings.

It is extremely dicult to observe the inside o a real explodingstar light years away so this experiment is an important windowinto the complex fuid motions that accompany such an event.The study o such explosions in stars is crucial to understandingthe size and evolution o the universe.

The work was unded by the Natural Sciences and EngineeringResearch Council o Canada.

IMPROVED TESTINGMETHOD FOR AUTISM

33

American researchers at the University o Utah and theHarvard-aliated McLean Hospital say they have developedthe best test or autism to date.

Able to detect the disorder in with 94 per cent accuracy, thetest uses MRI scanning to measure deviations in brain circuitry.

The researchers believe it could one day replace thesubjective test now used to identiy the disorder and lead toa better understanding o autism and better treatment andmanagement.

Lead author Nicholas Lange, Associate Proessor o Psychiatryat Harvard Medical School and director o the NeurostatisticsLaboratory at McLean, said: This is not yet ready or prime timeuse in the clinic yet, but the ndings are the most promising thusar.

Senior author Janet Lainhart, MD, Principal Investigator o theresearch at the University o Utah, said: We have new ways todiscover more about the biological basis o autism and how toimprove the lives o individuals with the disorder.


18/21

TEST COULD PROVIDE ADVANCEDWARNING OF EARTHQUAKES


Spanish university researchers have come up with ways obetter predicting earthquakes.

The team rom the Universidad Pablo de Olavide (UPO) andthe Universidad de Sevilla ound patterns o behaviour thatoccur beore earthquakes on the Iberian peninsula.

Francisco Martnez lvarez, co-author o the study and a seniorlecturer at the UPO, said: Using mathematical techniques,we have ound patterns when medium-large earthquakeshappen, that is, earthquakes greater than 4.4 on the Richterscale.

The research, published by the journal Expert Systems withApplications, is based on data compiled by the InstitutoGeogrco Nacional on 4,017 earthquakes between 3 and 7on the Richter scale that occurred on the Iberian Peninsula andin the surrounding waters between 1978 and 2007.

The team says it can now orecast medium to large seismicmovements when such circumstances coincide.

Martinez Alvarez said: The results are promising, althoughI doubt we will ever be able to say that we are capable oorecasting an earthquake 100% accurately.

THATSYOUR LOT!

35

The planet can not sustain any urther expansion in the numbero industrialised sheries, according to research study led byUniversity o British Columbia researchers.

Also involving the National Geographic Society, the studyreveals that sheries expanded at a rate o one million sq.kilometres per year rom the 1950s to the end o the 1970s. Therate o expansion more than tripled in the 1980s and early 1990s-- to roughly the size o Brazils Amazon rain orest every year.

According to the study, the expansion o sheries between1950 and 2005 started rom the coastal waters o the NorthAtlantic and Northwest Pacic and stretched southwardsinto the Southern Hemisphere at a rate o almost one degreelatitude per year. It was accompanied by a ve-old increasein catch, rom 19 million tonnes in 1950, to a peak o 90 million

tonnes in the late 1980s, and dropping to 87 million t onnes in2005, according to the study.

Wil Swartz, a PhD student at UBC Fisheries Centre and leadauthor o the study, said: The decline o spatial expansionsince the mid-1990s is not a refection o successul conservationeorts but rather an indication that weve simply run out oroom to expand sheries.

Daniel Pauly, co-author and principal investigator o the SeaAround Us Project at UBC Fisheries Centre, said: While manypeople still view sheries as a romantic, localized activitypursued by rugged individuals, the reality is that or decadesnow, numerous sheries are corporate operations that take amostly no-sh-let-behind approach to our oceans until theresnowhere let to go.


19/21

RECRUITMENT COMPANYSUPPORTS BUSINESS EXPANSION


North-East recruitment company TechConsult UK has been

called in to help a Teesside business which has embarked on adramatic expansion plan.

TechConsult UK Ltd, based at The Wilton Centre near Redcar,Teesside, has been appointed to work with Stockton-basedTAS Engineering as it seeks to double its workorce. Thearrangement happened ater Recruitment Consultant DanielHanan, rom TechConsult UK, met representatives o TASEngineering at a networking event.

TAS Engineering, which provides specialist solutions in electrical,instrument, control, automation and saety engineering, wasrecently acquired by American company GSE Systems andplans to expand rom 30 employees to as many as sixty inthe next three years. TAS employs highly skilled and qualiedtechnical and design sta in electrical, instrumentation, controland automation engineering.

TechConsult UK has already placed one employee with thecompany and TAS Engineering is considering a number o otherskilled workers on the recruitment companys book as it seeks toll a number o technical and engineering posts.

TechConsult UK, which operates within the oshore, abrication

and maintenance, process, shipbuilding, and civil engineeringindustries, has been able to draw on its large database oskilled workers rom all over the UK, many rom the North-East,as well as some rom abroad.

Daniel Hanan said: We are delighted to be working with TASEngineering as it expands. We have many skilled people on ourbooks and know that they will be able to help the company toexpand in the months and years to come.

TechConsult UK Managing Director Steve Guest said: Projectslike this are exactly what TechConsult UK is all about. Wespecialise in giving companies access to the kind o skilledpeople that they need.

Kristine Grey, Sales and Marketing Manager or TAS Engineering,said: We chose TechConsult UK because o the level o servicethat they provide.

BREAKING THATAWKWARD SILENCE

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Its that awkward moment that we all know. There you are,sitting in a bar with on a rst date and you do not know what tosay. Well, worry no more because now your bar mat can breakthe ice or you.

A group o computer scientists rom Newcastle University havedeveloped a way o using an interactive bar surace andcamera-based technology which means specially-designedmats can communicate.

When the mats are placed on the bar they chat to eachother in the orm o text messages - t he words scrolling acrossthe surace like television news bulletins. The aim is that whatthey say will prompt conversation between those at the table.

The mats were developed by PhD students rom the universitysCulture Lab with the system being built by Tom Bartindale andJack Weeden.

Tom said: The idea is that the mats gain a personality whenplaced on the bar - some are unny, some are naughty, someare scared o other mats and some are out to talk to everyone.

This is a twist on meeting new people in a public space. I thinkmost o us eel quite sel-conscious and uncomortable aboutstarting a conversation with a stranger so what our mat does ismake that rst move and also provides a talking point.

Tom says the group rst came up with the idea while they weresat in a bar in Germany.

He said: We were looking around at all these isolated groups

and started thinking about how we could get them talking toeach other. The interactive beer mats started o as a bit oun and then we realised their potential or bringing peopletogether.

The technology works by using cameras to sense the positionso traditional beer mats that have been printed with markers ontheir underside.

The conversation starters have been drawn rom phrasesincluding humorous chat up lines, serious questions and light-hearted banter. When a drink mat is removed, other mats willcomment on this, and encourage conversation with new un-known mats.

Tom said: In general, technology tends to kill conversationand trigger quite anti-social behaviour we bury ourselves inour text messaging, iPods or computer screens and never evenlook up to see whos standing next to us.

The ocus o our work is to use technology to encourageinteraction and relationships. We want these very public textmessages to break the ice and make people laugh.


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CASTING LIGHT ON

A DISTANT GALAXY

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North East scientists have helped conrm that a recently-discovered distant galaxy is the most remote object in theUniverse ever observed.

The galaxy, which was rst spotted by the Hubble spacetelescope, was seen as it would have appeared 600 millionyears ater the Big Bang, according to research published inthe journal Nature.

That was when the Universe, which is 13.7 billion years old,was only our per cent o its present age, according to theEuropean team o astronomers led or the UK by scientistsrom the Universities o Durham and Bristol, working with the UKAstronomy Technology Centre.

Using the European Southern Observatorys Very LargeTelescope, the team measured the distance to the remotegalaxy by analysing its aint glow, the rst conrmed

observations o a galaxy whose light is dicult to see becauseo a hydrogen og that lled the Universe at the t ime.

Matt Lehnert, o the Observatoire de Paris, lead author o thepaper reporting the results, said: We have conrmed that agalaxy spotted earlier using Hubble is the most remote objectidentied so ar in the Universe.

Conrming the distances to such aint and remote objectsis a huge challenge that currently can only reliably be doneusing spectroscopy rom very large ground-based telescopes.The diculty is that by the time the young galaxies brilliantlight reaches Earth it appears very aint and alls mostly in theinrared part o the spectrum.

Co-author o the paper, Simon Morris, rom Durham University,said: These observations are clearly at the cutting-edge owhat is possible with current instrumentation.

TIGERS AND POLAR BEARSHIGHLY VULNERABLE TOENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE


Large predators are much more vulnerable than smallerspecies to environmental changes, such as over-hunting andhabitat loss, because they have to work so hard to nd theirnext meal, according to a new study.

Scientists, including those in the North East, matched studieso predator populations to the abundance o their prey andound that the largest species, such as lions, tigers or polarbears, had much greater declines in population due todiminishing ood supplies than smaller species, such as weaselsor badgers.

The review o studies o eleven species o carnivores byresearchers rom Durham University and the Zoological Societyo London was published in the Royal Society journal BiologyLetters.

Dr Phillip Stephens, rom the School o Biological andBiomedical Sciences, Durham University, said: We ound thatthe largest species exhibited a ve to six old greater decreasein relative abundance in response to a decrease in their prey.

Its hard work being a large predator roaming and huntingacross extensive areas to nd ood. The apparent vulnerabilityo tigers and polar bears to reductions in the availability oprey may be linked to the energetic costs o being a largecarnivore.

The research has implications or the conservation o largecarnivore species, which seem to be especially vulnerable toenvironmental threats and changes in the abundance o prey.

Dr Chris Carbone, Senior Research Fellow, Institute o Zoology,the Zoological Society o London, said: This study helps usto understand why large carnivores are particularly sensitiveto environmental disturbance and why the protection andconservation o their habitat and, in particular, o their prey, areso important to global initiatives to save large carnivores in thewild.


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Documents

NETWorks Winter 2010