UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE

Problem solved:university researchanswering today’schallenges

UNIVERSITY ALLIANCE

www.unialliance.ac.uk

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Contents

07 The cutting edge of cleaner energy13 Dealing with environmental change today

23 Making a valuable cultural impact31 Driving policy to create real and lasting change

37 Researching across boundaries to ensure our health and wellbeing

45 Innovating through design, laying the foundations of our digital future

World-leadingresearch at the heart of universities,making an impact onpeople,communities,business, society andthe economy.

Around the world, policy-makers agree on the bigissues that need tackling by our finest minds.Universities, through their world-leading research,advance our knowledge and understanding of theseissues and solve many of the problems that drive them.Businesses big and small, charities and governmentsalso have their own sets of challenges that universitiesare uniquely able to answer. Alliance universities workwith partners from across this continuum around theworld on research and innovation that is making adifference today.

One such big issue isenvironmental change;something that affects everyone,which is why resources from allcorners of the global researchcommunity are working to developcleaner energy sources, adaptingour lives and economies to place uson a sounder footing, so that futuregenerations will not need to pay theprice for today’s excesses. Not onlyare Alliance universities working onthese big issues by collaboratingwith businesses developingsustainable technology, they areensuring that the changes we needto make can start today.

The University of Salford’s uniqueinterdisciplinary work through theirEnergy Hub has advanced ourunderstanding about energy use inthe home and how we might adaptexisting buildings for a greenerfuture. It has also brought manyorganisations together, such assmall and medium sizedenterprises (SMEs) that rely on thework of the Hub to develop andbring to market energy efficientproducts that people are using intheir homes.

In an uncertain world, safety andsecuritymatters ever more toindividuals, businesses,communities and even nations.From ensuring that the quality of theair we breathe is safe, to knowingthat governments are equipped totackle difficult social issues,

universities are playing a vital rolein shaping and driving policyacross government on a local,national and international level.

The health and wellbeing ofindividuals matters not just to ourevery day lives, but to our societyand economy that depend oncitizens leading a healthy andproductive life. From developingnew techniques to train surgeonscarrying out complicatedoperations, to ensuring that peopleget the right care, universities areworking with doctors, hospitals andlocal communities to improve thehealth of the nation. It is this form ofpartnership working that bringsexpertise in universities togetherwith health practitioners acrossdiscipline boundaries that makesAlliance research stand out. At Bournemouth University,computer scientists are workingwith NHS surgeons to develop thenext generation of digital surgicaltraining, a model of interdisciplinarywork and a testament to the powerof universities and their diverse butopen approach to innovation.

A core part of the UK economy nowexists in the digital world, which iswhy businesses depend on cutting-edge research in this area that willenable them to compete anddeliver the products that theircustomers need. Drawing onsignificant strengths in areas fromdesign to programming expertise,

businesses large and small areworking with Alliance universities todevelop products that will enablethem to compete in thisincreasingly important area.Universities also play a vital role inour cultural life with researchacross the arts and humanities.From conserving our art heritage,to exploring different aspects of ouridentity, this important work securesthe foundations of knowledge aboutour lives today.

It is exciting to witness the power ofresearch that universities are able tocarry out. Supported by significantinvestment from both public andprivate sources, universities knowthat they have a responsibility toensure that their work responds tothe needs of society and theeconomy. And being world-leadersacross different fields enables themto use science, innovation, creativityand intellectual strength to solve thebig problems of the day. This is whyuniversities play a critical role; theirresearch touches everyone,whether they know about it or not.

Join us as we explore thisresearch. We’ll learn what it isdoing, why it matters and why thisis a story that could only be aboutuniversities and their part inensuring that we all benefit fromexcellent research andinnovation.

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The cuttingedge of cleanerenergy

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Towards an alternative nuclear future

It is increasingly apparent that anystrategy that attempts to satisfyglobal demand for energy, whilstalso attempting to avert damage tothe planet through conventionalmeans of energy production, mustinclude low carbon nuclear power.

However, despite its benefits,nuclear power has a number ofdrawbacks: high relative costs;perceived adverse safety,environmental and health effects;potential security risks stemmingfrom proliferation; and unresolvedchallenges in the long-termmanagement of nuclear wastes.

It is against this background thatresearchers at the University ofHuddersfield are leading the way inlooking at ‘clean’ nuclear. Buildingan innovative low carbon nucleartechnology that is inherently saferthan conventional systems; that islow waste; that does not includeplutonium as part of its fuel cycle,that is intrinsically proliferationresistant; that is both sustainableand cost effective; and that caneffectively burn legacy waste from

conventional systems. This nucleartechnology is the AcceleratorDriven Subcritical Reactor, orADSR.

Conventional nuclear reactors arepowered by uranium, but the ADSRcan be fuelled with the elementthorium. Thorium is far moreabundant than uranium and thereare sufficient known reserves topower the planet for 10,000 years.Moreover the ADSR producesrelatively small amounts ofradiotoxic waste. Indeed, ADSRtechnology can be used to burnexisting nuclear waste,considerably reducing the timeneeded for safe storage.

The ADSR technology couples aproton accelerator with a reactorcore containing thorium. The highenergy proton beam impacts a molten lead target inside the core,chipping or “spallating” neutrons from the lead nuclei. Thesespallation neutrons convert fertilethorium to fissile uranium-233 anddrive the fission reaction in the uranium. This process has

numerous safety benefits. Not onlycan the fission process be stoppedby switching off the proton beam,but also only microscopic quantitiesof plutonium are produced.

Researchers at the University ofHuddersfield, led by Professors BobCywinski and Roger Barlow, leadthe UK in thorium fuelled ADSRresearch, particularly through thedevelopment of an entirely newclass of compact and reliableparticle accelerators. Not only arethese the crucial component tomake ADSR technology feasible,they also have implications for thetreatment of cancer, production ofradiopharmaceuticals, and for other

The capacity to consume energy in both industrialised and non-industrialised nations is growing, and will continue to grow, at an unprecedented rate.

scientific, medical and industrialapplications.

Bob, Roger and colleagues at theUniversity of Cambridge andUniversity of Manchester havefounded ThorEA, the leadingacademic group in the UKinvestigating the possibilities ofthorium power. The group alsoincludes representation fromBrookhaven National Laboratory inthe United States. Through thisresearch, they have shown thatthorium can provide an alternativeform of nuclear energy that needsto be taken seriously bygovernments, politicians and policy-makers around the world asthey consider their future nuclearpolicies. The researchers believethat after further development, afully functioning power stationbased on their technology could besupplying power to the UK’s powergrid in 2025.

Researchers at theUniversity ofHuddersfield areleading the way inbuilding an innovativelow carbon nucleartechnology.

Through this research,they have shown thatthorium can provide analternative form ofnuclear energy thatneeds to be takenseriously bygovernments,politicians andpolicymakers aroundthe world.

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Cleaner combustion The latest advances inscientific knowledge oflasers and combustionare being combinedwith state-of-the-artequipment to produce acleaner and morereliable technology forthe ignition of bothgaseous and liquidfuels for the gasturbines produced bySiemens IndustrialTurbomachinery Ltd.

The current ignition system in gasturbines uses conventional flameignitors to ignite fuels. Unfortunatelythese systems are plagued byrepeated failures and unreliableperformance. The inherentcharacteristics of robustness,reliable performance and highlevels of control associated withlasers and laser ignition mean that alaser ignition system will be lessprone to failure and will give morereliable performance. Laser ignitionalso offers the potential to igniteleaner air fuel mixtures, therebyreducing harmful emissions. Withthe importance of gas turbines topower generation, this researchrepresents a significant leapforward that could result ingenerating cleaner, safer and morereliable power in the future.

A great deal of new knowledgeabout lasers, ignition andcombustion has been generatedfrom the first phase of this research.The fact that it was conducted usingexisting gas turbine componentsdemonstrates the laser ignitionsystem’s capability for operatingwithin the constraints of existinghardware.

The next stages of this research willuse this knowledge to develop aprototype laser ignition system. A key focus of this furtherdevelopment will be the method fordelivery of the spark from theremote laser source to the ignitionlocation within the combustionchamber of the gas turbine. The method employed will bedelivery of the laser beam to thecombustion chamber via an optical fibre.

A fully functional prototype will befurther developed through fieldtrials conducted on actual Siemensgas turbines in industry before fullproduction for new gas turbinesand retro-fitting in existing gasturbines. This will mean that newscientific and technical knowledgewill give Siemens IndustrialTurbomachinery a long-term andsustainable technologicaladvantage in the area of ignitionand combustion.

The Lincoln School of Engineering in a long-term partnership with Siemens, is pushing at the boundaries of science and technology to improve combustion technologies that will have significant benefits for energy use and consumption.

Dealing withenvironmentalchange today

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There are few greater challenges that face ourplanet than how we consume energy in a moresustainable way, and how we make this a reality of our daily lives.

Making our homessustainable

Universities are meeting thischallenge by developing theunderpinning research thatenables businesses to bring moreenergy efficient products tomarket that consumers can use toimprove the energy efficiency oftheir homes.

The Government’s carbonreduction targets mean we needto retrofit 1,500 homes a day,every day, until 2050 to ensurethey meet the energy standards.Given our ageing housing stockthis is a particularly complicatedtask. Through their Energy Hub,the University of Salford havereconstructed the world’s firstterraced house inside a fullyclimate-controlled lab where newtechnologies and tests can be runin exacting conditions – such aswind, rain and varyingtemperatures.

The Hub brings togetheracademics from varyingdisciplines; physicists,psychologists, engineers,designers and built environmentexperts all collaborating with ahuge range of organisations tofind energy efficiency solutionsfor our homes.

One such organisation is DyerEnvironmental Controls who,working in collaboration with theteam at Salford, have developedand brought to market ‘Solis’, awireless, solar powered chainactuator for opening high levelwindows and rooflights. This newproduct facilitates a simple andefficient way to release heat andprovide natural clean air into ahouse. Dyer’s Managing Director,John Crossley, knows it couldn’tbe done without Salford’s EnergyHouse project.

“The Energy Hub’ssupport has not onlygiven us the opportunityto exchange innovativethinking and bring newproducts to market but,more importantly, it hasbeen the catalyst for anew innovation culturewithin our Company.From supporting usthrough factory visits in the Far East, to facilitating InnovationDays within our business,the Energy Hub’srefreshingly opencommunication approachhas allowed us to developfrom a construction-based subcontractor, to an innovativeenvironmentaltechnology provider.”

John Crossley, Managing DirectorDyer Environmental Controls

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The future of green transport

The MINI E project required amulti-disciplinary approach toresearch, to interrogate the technicalissues as well as to fully understandthe social and psychological aspectsof driving electric cars. OxfordBrookes was well placed to carryout this work due to its strengthsacross a range of disciplines. As part of this work, BMW and theUniversity conducted a trial of 40vehicles with 138 private and fleetdrivers and combined objectivedata logger information withsubjective driver data.

The early project findings informeddevelopment of the 2011 BMWActive E, an electric derivative ofthe BMW 1 Series Coupé inpreparation for the 2013 version ofthe car. The University’s researchwas extended substantially acrossthe whole of the TSB’s ‘low carbonvehicle demonstration’ programme.This research also provided the firstinsight into the expectations andexperiences of private and fleetdrivers of electric vehicles, whichposed many questions; How wouldprivate and company motorists andfleet managers get on living with adifferent type of car? What weretheir preconceptions, their realexperiences and their attitudestowards a different style of motoring?Might there be unexpected benefitsfrom having an electric car? Whatare potential barriers to the uptakeof this type of car? What type ofsupport is needed for drivers?

Sustainable methods of travel will also help us work towards lowering ourenergy consumption. Electric vehicles may be one answer to this and BMWhave been developing an electric version of its popular Mini, the MINI E.Throughout this complex project, and supported by a £6m fund from TSB,BMW’s principal academic partner has been Oxford Brookes University.

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“For such an important task,BMW Group sought aresearch partner who couldcomplement interpretationof behavioural metrics andengineering data withstrong psychologicalanalysis. The multi-disciplinary offering that auniversity could bring to thetable was a more diverseand holistic one than thecommercial sector alonecan typically produce. The combined strengths ofOxford Brookes University’sSustainable VehicleEngineering Centre (part ofthe School of Technology)and of its School ofPsychology led to itsselection. In particularmethodological expertise in research construction,selection, delivery andanalysis, as well as provencompetence in thepsychological interpretationof data were seen as keycontributory areas ofexpertise.”

Suzanne Gray, BMW

Rip currents are responsible forhundreds of drownings and morethan 100,000 lifeguard rescues onbeaches around the world everyyear. The presence of rip currentsare often associated with beachesalong the coasts of Australia and theUnited States, but they are verycommon in the UK too. PlymouthUniversity, in partnership with theRoyal National Lifeboat Institution(RNLI) and funded by the NaturalEnvironment Research Council(NERC), are undertaking researchto improve understanding of thesehazardous rip currents.

RNLI lifeguards, who patrol beachesthroughout the UK, report that ripcurrents are responsible for 70% ofall surf related incidents that theyrespond to. This amounted to morethan 1,000 rip current incidentsduring 2009.

Previous research at PlymouthUniversity has identified thecomplex nature of rip currentbehaviour at UK beaches. Ripcurrent systems are influenced byconstantly varying wave and tide

conditions, and beaches thatchange shape throughout the year. The current research project hasbeen designed to improve ourscientific understanding of these ripcurrent systems and how they affectbeach hazards. This improvedknowledge is then passed on to theRNLI in a form that can have asignificant impact on public safety.

A better understanding of theserelationships will mean that theRNLI will be able to provide theirlifeguards with tools and additionaltraining to help keep beaches safewhen rip current hazards are high.In addition, the project findings willsupport public rip awarenessprograms.

The strong partnership betweenRNLI and Plymouth University hasbeen developed over time with theRNLI providing field support andinput on dissemination strategies. As well as driving the research, theUniversity will incorporate itsfindings into the RNLI's lifeguardtraining, public educationprograms, risk assessmentprocedures and resourcemanagement tools through acarefully researched andcomprehensive impact plan.

This project provides an example ofhow impact-led, academic researchcan provide ground-breakingscience that save lives through awell-structured workingpartnership.

Saving lives at seaOur physical environment matters to everyone and understanding it better could save the many lives lost each year in difficult environmental conditions.

“The expertise atPlymouth Universitymade this partnershipessential. Their strengthsin the marine sciencedepartment made theman ideal partner. Notonly has this researchproject advanced ourknowledge about ripcurrents which will helpus save lives, it has given our organisationinternational credibilityin both academic and practice-based circles.”

Adam Wooler, Head of Research for RNLI

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Impact-led, academicresearch can providegroundbreaking sciencethat save lives through awell-structured workingpartnership.

Plymouth University, in partnership with the Royal National LifeboatInstitution (RNLI) and funded by the Natural Environment ResearchCouncil (NERC), are undertaking research to improve understanding ofthese hazardous rip currents.

A more sustainable futurefor the aviation industryAs well as adapting our economies and living arrangements to benefit theenvironment, universities are working with different industries that may behaving an adverse effect on climate change.

The aviation industry is having asignificant impact on the world’scarbon emissions and this trend isset to increase as more and morepeople travel by air.

With the industry growing,researchers at ManchesterMetropolitan University’s Centre forAir Transport and Environment(CATE) are investigating howexisting airport infrastructure canbe used in a smarter way throughbetter environmental management.The aim is to enable the industry togrow, but in a sustainable way,meeting UK Government and EUtargets. CATE’s longstandingresearch in this area has developedalongside a partnership withManchester Airport which has beenable to put much of CATE’sresearch into practice subsequentlyleading the way for sustainableaviation.

Effective environmentalmanagement requires thecollaboration of the manystakeholders in the air transport

industry: aerospace manufacturers,airlines, air traffic managementproviders, airports and, of course,the travelling public. Theenvironmental managementsystems used at airports areunique, involving sometimeshundreds of different companies, all of different sizes and all withdifferent and sometimes conflictinginterests. CATE’s work hasinvestigated how all these partnerswork together to find theappropriate balance betweenoperating capacity, operating costsand environmental protection. Fromleading in this research, CATE havebeen able to advise airports,airlines and air traffic managementorganisations in the UK and aroundthe world on how to change theiroperations to reduce theirenvironmental impacts.

Professor Callum Thomas, one ofCATE’s leading researchers said“The flight path into and out of anairport can affect the daily lives oftens of thousands of people. The airquality around an airport is

influenced by millions of cars, tensof thousands of aircraft movements,generation of energy and handlingof aircraft on the ramp. For climatechange, while aviation isresponsible for 2-3% of CO2emissions each year from humanactivities, the proportion of peoplearound the world who fly is tiny.”

The disturbance caused by aircraftnoise is the single most significantenvironmental impact associatedwith airport operations and hasgiven rise to significant capacityconstraints and operatingrestrictions at airports worldwide.New research by CATE, workingwith noise experts from across theworld, has developed and trialled anew “community friendly” noisemeasure that local people

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understand and engage with. It isanticipated that this will be used by increasing numbers of airportsacross the UK and internationally.

With UK public interest in theaviation industry and its growthbeing such a highly-chargedpolitical issue, successivegovernments have consulted CATEon air transport policy as worldleaders in their field. With manyimportant decisions needing to betaken by the UK Government aboutthe future of the UK’s air transportinfrastructure over the next fewyears, CATE’s work has never beenmore relevant or imperative.

Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for AirTransport and Environment (CATE) are investigating how existing airportinfrastructure can be used in a smarter way through better environmentalmanagement.

Successive governmentshave consulted CATEon air transport policyas world leaders intheir field.

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Making avaluable cultural impact

Understanding our identitiesUniversities play a vital role in our cultural life through their world-leadingresearch in the arts and humanities.

Research into the humanexperience gives us an invaluableinsight into different cultures, as wellas art and history. These form thefoundations of our understanding oftoday’s world, which is why theyremain an important part of ouruniversities’ research focus.Researchers at NorthumbriaUniversity, funded by the AHRC forthe next three years, are working tounderstand how the English sawthemselves throughout history, aproject that has far-reachingimplications for our lives andidentities today.

‘Locating the Hidden Diaspora’ is aground-breaking project to explorewhy “Englishness” has beenoverlooked in America, while otherethnic groups are more celebratedand widely known. While peopleoften think of Scots and Irishexerting a sense of their ownethnicity, particularly as migrants toAmerica, there has been relativelylittle investigation into what theEnglish thought about themselves.

The researchers believe thatEnglishness has been overlookedby historians because, as thefounding colonists, the English werethe benchmark against which allother ethnic groups measuredthemselves. Ironically, England'srelatively recent decline in globalinfluence and the cultural changesproduced by mass immigration andregional devolution has sparkedincreasing attempts to rediscoverand define Englishness.

The project also has implications for the other side of the Atlantic.Recognising the English as adistinct diaspora gives us a clearerpicture of the development of anAmerican identity in that itcomplicates the idea of a coherent'Anglo' cultural mainstream andindicates the fluid and adaptablenature of what it meant and meansto be an American or Canadian.

An understanding of whatconstituted Englishness historicallyin the US and how the Englishmigrants expressed that will

contribute to today’s debates onnational identity that are happeningacross the UK. The growingmovement for an independentScotland has raised the issue of“Britishness” and “Englishness” inthe wider society and influencednational debate about identity. Professor MacRaild, the project’sleader argues, "Today, Englishnessin England is bedevilled with fearsabout right-wing extremists, footballhooligans and the uses and abusesof the now prevalent St George'sflag. We hope a project that willdemonstrate the vibrancy ofEnglishness beyond England’sshores will contribute to debatesabout how Englishness fits intotoday’s multi-ethnic andincreasingly federal politicalculture."

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“Today, Englishness inEngland is bedevilledwith fears about right-wing extremists,football hooligans andthe uses and abuses ofthe now prevalent StGeorge's flag. We hopea project that willdemonstrate thevibrancy of Englishnessbeyond England’sshores will contributeto debates about howEnglishness fits intotoday’s multi-ethnicand increasinglyfederal politicalculture.”

Professor MacRaild

Researchers at Northumbria University, funded by the AHRC for the nextthree years, are working to understand how the English saw themselvesthroughout history, a project that has far-reaching implications for our livesand identities today.

Conserving our art heritageResearchers at Nottingham Trent University are developing a newgeneration of technology that will become a tool for use by galleries andart conservators around the world.

Projects funded by the AHRC, theEPSRC, and the Leverhulme Trustwill result in a vital new instrumentthat will enable smarter conservationof some of our most priceless andimportant works of art.

Since 2004, Dr Haida Liang from theUniversity's School of Science andTechnology has led research intothe application of OpticalCoherence Tomography (OCT)which provides a badly needednon-invasive method for theexamination of paintings. Originallydeveloped as a medical imagingtool, OCT uses infrared light topenetrate biological tissue which

scatters the light back. Thisscattered light is then detected bythe device, allowing it to measurethe distance it has travelled andproduce a three-dimensional imageof the inner structures of the tissue.

Since realising the potential for OCTto be applied in the examination ofworks of art, Dr Liang and her teamhave spent the past six yearspioneering various applications forwork in art history, archaeology andart conservation.

In the case of paintings, the depthand distribution of paint and varnishlayers, and even artist's preparatorydrawings, can be made visible. Allof this can help art conservatorsand curators to better understandthe historical significance and whatis required to preserve pricelessartefacts. The team at NottinghamTrent University now hope that avariety of improvements can bemade to the effectiveness of currentOCT systems, all of which will be ofenormous benefit to its users.Researchers are developing a

system that uses a broader bandand longer wavelength of light toimprove the resolution and depth ofpenetration achievable.

These improvements will allowOCT users to collect a level ofdetailed information which iscurrently only possible byphysically removing samples fromartefacts and examining them witha microscope. This work will alsohelp to establish a reputation forOCT as a tool for non-invasiveimaging in the heritage field,highlighting the benefits it has as anearly warning tool for detectingdeterioration and problems forconservation.

These research projects are beingcarried out in partnership with theNational Gallery, English Heritageand the British Museum, which haveallowed the researchers to applytheir techniques to the examinationof paintings, enamels, glass andceramics. Teams from EnglishHeritage and the National Galleryhave been able to test the

All of this can help artconservators andcurators to betterunderstand thehistorical significanceand what is required topreserve pricelessartefacts.

These research projectsare carried out inpartnership with theNational Gallery,English Heritage andthe British Museumwhich have allowed theresearchers to applytheir techniques to theexamination ofpaintings, enamels,glass and ceramics.

instrument, and work with theNottingham Trent researchers tocontinually improve itseffectiveness. Once fully developed,it will form a critical part ofconservator’s tools ensuring that artis conserved and protected forfuture generations without sufferingany damage in the process.

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Alliance research Alliance universities have significant strengths across a broad range ofdisciplines, which are contributing to the challenges posed by governmentsand funding bodies to today’s research community.

These strengths represent the top areas excellence in research acrossAlliance universities that have been given the highest rating of 4* or ‘world leading’.

Alliance research is supported by significant investment from public andprivate sources in the UK and internationally.

In 2010-11, this amounted to:

Engineering

Technology

Design

Architecture and BuiltEnvironment

Computer Science

Business and Management

English Languageand Literature

History

Communication and Cultural Studies

Health Professions and Studies

Social Work and Social Policy

Nursing and Midwifery

Cleaner energy Environmental change

Lifelon

ghealthandwellbeing

DigitaleconomyConnectedco

mmunitiesSafetyandsecurity £317m

Research councils

Quality related funding

Business and industry

Charities

International governments

Innovation funding

Collaborative research

National Health Service

UK Government bodies

Local authorities

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Source: RAE2008

Source: HESA

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Driving policyto create realand lastingchange

Tackling child abuseResearch carried out by Alliance universities frequently influences policyon a local, national and international level.

Alliance universities work withpolicy-makers across a spectrum ofissues that affect communities andindividuals on a daily basis.Researchers at Kingston Universitythrough The Centre for Abuse andTrauma Studies (CATS) areinvestigating the online groomingbehaviours of sexual offenders.

The research project, run withpartners in Italy, Belgium andNorway, is attracting interestworldwide and will inform internetsafety legislation and policy acrossEurope, as well as law enforcementagencies and providers of treatmentservices for sexual offenders.

Working with police and prisonservices throughout Europe, theproject explores motivation andvictim selection practices amonginternet sexual offenders. Thebreadth of expertise within CATSallows its researchers to crosstraditional disciplinary boundarieswhen working with victims andperpetrators. In the project’s firstphase, which began in 2009, they

found similarities in the behaviourof sexual offenders, regardless oftheir country of origin. Previousresearch had revealed that abusersearn the trust of their victimsthrough a variety of socialisationprocesses that often last severalmonths. CATS researchers haveshown that abusers have becomeincreasingly competent with newtechnologies, fast-tracking thegrooming process through socialnetworking sites such as Facebook.

They work rapidly through lists ofhundreds of youngsters untilsomeone agrees to meet with them.Researchers believe that, by talkingto convicted offenders about howthey selected and prepared theirvictims, they will be better able towarn of the potential dangers. In addition, by talking to youngpeople, parents and teachers, theyaim to identify the most effectiveways of promoting safer internetpractices. CATS will also work withsocial networking sites to improveinternet safety and is currentlycollaborating

with Facebook to disseminatepreliminary findings.

Findings from the first phase of the research are now beingdisseminated to the police, social and health services, NGOs,children’s charities and others thatmay be able to use the findings tomake positive steps in the fightagainst child abuse.

Peter Spindler, Commander at theMetropolitan Police said: “Therehas never been a more importanttime for the academic community tostep forward and provide theirperspective on the challengingworld of child abuse. Professionalsare so immersed in addressing thesymptoms and manifestations ofabuse, they rarely have the time orresources to analyse the issues andtailor their response accordingly.”

Researchers at Kingston University through The Centre for Abuse andTrauma Studies (CATS) are investigating the online grooming behavioursof sexual offenders.

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There has never been amore important time forthe academic communityto step forward andprovide their perspectiveon the challenging worldof child abuse.Professionals are soimmersed in addressingthe symptoms andmanifestations of abuse,they rarely have the timeor resources to analysethe issues and tailor theirresponse accordingly.”

Commander Peter Spindler,Metropolitan Police

Driving downunemploymentAnother important policy agenda being shaped by Alliance research ishidden unemployment.

Researchers at Sheffield HallamUniversity have undertakennumerous research projects overthe years quantifying hiddenunemployment and identifying theextent to which unemployment hasbeen diverted into incapacitybenefits.

The research has been at theforefront of academic and policydebates and highlights theimportance of recognisinggeography. This is essential if themuch-debated rise in incapacitybenefits is to be fully understood.The research undertaken atSheffield Hallam has informednational policy debates byadvancing methodologies, creatinganalytical tools and generating asubstantial evidence base to informthe policy-making process.Traditionally, the ‘claimant count’was the preferred measure ofunemployment in Britain. However,new research identified that thismeasure underestimated the reallevel of unemployment and that the

diversion of claimants ontoincapacity benefits meant thatunemployment had become hiddenwithin national statistics, andtherefore to government, the policyresearch community, policy makersand the public.

The researchers collaborated withthe Department for Work andPensions which supported theproject throughout from theapplication, to access data to formthe basis of the sampling for theprimary research, as well as activeengagement on the steering groupand at dissemination events. Thisresearch project has led to greaterrecognition of the true scale andspatial concentration ofunemployment in the olderindustrial parts of Britain which isessential when planning policyacross government that could havesome impact on employment rates.

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Research undertakenat Sheffield Hallam hasinformed nationalpolicy debates byadvancingmethodologies,creating analyticaltools and generating asubstantial evidencebase to inform thepolicy-making process.

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Researchingacrossboundaries toensure ourhealth andwellbeing

Adding computer science to surgical trainingAlliance universities make a significant contribution to research that affectsour health and wellbeing.

Given the tremendous diversity ofexpertise that exists in anyuniversity, many of them are able toconduct groundbreaking researchthat spans a range of disciplinesand techniques. And with aconsistently open approach, theyensure that research is conductedin partnership with practitionersand experts from outside ofuniversity life.

This open approach is apparentwhen you talk to researchers incomputer graphical simulation atBournemouth University who, inpartnership with consultantsurgeons from Bournemouth andPoole hospitals, are developing avirtual reality based simulator thatallows trainee doctors to learn theirtechniques by operating on avirtual patient.

Colorectal cancer is a lifethreatening disease and one of themost common cancers. Surgeryremains the most commontreatment option with 80% ofpatients undergoing an invasive

procedure. Due to the complexity ofthe anatomy and the delicatestructure of the bowel, removing thecancerous tissue fully and cleanly isa very skilful job. Recent researchinto relapse rates highlights theimportance of a specialistcolorectal surgeon in effectivetreatment. However, such skills areborn of experience. The reality isthat many new doctors gain theseskills, in this country, by operatingdirectly on patients which presentsboth a risk to the patient andinevitably prolongs the trainingperiod for capable surgeons.

There are already some computerassisted surgery simulatorsavailable. However these haveprimarily been for operationswhere there are only smallmovements and small deformationsof soft tissue. Bowel cancer surgeryis very different and a lot morecomplicated. To be effective as atraining tool, the graphicalrepresentation, the sensation offorce (haptic feedback) the trainee

experiences and the deformationresponse of the soft tissue need tobe realistic. Accurate representationof these elements is incrediblycomplex. This is why no such othersimulators currently exist and whythe system that has beendeveloped through this research isone of a kind.

Dr Taz Quershi spoke passionatelyabout his involvement with thisresearch project: “I was appointedas a Consultant Laparoscopic(keyhole) Surgeon at Poole HospitalNHS Foundation Trust, tasked withintroducing new laparoscopictechniques to the hospital. I nowtrain other surgeons, both juniorand established ConsultantSurgeons on how to performLaparoscopic surgery.

The collaborative project started in2009 with Bournemouth Universityand their national centre forcomputer animation at the mediaschool. This has enabled surgeonsto be involved at the verybeginning of its development.

The collaboration has meant that wehave addressed the difficultchallenges posed by this researchtogether as clinicians and computerspecialists, which has been reallyilluminating and a real privilege.

Once completed, we would hopeour simulator will be attractive tothe surgical profession not just inthis country but internationally.“

Researchers in computer graphical simulation at Bournemouth Universitywho, in partnership with consultant surgeons from Bournemouth and Poolehospitals, are developing a virtual reality based simulator that allowstrainee doctors to learn their techniques by operating on a virtual patient.

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Improving the air we breatheThe quality of the air we breathe has a serious impact on our health and itis often the case that we have no guarantee that our air is always of anacceptable and safe quality.

Indoor environments, dampconditions, industrial processes andventilation systems can all posehealth risks. Exposure to some types of particles can lead to people suffering from a host of life-threatening conditions.

Researchers at the University ofHertfordshire’s Centre forAtmospheric and InstrumentationResearch (CAIR) have, after years ofresearch and development, made abreakthrough in the development ofa low-cost particle counter thatallows for continuous monitoring ofindoor air quality. Thanks to theadvances made in particlecharacterisation by spatial lightscattering and in-instrument design,the team have been able to developa new reliable sensor with a widerange of important applications.

This technology is being used in anumber of different applications,however real-time airborneasbestos detection is one of themost significant advances that it willnow bring. Millions of buildings in

the UK and Europe, includingschools, hospitals, public andcommercial buildings, still containasbestos. Whilst untouched, theasbestos is fairly harmless, but withage and degeneration, asbestosfibres can be released into theatmosphere.

An asbestos detector based on thetechnology developed at theUniversity of Hertfordshire is beingmanufactured by Select Group Ltdfor use by trades-people acrossEurope.

Although development of theworld’s first real-time asbestosdetector is of extreme importancewithin the construction industrysector, exposure to toxic asbestos is a global problem which reachesfar outside the construction trade.Two million people are predicted todie from asbestos-related diseasesby 2030, 250,000 of which are inEurope. In the UK over 4,000 peoplea year now die from asbestos-related diseases with only half ofthose being tradesmen, the otherhalf consist of their families,teachers, emergency services,military, ship repairers, demolitionworkers and many other industrialsector workers and buildingoccupiers. The ‘Alert Detector’ willprovide an invaluable tool to Fireand Emergency Rescue serviceswho face possible exposure toairborne asbestos, on a daily basis,through destruction caused by fire,collapsed buildings and othernatural disasters.

Alan Archer, the Managing Directorof the Select Group has been

working closely with the Universityto develop this product and bring itto market.

“Whilst our business has manycommercial strengths and businessexperience, we lack the in-houseresearch and development, facilitiesand skills needed to develop highlytechnical products. Our company isnever short on good ideas but weneeded the scientific expertise ofthe University of Hertfordshire tomake our vision a reality.Hertfordshire have broughtamazing technical skills to theproject and an excellentunderstanding of how to interactwith the private sector. Without theirexpertise and scientific knowledge,our vision of a real-time asbestosdetector would have been nearimpossible.

The level of knowledge and thenecessary equipment to developsuch a sensitive piece of equipmentwould have made it financiallyunviable for Select to have pursuedthis work on its own.

The technology behind the AlertDetector will provide millions ofpeople who are currently at risk,with a means of personal protection.Alert will warn them of the potentialpresence of airborne asbestosfibres offering them the vitalopportunity to stop, secure the areaand have the asbestos treatedprofessionally, minimizing exposureto these lethal airborne fibres.

Researchers at theUniversity ofHertfordshire have,after years of researchand development,made a breakthroughin the development of alow-cost particlecounter that allows forcontinuous monitoringof indoor air quality.

The technology behindthe Alert Detector willprovide millions ofpeople who arecurrently at risk, with ameans of personalprotection.

Shedding light on cancer research

Professor Vyv Salisburyof UWE’s Centre forResearch inBiosciences, is usinggene technology todevelop a rapidpredictive test toenable tailoredchemotherapy forleukaemia patients. These biosensors use geneticallymodified bacteria that emit lightwhen alive. They can be used tomonitor the effectiveness of drugsand to rapidly predict the effects ofcancer chemotherapy on leukemiccells.

The biosensor has been patentedand is being used in a rapid assaythat will be marketed by RandoxLaboratories. Its application willenable patient specific chemotherapy, initially for one drugused in the treatment of AcuteMyeloid Leukaemia, but in future itcould be used for combinations ofdrugs used in chemotherapy for arange of malignancies, includingsolid tumours.

“It is this area that excites me themost,” says Vyv, “I am very keen totry and extend the research to see ifwe can design biosensors forpredictive testing of chemotherapyfor solid tumours such as breastand bowel cancer."

The development of bioluminescentbacterial biosensors requiresmultidisciplinary expertise andcollaboration with a wide range ofpartners. Vyv appreciates that “theresearch programme has beenhelped immensely by being atUWE, and particularly havingcolleagues with expertise in optics,analytical chemistry, geneticengineering and haematology. Theimportance of good relationshipswith the health service and a strongcommercial partner are also crucialfor the successful development ofnew healthcare devices.

The University of the West of England (UWE) has been a centre ofexcellence in biosensor research since the 1990s, with its expertise beingapplied across a wide range of areas including food and environmentalmonitoring, and supplying biosensors to research groups worldwide.

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Innovatingthrough design,laying thefoundations ofour digitalfuture

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Placing design at the heartof innovationDesign plays an important role for business and industry by adding value toproducts or by helping the innovation of completely new ideas and ventures.De Montfort University’s ‘Improving Business by Design’ project has enabled SMEs to put design at the heart of their research and development so that they can bring outstanding and popular products to market.

De Montfort University is wellpositioned to lead this project,having significant academic designexpertise. This has enabled them tolink with design and manufacturingcompanies, a process of knowledgeexchange that benefits researchersat the university, the businesspartners and of course thecustomers that use the resultingproducts.

When the innovators behind‘Walkodile’ approached De Montfort University, it was clearthat this expertise was needed tomake their ideas a reality. Walkodileis an innovative children’s safetydevice that links children togetherin groups of two or four. ElaineStephen who developed theoriginal concept of the Walkodilesaid “It's not easy taking a largegroup of young children out on awalk outside school or nursery... askany childcare professional. Youngchildren are very unpredictableand no matter how careful you areand how much adult supervisionyou have with you, there's alwaysthe chance an accident couldhappen. I wanted to createsomething which would make thechildren safer and make this taskmore manageable.”

The design challenges for thisproduct were very complex; it hadto be lightweight, safe and reliable,fun and attractive for children to useand ultimately cost effective for

parents and nurseries that wouldneed to buy it. For a company withlimited resources, thesedevelopment challenges wouldnormally be insurmountable.

However, researchers at De Montfort along with their rapidprototyping facilities were able toprovide the research, developmentand design infrastructure needed tobring Walkodile to market. Theresearchers took a Computer AidedDesign (CAD) approach to theprocess as traditional techniqueswould have been too resource andtime intensive for a small companyto sustain. A carefully managedexperimental research programmewas undertaken using threedimensional CAD design andadvanced prototypingdevelopment. Research was

embedded within the whole designprocess, including in the evolutionof the design to produce the finalproduct.

The researcher’s efforts wererewarded as the product itselfproved to be a huge success. ElaineStephen said that "Walkodile hasreceived extremely positivefeedback from children, parentsand childcare staff. It has alsoreceived widespread acclaim frommany other communities andinterested stakeholders. I know itwill give me, my colleagues and allother education professionalssignificant improvements in outdooreducation for us and the childrenunder our care".

The product has won severalprestigious design awards andDame Elaine Stephen herself wasawarded an MBE for services toChild Safety in the Queen’s 2011New Year’s Honours List because oftremendous safety benefits that theWalkodile has brought families andnurseries.

The product has wonseveral prestigiousdesign awards andDame Elaine Stephenherself was awarded anMBE for services toChild Safety in theQueen’s 2011 NewYear’s Honours Listbecause of tremendoussafety benefits that theWalkodile has broughtfamilies and nurseries.

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Apps that matter

Mobile technologies and in particular mobile applications or ‘apps’ havebecome an important part of the increasingly digitised UK and globaleconomy.

The Centre of Excellence in MobileApplications and Services(CEMAS) at the University ofGlamorgan, partly funded by theEuropean Regional Developmentfund, is providing research anddevelopment for SMEs in Wales toincrease their competitiveness. TheCentre has a primary responsibilityto work with SMEs in theconvergence area of Wales byhelping them develop, test and finda route to market for their mobileapplication product.

CEMAS is unique in the way thatthey are able to minimise the initial

risks to businesses that areassociated with developing amobile application. This is donethrough a fully funded appdevelopment programme availableto eligible SMEs in Wales. TheCEMAS team can help Welsh SMEsand start-up companies developtheir app idea on a number ofplatforms including iOS, Android,Blackberry and Windows Phone.

Underpinning this work is researchwhich has broken new ground inmany different areas. One researchproject led by Professor Al-Begainhas been working on queuingmodels to assess the survivability ofsystems that face failure. The teamintroduced a new concept in theform of “propagated failures”. Theydeveloped a model that is capableof capturing system behaviourproviding insight into its ability tocontinue to provide an acceptablelevel of service in case of disasters.This work has wide applications fororganisations, big or small, thatdepend on complicated systems tounderpin their operation.

We all know about popular appsbuilt for entertainment, butCEMAS’s research is enablingbusinesses to develop apps that aremission-critical to important andoften dangerous work. An exampleof such a business is C-ToolZ, a start-up that produces and sellsspecialist software to the powerindustry. The software is designedto assist the commissioning of highvoltage substation protectionsystems.

It replaces most of the complexmanual calculations performed by engineers which increasesefficiency, saves time and increasesaccuracy and confidence in testresults, which is of criticalimportance when commissioningsubstations given the dangers andrisks associated with their failure.The increased portability of havingan app means an engineer canhave access to the softwarewherever they are. It is also muchquicker and easier to open an appthan to boot a laptop and load thesoftware.

The power industry itself willultimately be affected by therelease of this app as laptops willbe replaced by smartphones,engineers will be able to be moreresponsive and accurate inensuring that a critical part of theUK’s infrastructure continues towork as it should.

The Managing Director of C-ToolZ,David Messruther, spoke aboutworking with CEMAS: “CEMAS hassupported the project with theirfriendly, professional support,guidance and expertise throughout.My description and rough sketch of what I wanted was quicklytransformed into a professional and sleek design. The app is verytechnical and the designer spent a lot of time and effort getting itperfect. I was given great legal andfinancial advice from the projectmanager.”

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The University ofGlamorgan, partlyfunded by the EuropeanRegional Developmentfund, is providingresearch anddevelopment for SMEsin Wales to increasetheir competitiveness.

Built and NaturalEnvironment, at GlasgowCaledonian University,has been placed as thetop department forresearch in Scotlandand in the top quartile inthe UK, with 60% of itsresearch internationallyexcellent or world-leading.

In the past five years,Plymouth University’sCentre for Robotics andNeural Systems haswon over £20 millionin grant funding forprojects which includethe use of robots towork with children inhospitals.

Research by ManchesterMetropolitan University’sCentre for Air Transportis influencing globalaviation policy with theirwork on includingaviation in anyinternational emissionstrading scheme debatedby the UN.

Liverpool John MooresUniversity’s National SchoolsObservatory (NSO) hassuccessfully delivered around30,000 observations to over1,000 schools from the LiverpoolTelescope.

The University of Bradfordtypically runs over 150 researchprojects with over 100organisations per year.

Kingston has significantstrengths in nursing, where15% of the researchsubmitted was judged tohave reached 4* level.

De Montfort University’sKTP with NottinghamScientific lead to theirinvolvement in a £60 million Euro EuropeanSpace Agency grant.

Cardiff Metropolitan University'sSESAME (Sensing for Sport andManaged Exercise) Project is set toprovide elite athletes and coacheswith a competitive edge in the runup to 2012.

The John van GeestCancer ResearchCentre at NottinghamTrent University leadson interdisciplinaryresearch into cancerdetection,monitoringand immunotherapy.

Virtual reality technologies haveallowed Northumbria Universityto create a living 3D model ofNewcastle and Gateshead whichis used by architects and townplanners.

University of Huddersfieldresearchers are developingunique high power beams fromsimple compact accelerators for safer nuclear power andimproved radiotherapy.

Bournemouth Universityis home to the worldnumber one researchcentre for fish biology,investigating thebiological risksthreatening freshwaterfish that are relied on bymillions world-wide forfood, business andleisure.

The University ofPortsmouth has one ofthe leading groups inthe next generation ofcosmologyexperiments, whichaims to uncover themysterious nature ofdark energy and darkmatter.

Inter-disciplinary researchat Teesside University acrosshealth, social sciences,computing, engineering andsport science has led to an‘exergaming’ product thatthat will enter the globalmarket in partnership with amajor Australian sportscompany.

Researchers from the Universityof Wales, Newport are developing‘robot skin’ which will improvethe ability of robots to operateeffectively and safely inunconstrained environments.

Sheffield Hallam University areone of the largest providers ofnursing education in the UKdelivering specialist teaching inareas such as acute and criticalcare, and palliative care.

UWE is home tothe largestRobotics lab in the UK.

The Genomics Policy Unit (GPU) at the University of Glamorgan isone of the longest establishedresearch groups studying the “new genetics” in existence in the UK.

The University of Salford is inthe top 20 UK Universities forKTPs, primarily working withSMEs to integrate them into theuniversity's knowledge base.

The University ofLincoln’s new multi-million pound School of Engineering reflectsthe scope of researchwhere the University isengaged with externalcollaborators inindustry, governmentand social enterprises.

Professor Rajat Gupta of the Schoolof Architecture at Oxford BrookesUniversity has been awarded

£1.4 millionto carry out research into low carbon communities.

The University of Hertfordshireis developing a newatmospheric remote sensingstation to observe and monitoraerosols, clouds and any futurevolcanic ash plumes.

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Facts and figures

University Alliance is a group of 23 universities offering a distinct studentexperience shaped by a commitment to delivering world-class researchand a culture of enterprise and innovation built on close partnerships withbusiness, the professions and their communities.