GIBSON INDEX NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2009

GENERAL NEWS

Gibson Index Ltd uploads full list of annual Grants for R&D from DIUS

A full list of all small businesses that have received Grants for R&D from the nine English RDAs between April 2007 and March 2008 has been released exclusively to our database team – a list that is not widely distributed.

In fact, the full GRD list is added each year to the database. In fact, each month at least one large new listing of SMEs is added or filleted for hitherto unknown companies. In January the Sunday Times FasTrack 100 is checked. In March, new firms exhibiting at CeBiT in Hannover are added – often around 60 in total. In April the Queen’s Award for Enterprise listing of around 160 companies is added. In May the Scottish Smart Awards list is published. All of the UK firms exhibiting at the big autumn German technology fairs - Medica, Elektronica, Productronika, Systeme – not to mention the large US events – are added. In the late autumn all 350 firms in the six region, Deloitte Touche Fast 50 and the National Business Awards are sifted – though very few of these are completely new to our database. And the exhibitors at around 350 different events around the UK each year.

A total of 337 awards were given out by the English RDAs in 2007-8 period, and these have all now been integrated into the database. Most notably, 11 Exceptional Awards for high potential concepts were given to interesting SMEs. Three were awarded each by the North West and South East, two from the West Midlands and two for the Yorkshire & Humber regions, and one for the South West.The North West gave out 83 awards, EMDA issued 50 awards in total, 33 from Yorks & Humber, 32 each from EEDA and SEEDA - but London issued just 21 – a serious deficiency in the LDA team – and SWERDA just 15. The North East gave 43 – the biggest number relative to the fact that it is the smallest of the English RDAs.

The Exceptional Awards were given to the following Projects:- Smart Life Technology Ltd – SmartVEST. - EMCC Software Ltd - High Usabilty, Low Cost Mobile Phone calls. - Nanoco Technologies Ltd - Scale up process for production of quantum dots. - Ceres Power Ltd - Fuel Cell Manufacturing Process Development. - Ceres Power Ltd (2) - Protoype CHP Product Manufacture. - Immune Targeting Systems (ITS) Ltd - Development of flu vaccine targeting all pandemic and seasonal flu strains. - Genetic Microdevices Ltd – Cyclochip.- BVI Ltd - The Bodybenchmark Project. - Cytox Ltd - Diagnosis and treatment of pre-symptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease. - Structure Vision Ltd – Digital monitoring tool.- Castings Technology International - Development of a Thin Walled Casting process.

www.dius.gsi.gov.uk

UK firms unite to produce ‘Super Performance Plastics’

In addition to industrial partners Fairline Boats and Lightweight Medical, the consortium consists of seven other UK partners - Queen Mary University of London, Springdale Natural Products, E&F Composites, John L Brierley, Sam Weller and Sons, NetComposites (Project Coordinator) and Tilsatec. Dr Brendon Weager, Project Manager at NetComposites, said “The development and use of renewable materials is becoming increasingly important in today’s environmentally conscious society. This project is making great strides towards harnessing the true potential of natural fibres and biopolymers to make high-performance biomaterials a reality.” The project is co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board’s Collaborative Research and Development programme, following an open competition. The aim is to produce the first generation of high performance composite materials made from completely biodegradable natural fibre reinforced plastics. These fabric-based materials are believed to be the first of their kind, using long, aligned natural fibres to reinforce naturally derived plastics. This work is being undertaken as part of Combine, a collaborative project whose objectives are to develop high performance bio-derived composites for structural applications. Half way through the two and a half year project, the first generation of materials has now been developed and plans are underway to manufacture three industrial demonstrator parts. End-user partners such as Fairline Boats and Lightweight Medical have begun to develop a marine component and a section of a mobile incubator respectively. An opportunity has recently arisen for a UK-based moulding company or end-user to join the project and to assist with the development of the case study parts. Natural fibres are already being used to reinforce conventional plastics, for example in injection moulded or press moulded interior parts for the automotive industry. However, the natural fibres are generally short and randomly oriented so their use is limited due to the relatively low mechanical properties obtained. Plastics made from renewable resources are even further from market when it comes to their use in engineering products. The Combine Project is converting the natural fibres into long, aligned reinforcements to exploit the inherent mechanical properties of plants in structural applications with the added advantage of having a lower weight than conventional reinforcements such as glass fibres. Polylactic acid (PLA), a bio-plastic made from corn, has been identified as a suitable matrix material by the consortium, whilst polypropylene is also being considered as a partial nearer-to-market solution. These are then combined with the natural fibre reinforcements of choice, flax and hemp fibre, both easily grown in the UK. Novel spinning and weaving techniques are being developed to optimise material properties. Further work will include process optimisation, painting, bonding and moulding. www.combineproject.org.uk

EPSRC to establish second funding stream for Universities keen on KTPs

The EPSRC is a long-standing and enthusiastic supporter of KTPs. It is the second largest of the 18 sponsors of KTP and supports research and training in UK universities; unlike some other Research Councils, it does not have its own institutes. EPSRC has the largest budget and arguably the widest remit. EPSRC wants all universities that can produce more high quality KTP, meeting EPSRC’s criteria for support, to access KTP funds. As a result, EPSRC will establish a second funding stream of £2m per annum to support KTP in those universities that do not hold a KTA. In 2007/08, EPSRC funded 26 new KTPs. These were supported through funding that universities had received through their Collaborative Training Account (CTA) grants. Universities have the flexibility to use their CTA grant funding to support collaborative training activities, including KTP, as they see appropriate. EPSRC support for KTP is solely though the CTA route. Because the universities already hold the CTA funding for KTP, EPSRC has no need to approve the projects or the partnering companies, which follow standard KTP submission and approval routes. However, EPSRC expects that all KTPs supported via the CTA should arise from high quality research work; EPSRC’s criteria for support means that EPSRC-sponsored KTP should demonstrate follow on, pull through and exchange the knowledge generated from relevant EPSRC research grants. Universities that do not hold a CTA grant are not able to secure any support for KTP from EPSRC. They are able, however, to apply for sponsorship from other sponsors. Impact of Knowledge Transfer Accounts on EPSRC’s Funding for KTP Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTAs) will replace CTA from October 2009. Similarly to CTA, KTAs will be institution level awards and will offer one significant funding route to support KTPs and other KT-relevant activities. It is expected that those universities that hold a KTA will use their funding to apply for EPSRC-relevant KTPs in a similar manner to the processes for CTA. www.epsrc.ac.uk

Technology Strategy Board to start new £3m network in financial services

The new Financial Services Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) will share knowledge and deliver innovation in the financial services sector, and will help businesses to innovate by providing them with networking and partnering opportunities and with up-to-date knowledge on markets and technologies. The Financial Services KTN will address the needs of as many sub-sectors of financial services as possible, including insurance and reinsurance as well as wholesale, commercial, investment and retail banking. The Technology Strategy Board has invited organisations who may wish to consider bidding to manage the new Financial Services KTN. TSB Chief Executive, Iain Gray, said: “We announced [in early 2008] that we would look at how to respond to the technology and innovation challenges of the high value services sectors. In financial

services, despite current difficulties in global financial markets, the UK has a world-class position.” The Technology Strategy Board is to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the financial services sector by investing up to £3 million over three years in a new knowledge-sharing network, and is looking for an appropriate organisation or consortium to help set up and manage the new network. Given the current financial crisis, a range of new ideas, oversight software and working practices in the financial services industry could not come too soon.www.innovateuk.org/content/technology-strategy-board-to-establish-a-new-innov.ashx

Business Failures rise sharply in Fourth Quarter of 2008

Business information provider Equifax released its Business Failures Report for the whole of 2008 - and the figures reinforce the British Chamber of Commerce report released earlier - that the downturn has taken real hold in the UK economy. Business failures for the whole of 2008 compared to 2007 rose 18.2%. Equifax director Neil Munroe believes this shows the real consequences of the downturn in consumer confidence, combined with continued restrictions on lending to consumers and businesses. “To see the number of businesses going bust for the whole of the year rise so significantly is very worrying. But what is equally worrying is the increases in failures in the last quarter of the year. Comparing Quarter 4 2007 with Quarter 4 2008, there is an increase of 32.1% in businesses going into administration. And further evidence is provided of how the downturn has impacted on businesses through the year when we compare Quarter 4 2008 with Quarter 3 2008, with a 24.2% increase in failures. The Construction sector saw the greatest year on year increase in failures, with 32.4% more businesses folding in 2008 compared to 2007. And the last quarter of the year was particularly hard for this sector with a 54.7% increase in failures compared to the same period in 2007. The Retail sector was the next hardest hit, with a 23.9% increase in failures for the whole of the year. And, as all the headlines in the last month have proved, the last quarter of 2008 was very difficult for the sector with a 42.5% increase in failures compared to the same period in 2007. The Transport & Communications sector, which is heavily dependent on the Construction and Retail sectors for its business, saw a 17% increase in failures in 2008. The Services sector saw an 13.8% increase in businesses going into administration throughout the whole of 2008, compared to 2007, closely followed by the Manufacturing sector at 11.2%. The sector that appeared the most resilient in 2008 was Wholesale, with a 7.2% increase in failures for the year as a whole. And this resilience appeared to hold through to the end of the year with only a 14.1% increase in failures in Quarter 4 2008 compared to the same period in 2007. The North East saw the biggest rise in failures year on year at 41.2% and this was even worse for the fourth quarter of the year with a year on year increase of 57.8%. Other

Northern regions also struggled through the year with a 29.1% year on year increase in businesses failing in the North West and a 23.9% increase in Yorkshire & Humberside. Except for Scotland, the area of the country that showed the smallest increase in failures for the year was the East of England, at just 8.4%, perhaps reflecting the region’s lesser dependency on some of the core sectors affected by the downturn, such as construction, manufacturing and services. www.equifax.co.uk – www.britishchambers.org.uk

Energy Technology Institute hits the road with giant sea energy project

The Energy Technology Institute - based across Nottingham, Leicester and Birmingham Universities - has a £1.1bn fund for research projects to meet the country’s energy and climate change projects. Romax Ltd, which has its Nottingham premises at the Science Park, has joined a consortium, Project Deepwater Turbine, led by Blue H Technologies. Other members include BAe Systems, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Agriculture, EDF Energy and SLP Energy. The project aims to design and determine the feasibility and potential of an integrated solution for a 5MW floating offshore wind turbine for use in deep water of between 30m and 300m. Romax, which employs 65, will design the main shaft, gearbox and generator for the wind turbine. Andy Poon of Romax, said: “This allows the rotating motion to be converted into electricity. We have been designing wind turbine components such as gearboxes and bearings for the last five years in mainland Europe, America, Korea and China. The ETI is looking to establish a manufacturing capability in the UK for wind turbines.” Dr David Clarke, the ETI’s chief executive officer said: “The projects will demonstrate new technologies which can deliver significant cost savings compared to current renewable energy sources. Through the skills, capabilities and market access of our members, we have the potential to deploy new technologies on a mass scale.” Government policy is for 25 per cent of UK electricity coming from off-shore wind and marine sites by 2020. In January 2009 Romax was taking part in a national initiative to cut greenhouse gases. Romax has won money to take part in one of four innovative projects aimed at helping the UK meet targets for carbon emissions. Dr Clarke added: “The bigger challenge is to engineer these structures so they deliver energy at a more affordable price than today. Offshore wind is about twice the price of central fossil fuel plant and marine is four times the price, but no one has built a commercial farm to find out.” Dr Clarke said there was a big issue about cost reduction and the opportunity to deploy more than 3,000 new wind turbines and 2,000 marine energy devices. The funding for the projects comes from ETI’s private sector partners, BP, Caterpillar, EDF Energy, E-on, Rolls-Royce and Shell. www.romaxtech.com

Over 100 companies in Northern Ireland enter the race for over £100,000

Invest Northern Ireland has announced the shortlist of companies competing for a share of the £105,000 prize fund in the 2009 Innovation and Export Awards. Run in partnership with Ulster Bank, the awards attracted a total of 111 applications from Invest NI client companies across the five individual categories. Henry Elvin, Head of Business Banking at Ulster Bank, adds: “Ulster Bank has a strong and longstanding commitment to supporting companies of all sizes and in an increasingly tough climate, it is extremely important that local businesses across a wide range of industry segments are recognised for their achievements. These awards continue to highlight the positive impact of continuous improvement by businesses and demonstrates the importance of export activity for promoting and strengthening the local economy.” Shortlisted companies will now progress to the 2009 Innovation and Export Awards, to be held on 18 February, where the category winners will be announced.

The successful shortlisted companies in each category are as follows: Best New Innovation: Criteria: Recognising research, development and design excellence in a new product, service or process launched within the last two years that has delivered quantifiable benefits to the business, added value to target market by increasing market share and demonstrated the potential for future commercial success. BASE Ltd, Belfast Core Systems (NI) Ltd, Belfast Embedded Monitoring Systems Ltd, Belfast James Leckey Design Ltd, Belfast Rainvault, Draperstown

Innovator of the Year Award: Criteria: Recognising the outstanding contribution of a business that has been in business for five years or more, and has made a significant contribution to economic prosperity and the advancement of innovation in Northern Ireland. BASE Ltd, Belfast James Leckey Design Ltd, Belfast Marturion Ltd, Lisburn Randox Laboritories Ltd, Crumlin Singularity, Londonderry

Best Emerging Exporter Award: Criteria: Recognising the outstanding export achievement of a business that has been exporting goods and / or services for three years or less. ACT Detection Dogs Ltd, Downpatrick A&K Landscape Retail Ltd, Belfast Colloide Engineering Systems Ltd, Cookstown Inspecvision Ltd, Larne Linwoods, Armagh

Exporter of the Year Award:

Criteria: Recognising the outstanding export achievement (based on incremental export performance) of a business that has been exporting goods and/or services for four years or more. Almac Group, Craigavon AJ Power, Craigavon CDE Ireland Ltd, Cookstown Latens Systems, Belfast Randox Laboratories, Crumlin

Business Excellence Award: Criteria: Recognising the outstanding achievement of a business, irrespective of size or time in operation that can demonstrate exceptional financial returns, strong export growth, delivery of innovation strategies and market leadership in their sector. Almac Group, Craigavon James Leckey Design Ltd, Belfast Mash Direct Ltd, Comber Randox Laboratories, Crumlin Singularity, Londonderry www. innovationandexportawards .com

Cambridge University physicist wins first UNESCO award since 2001

Professor Athene Donald FRS, of the Department of Physics, is one of five women scientists who will receive the 2009 L’Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Award. Selected as the 2009 European Laureate, the award recognises Professor Donald’s work in unravelling the mysteries of the physics of messy materials. Chosen on merit for her scientific excellence, Professor Donald impressed the judges with her research that has explored the physics of materials ranging from ice-cream, cement and starch to protein aggregation (which may be relevant to brain disease). She becomes only the second British scientist to receive the prize, which will be awarded alongside four other exceptional scientists, one from each continent, at an awards ceremony in March. Jennifer Campbell, Director, Partnerships and Philanthropy, L’Oréal said “Athene’s award is testament to the outstanding contribution she has made to science. At L’Oreal we are also struck by her commitment to be an inspiration to young female scientists, through her conviction in reaching the highest echelons of science by combining her work with family life” Professor Donald has worked at the University’s Cavendish laboratory since 1983 and is currently Deputy Head of the Department of Physics. She is a fellow of Robinson College and Director of WiSETI, the University’s Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative. The last British Laureate was Professor Anne McLaren, who was also based at the University of Cambridge, who received the award in 2001. The 2009 awards were selected by a Jury of 18 eminent science researchers, with the 1999 Nobel Prize for chemistry Laureate Professor Ahmed Zewail as Jury President.

The Laureates were chosen through nominations from a network of nearly 1,000 international scientists. The L’Oreal UNESCO Awards for Women in Science were established in 1998 as the first international awards dedicated to women scientists around the world. Each year the awards alternate between life sciences and physical sciences, recognising work that addresses major challenges in modern science. ‘Physical Sciences’ is the theme of this year’s awards. www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/for-women-in-science.aspx

Top Programmer Awards recognise genius of developers in British SMEs

Simon Adams, Software Development Manager at Parallel has won the ‘Best Systems Developer of the Year’ award of the British Computing Society’s IT Industry Awards.Parallel is a network management specialist that provides network management and network operations to some of the largest organisations in the world. Parallel’s network management suite, SatManage, provides comprehensive management for satellite and hybrid networks. The vendor independent software manages all the factors that determine network performance and includes groundbreaking visual event correlation. Other components manage signal quality, traffic levels, latency, and even Sun outages. The BCS IT Industry Awards, supported by Intellect and NCC, are the leading hallmark of success among IT practitioners. The cross industry awards form a central element to the BCS’ professionalism in IT initiative and recognise, promote and acclaim excellence, professionalism, innovation and the outstanding achievements to which individuals and groups contribute. Alan Pollard, BCS president said: ““To produce a cutting edge solution like SatManage requires that we recruit and produce the best people in the industry. The standard of entry has been exceptionally high this year and the judges faced a daunting task to select those that had that something extra. Each year the quality of entrants and the standard of submissions seem to outshine the previous and everyone taking part this time can feel justifiably proud of their work.” Simon was responsible for the award winning product SatManage, beating big names like Microsoft, BP, Thomson Reuters and RBS. The other finalists in the programmer awards were: • Yao Xi, Sparta Technologies Ltd trading as SpartaPay • Lovell Fuller, Thomson Reuters • Martin Grayson, Microsoft • Christian Jensen, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP • Rob Parsons, Allianz Insurance plc • Jez Phoenix, Target IT Ltd • Vinesh Rathod, BP • Kelly Webb, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP Contact at Parallel Global: Arti Kumar on arti.kumar@parallelglobal.com

The SME, Business and Academic awards in the New Year’s Honours List 2009

The winners of gongs from the worlds of Small Business, Academia and Science are rarely given the merit they deserve. So, for the second year running, we highlight those special people who have been honoured for their work in these fields.

Professor Sally Davies, director of research and development at the Department of Health, for her outstanding contribution to patient care and health research. Dr Nigel Lightfoot, chief adviser at the Health Protection Agency, is honoured with a CBE for the crucial role he played in the Russian-inspired Polonium 210 poisoning murder of a dissident in London, where Dr Lightfoot oversaw the professional work. Among the OBEs are Professor Barry Hancock, professor of oncology at Sheffield Teaching Hospital. There are Knighthoods for Alexander Crombie, group Chief Executive of Standard Life, and David Jones, who not only led the Next firm from £25m to £4bn - a performance unsurpassed in retail or any other sector on the London Stock Exchange - but also co-founded the Cure Parkinson’s Trust. CBEs include Robert Holden, CEO of London and Continental Railways, who delivered the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Project and the restoration of St Pancras Station. There are OBEs for Andrew Ramroop, the first black business owner in Savile Row, Kumar Muthalagappan, managing director of the Pearl Hotel and Restaurants Group. There are MBEs for a huge variety of people, including bag designer Anya Hindmarch, British Curry Awards founder Enam Ali, and service delivery assistant Wayne Spence, who is honoured for his outstanding service to the public at Bristol Temple Meads station.

Science and Technology made up only 2% of the awards, including a Knighthood for Dr Mark Walport, director of the Wellcome Trust. CBEs include Professor Tom Kirkwood, a leader in investigating the genetics of ageing and longevity, and Professor Lesley Glover, the chief scientific adviser to Scotland. Among the OBEs are 81-year-old Jean Combes. She is a phenologist - an expert in dating tree leaves - whose records are the longest made by a single person anywhere in the world and are proving incredibly valuable in monitoring the impact of climate change. Glaciologist Robert Mulvaney from the British Antarctic Survey also receives an OBE. He is one of the world’s leading scientists dealing with ice cores. MBEs include Syd Wright, the archetypal unsung hero who, as Chief Technician for Insect Survey at Rothamsted Research has generated the world’s most comprehensive database of terrestrial invertebrates. There is also a KCB for Nick Macpherson, Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, to recognise his extraordinary work in response to the crisis in the financial services industry. Academics include Professor Martin John Taylor, Professor in Pure Mathematics, University of Manchester, for services to Science, and well reported was the news that Southampton University’s computing professor Wendy Hall had become a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Selected OBEs & MBEs from the business and academic worlds:

Douglas Caster, Chief Executive, Ultra Electronics Holdings plc for services to the Defence Industry.

Peter Jones, BBC Dragon, for services to Business, Entrepreneurship and to Young People.

Ms Priscilla Snowball, Chair and Chief Executive, Abbott Mead Vickers Group for services to the Advertising Industry.

Martyn Murray Baker, lately Director of Economic Development, City of London Corporation for services to Local Government.

Victoria Barnsley, Chief Executive, HarperCollins UK, for services to the Publishing Industry.

Rodney John Calvert, Managing Director, Millbrook Proving Ground for services to the Automotive Industry. (Bedford, Bedfordshire).

David Kynaston for services to the Electronics Industry. (Cambridge, Cambridgeshire).

Dr Andrew John Low, Siemens Roke Manor, for services to the Defence Industry. (Southampton, Hampshire).

Grahame Richard Nix, Chief Operating Officer, Marshall Aerospace for services to the Defence Industry.

Dr Randal William Richards, lately Chief Executive, RCUK for services to Science. (Marlborough, Wiltshire).

Stephen Henry White, Director, Business Strategy, UK Atomic Energy Authority for services to the Nuclear Industry. (Oxfordshire).

Dr Margaret Ebunoluwa Aderin-Pocock, Managing Director, Science Innovation Ltd and Head, EADS Astrium Ltd, Optical Instrumentation Group for services to Science (Guildford, Surrey).

Mrs Lianne Powell, Group General Manager, Walker Filtration Ltd for services to Manufacturing in Tyne & Wear. (Ponteland, Tyne and Wear).

Ms Christine Reid, Lawyer, Lambert Group for services to Collaborative Research and Innovation. (Oxford, Oxfordshire). Christine is a former IT/IP partner at Manches, Oxford, who set up her own firm a couple of years ago. She has been the draftsman of the Lambert research agreements and more recently has been involved in the B2B Licensing project, co-ordinated by the UKIPO.

UCL unveils new ‘Venture Research Prize’ for ambitious thinkers

An unconventional new prize that offers academics the freedom to explore paradigm-shifting ideas is being launched by University College London. The Provost’s Venture Research Prize will go to UCL researchers whose ideas challenge the norm and have the potential substantially to change the way we think about an important subject. The standard sought from applicants will be exceptionally high, but intellectually ambitious researchers from all disciplines at UCL are encouraged to apply. The scheme is unique in having no deadlines or peer review, and few rules. Selection will be based on the intellectual depth of the proposed ideas, their originality and potential for expansion. Initial applications should be short (less than about 500 words), indicate the problem to be tackled, its global significance, and the resources required. Applicants who have a possible case for support will be invited to discuss their ideas with a small team from the UCL Office of the Vice-Provost for Research. UCL Provost and President Professor Malcolm Grant will make his final decision based on their recommendations. Successful applicants will initially be supported for three years. Visiting Professor Donald Braben, UCL Earth Sciences, who will lead the selection team, said: “Almost everything we value today came unexpectedly from the work of a few pioneering researchers such as Planck, Einstein, Rutherford, Avery, Townes, Crick and Watson, Huxley, Perutz, and perhaps 300 others of similar calibre - the ‘Planck Club’. Their work transformed our lives and underpins modern civilization. Many of the paradigm-shifting advances made by these workers have been recognised by Nobel Prizes or equally prestigious awards. The Provost’s Venture Research Prize will go to UCL researchers whose ideas have the potential to be as significant as this.” www.ucl.ac.uk/research/venture-prize

RSC Industry & Technology Awards 2009

The RSC seeks to recognise innovative and inspiring work in the chemical sciences, and the closing date for applications is 31 January 2009. The categories are:Creativity in Industry Prize - Outstanding achievement award recognising the contribution of an individual to the chemical sciences industry;‘Chemistry World’ Entrepreneur of the Year - To recognise an individual’s contribution to the commercialisation of research;Inspiration and Industry Award - To recognise the contribution of an individual in industry to the outreach, promotion or teaching of the chemical sciences Teamwork in Innovation Award - To reward and promote innovation and creativity through teamwork in industry; Young Industrialist of the Year Award - To recognise an individual who has made a significant contribution to industry in the early stages of their career. All short listed nominees of the above awards will be invited to attend an awards dinner in April to be recognised for their work. www.rsc.org/industryawards - awards@rsc.org

£35m Business Start-Up Programme gets going in the North West

The Business Start Up programme can be accessed through Business Link Northwest, the region’s business support gateway. Specialist advisers will provide a comprehensive package of support, advice and training for start-ups and young businesses. The funding for the programme includes £26.6m from the NWDA, and £8.4m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - a total of £35m over 5 years from April 2009. Local authorities can also add to the programme by coming forward with extra funding. The targets for the five year support programme are to support 12,700 new businesses and create 22,900 jobs. Lord Mandelson said: “We need to train, nurture and support the Richard Arkwrights of the future. It won’t be cotton, but it will be bioscience, or green tech, or precision engineering or creative industries. Industrial activism has to be built on precise regional knowledge of what is needed in terms of infrastructure, investment and training.”Contact: Business Link on 0845 00 66 888 - www.businesslink.gov.uk

The Second Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize calls for entries

The first Armourers & Brasiers Venture Prize has been won by Green PB, a team of scientists and engineers based at Cambridge University; they are Dr Vasant Kumar, David Zou, Lei Wang and Nigel Williams. They have developed a new method of recycling lead acid batteries. The Armourers & Brasiers’ Company, one of the leading supporters of materials science education and research at schools and universities in the UK, in co-operation with FirstVentures has announced the launch of its Venture Prize for the second year running. The Venture Prize is intended to enable the winner to fund a significant commercial advancement of their project – in the materials sciences - to a stage where a business may be created to exploit the technology. The prize was conceived to help commercialise the best materials-based technologies in the UK by providing funding, which is otherwise very difficult to source, to high potential researchers. The prize, which will be in the form of an investment of £25,000 into the winning enterprise, will be directed at projects with a specific commercial objective that should be specified in the application: for example a market study or the creation of a prototype that can be shown to customers, rather than general R&D.The prize-winner will be announced at the Armourers and Brasiers Materials Science Forum in Cambridge in June 2009. To enter, click on ‘Venture Prize’ link on the www.armourersandbrasiers.co.uk website. Contact: hazel.moore@firstventures.co.uk

COMPANY OF THE MONTH

Zeeko shrugs off economic gloom by winning export orders worth £2.45m

Zeeko, of Coalville in Leicestershire, said it would create 10 skilled jobs after securing contracts with the Taiwanese Government and a private business in China. It will make two huge machines used to produce parts for powerful telescopes. The company, which employs 27 people at Hermitage Industrial Estate, Coalville, is due to relocate to Leicester Science Park, becoming the 20-acre site’s first occupant. The move to the one-acre plot will see its workforce double to 60. Directors said the orders elevated the company to world No.1 in its market and meant the business had enough work for two years. MD Richard Freeman said: “This was by no means a pushover - we were competing with rival businesses for this work. It means our order book is now sufficient to keep the business going for two years if we do not win another order. However, we won’t be resting on our laurels.” Mr Freeman, who formerly worked at Leicester precision measuring equipment manufacturer Taylor Hobson, said the company was well on track to double its turnover within three years, to £6 million. Sales this year are expected to be £3.2 million. The Taiwanese contract is for the country’s National Space Organisation and is worth £2 million. The Zeeko machine will create the lenses for telescopes, which will be used to study typhoon activity. It will take eight months to build. Taiwanese personnel will visit Coalville to learn how to use the machine. The Chinese order is with a company spun out of a Shanghai university which is also producing telescopes. The company is also creating a 1.6 metre-wide machine to make mirror segments for the European Southern Observatory - set to be the world’s biggest telescope. Mr Freeman said it was this contract which helped it win its latest orders. Comment: Back in 2001 Zeeko gave an astonishing presentation of its work at the Instite of Physics in London – which was and remains at the very edge of micromechanical precision and capabilities worldwide. It is a rare example of how a tiny British company has perfected an horrendously difficult technique – with the greatest accuracy and thoroughness – and now the global market has opened up. Congratulations to Richard Freeman for this tremendous feat.www.zeeko.co.uk

SMALL COMPANY NEWS

Christmas comes early for staff at Library House – ‘You’re all fired’

Dow Jones acquired the database assets of The Library House Ltd, the Cambridge-based networking and events organizer firm which went into administration on the day before Christmas 2008.Although no financial terms were disclosed for the acquisition, we understand that ‘Dow Jones took over the company’s debts, that no cash was paid for the assets, and that none of the 13 employees left in the workforce - that stood at 50+ in January 2009 - were employed by the acquirer’.Dow Jones said it wanted to expand its coverage of European venture capital data by acquiring the database assets of Library House. Commentators said the European

database owned by other firms, such as Amsterdam-based Tornado Insider, started five years earlier than that of Library House, would have been a better buy.Clare Hart, executive vice president, Dow Jones, and president, Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group, said in New York: “The entrepreneurial drive is as important as ever in Europe, which continues to be one of the world’s true centers of business and technology innovation. We are committed to helping our customers uncover and connect to emerging opportunities early - both in Europe and globally.” Doug Richard, the US-born software manager, ex-BBC TV Dragon and Tory adviser on business support, was also struggling ‘to save his two other UK businesses - TruTap and VizWoz – a virtual community for teens.www.venturecapital.dowjones.com

Edinburgh biotech firm announces a further £1.5m in funding

Big DNA Ltd, launched two years ago to commercialise a patented new vaccine technology, has announced a further successful round of funding. A total of £1.5m has been raised from an international consortium including private and institutional investors based in Hong Kong, London and the Cayman Islands, with the Scottish Enterprise Co-investment Fund also participating. Dr John March, chief executive of Big DNA Ltd said “Our patented technology has enormous potential importance for public health in the future, and this investment comes at a time when it must be the hardest in living memory to raise finance.”The unique process being developed by Dr. John March and his team uses bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) to deliver a vaccine. These contain the genetic instructions (or DNA) rather than using the disease organism itself, which conventional vaccines rely upon. Conventional vaccines can be difficult and expensive to make, requiring specialist facilities and expertise, and sometimes fail to work for some diseases. Bacteriophage DNA vaccines offer the potential for extremely rapid development and manufacture, using relatively simple processes (weeks rather than months), important for pandemic influenza for example. In addition they offer the potential to be taken orally, eliminating the need for needles and injections and all their associated hazards. A range of vaccines are currently under development. In addition, Big DNA announced an important collaboration with colleagues in Beijing at the China Agricultural University to produce vaccines against Chlamydia in pigs. Lord Freeman, ex-Minister of State for Public Transport and Defence Procurement Minister, was appointed chairman of Big DNA earlier in 2008. www.bigdna.com

Aberdeen University spinout receives six figure investment boost

Environmental Building Partnership Ltd (EBP) has received a total of £948,000 from the Sigma Sustainable Energies Fund (SSEF), Scottish Enterprise’s Scottish Seed Fund, Marubeni (Europe) plc and Life IC Ltd.

The funding will support the commercial growth and expansion of EBP and its Dynamic Breathing Building products and systems. EBP technology is set to reduce the energy needed for both heating and cooling any building while at the same time improving indoor air quality. The product that enables this to happen is the Energyflo cell, an air permeable Dynamic Insulation module that replaces conventional thermal insulation layers in the external walls, roof, and where appropriate floor, to deliver fresh ventilation air to indoor spaces. An important advantage of this approach is that fresh air comes in preheated and filtered, dramatically improving the energy efficiency of the building and its indoor air quality. The Energyflo cell was awarded British Board of Agrèment (BBA) certification in August 2008, following extensive field trials and a successful demonstration project that was supported by the Carbon Trust and industry. Dr Mohammed Imbabi, School of Engineering at the University of Aberdeen and CTO at EBP said: “At EBP we have a transforming technology that can benefit all building users.” www.environmental-building.com - enquiries@environmental-building.com

US foundation provides $1 million funding to boost Multiple Sclerosis research

Funding worth around $1m has been secured for Apitope, a Bristol University spinout company that is looking at a potential life-altering therapy for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system. Apitope International NV is a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Hasselt, Belgium and a subsidiary in Bristol. The company, founded by Professor David Wraith in the University’s Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, has secured the first ever investment from Fast Forward, a non-profit organisation established by the US National MS Society. The investment aims to bridge the gap between research carried out at the University and Apitope by accelerating the testing of new treatments and funding the costly ‘proof of principle’ stage, which any new drug must undergo before full-scale clinical trials can begin. Professor Wraith said: “It was a fellowship from the US National MS Society that was the catalyst to devoting my life to MS research. It is with great pride that I, together with Apitope, come back to a partnership with the Society for a potentially life altering therapy for people with MS.” MS is a debilitating disorder in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy tissue. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The company has developed patented technology based on scientific evidence showing that soluble, synthetic peptides can reinstate tolerance and selectively weaken autoimmune responses. The Apitopes (Antigen Processing Independent epiTOPES) inhibit the immune system’s harmful attack on the body while preserving normal immune responses to harmful antigens, such as infections. Contact: Dr Keith Martin, CEO of Apitope - 0117 903 1119 - keith.martin@apitope.com

The Green Bus is a Birmingham-based business that aims to deliver modal shift

In January 2009, Icomera AB, the world’s leading provider of cellular broadband gateways, and The Green Bus, the emerging market leader in school transport thinking in the UK, stated they will deploy free Internet access for students and real-time vehicle tracking on 23 routes served by the Birmingham-based school transport operator. The vehicles utilize Icomera’s Moovbox M Series mobile broadband gateway that provides Wi-Fi connectivity on the move with download speeds in excess of 2 Mb Sec.The Green Bus vehicles also use the Moovbox’s GPS-based locator allowing parents to track a bus’s progress in real-time from any web browser. The Green Bus was established in 2005 by a former teacher and now operates environment-friendly bus services for schools throughout the West Midlands. The company’s double-decker buses carry over 1,400 children to and from school each day – replacing an estimated 2,000 car journeys in the process – with routes designed to travel as close as possible to students’ homes and removing the need for passengers to change buses en route. Ian Mack, MD at The Green Bus said “We want to make the experience of travelling with us a positive one for the new generation of tech-savvy school children. With an increasing number of mobile phones and handhelds supporting Wi-Fi, our investment in Icomera’s Moovbox enables students to check email, surf the web, and play peer-to-peer games on devices like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS – all free of charge.”Currently the Green Bus website has one of those awful, ultra-slow Flash introductions that takes ages to load – but the company says it is ‘re-thinking this strategy’.www.thegreenbus.co.uk

Glasgow and ReNeuron pioneering stem cell therapy for stroke victims

In a dramatic move in January 2009, ReNeuron began clinical trials of a stem cell-led project to counter strokes - with Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. ReNeuron expects to commence initial clinical studies with its lead ReN001 stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients in the UK in the second quarter of 2009. In addition to its stroke programme, ReNeuron is developing stem cell therapies for a number of other conditions, including peripheral ischaemia, Type 1 diabetes and diseases of the retinaOn 19 January 2009 ReNeuron announced that it has received approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to start a first-in-man clinical trial for the treatment of patients who have been left disabled by an ischaemic stroke, the most common form of the condition. Stroke is the third largest cause of death and the single largest cause of adult disability in the developed world. In this ground-breaking Phase I trial, the first of its kind using expanded neural stem cells, stroke patients will be treated with ReNeuron’s ReN001 stem cell therapy at the University’s Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board. The Principal Investigator for the trial is Dr Keith Muir, Senior Lecturer in Neurology at the University of Glasgow.

MHRA approval for the trial has been given subject to provision of data both from an ongoing pre-clinical study and from the long term follow-up of trial participants. Following successful completion of the ethics approval process which is currently underway for the trial, patient recruitment is expected to commence in the second quarter of this year. The potential market for this sector is around $10bn by 2013. ReNeuron has also delivered its stem cell technologies in non-therapeutic areas. The company was nominated as the Project Lead in a DTI Technology Programme in the project named ‘Therapeutic products from human stem cells’, costing £4.3m. The project started in January 2005. ReNeuron: Michael Hunt, CEO - 01483 302 560 - www.reneuron.com

BAE Systems buys 50% stake in little-known Diamond Detectors Ltd

The aerospace conglomerate has purchased a 50% holding in Diamond Detectors, a subsidiary company set up by Element Six plc to manufacture diamond detectors and sensors for radiation monitoring applications. Diamond Detectors was formed in 2007 with the aim of incorporating synthetic diamond made by chemical vapour deposition developed by Element Six into novel detectors for a range of markets. It is one of the first companies to be included in the growing investment portfolio of Element Six’s venture capital fund, E6 Ventures. The company is focusing on the development of customised detectors and will initially target four main markets: high energy physics, nuclear monitoring, radiotherapy dosimetry and deep-UV detection. Using diamond as a detector is not a new idea. As early as the 1920s, highly selected natural diamonds were being used for UV detectors. The recent commercial availability of high purity single crystal diamond with excellent bulk uniformity is, however, a new development and opens up new potential markets for novel detectors in a wide range of industries. It also enables designers to overcome the inherent problems associated with the selection of appropriate natural diamonds in existing detector applications where diamond is used. Diamond Detectors offers a range of fully packaged polycrystalline and single crystal detectors and plates as well as custom design services. Initial products under development cover applications in high energy physics research such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project at CERN, the new Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) under development at GSI in Germany, as well as the Diamond Light Source, the largest UK-funded scientific facility to be built for more than 30 years. Industrial applications include detectors for use in medical dosimetry, data logging in oil well exploration, UV applications such as photolithography and cleaning for semiconductor manufacturing. Kevin Oliver, general manager of Diamond Detectors, said: ‘Diamond Detectors is already working closely with a number of industrial partners on the future commercialisation of these potential products.’www.diamonddetectors.com

Bye Bye Standby secures £106,000 from business angels, in a £409,000 funding

Domia owns the Bye Bye Standby range of devices. Bye Bye Standby works by completely cutting the power to electrical appliances when they are not in use, and so saving the energy that would have been consumed while they were in standby mode. The core Bye Bye Standby product consists of a device that connects between the wall socket, or other power source, and the appliance. When the appliance is not in use, the power can be turned off by remote control. A Bye Bye Standby device can be connected to a four-point adaptor, meaning an entire appliance cluster – such as a television, DVD and set-top box, or a computer, monitor, router and printer – can all be simply disconnected from the power source at the press of a single button. This makes it easy for people to cut their power use, particularly so when switches are inaccessible, or for disabled or less mobile people who struggle to reach under desks and behind furniture. As part of a funding round totalling just under £409,000, business angels from Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION) have provided £106,000 of new funding into energy management specialists Domia Ltd. This investment was matched with £106,000 under the unique Co-Investment Programme arrangement between the Bank of Scotland and the OION Network. The balance of the investment has come from existing Domia shareholders, including the company’s Managing Director, Darryl Mattocks said: “A typical computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day can use over £45 of energy a year. Using real time smart meters built into Bye Bye Standby devices, we aim to reduce the typical business user’s electricity bill by around 10%.” While Bye Bye Standby is already a well-established consumer brand, available in many UK high street stores – including Tesco, Currys, Comet, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer – the new funding will be invested in developing the business products further. www.byebyestandby.com - www.domia.eu

Fizzog – facial mapping pioneers that won a Warwick University grant

A fledgling university spin-off enterprise which specialises in facial mapping technology has the gaming industry in its sights after becoming one of the first firms to benefit from a new fund to support innovation and product development in the West Midlands. Expert image analysts Fizzog, based at the Venture Centre on Sir William Lyons Road in Coventry, have received a £30,000 grant through the new £5.8 million Advantage Concept Fund, to help develop a new application of biometric algorithms to rapidly map and render 3D models of players for computer games and Internet applications using webcams. The new fund, which is overseen by the University of Warwick Science Park, has been established by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, with backing from the European Regional Development Fund, to help firms investigate, advance and protect early stage innovative business ideas and to commercialise new innovations.

Dr Li Wang, Chief Technology Officer at early start-up company Fizzog, said: “The grant is helping us to take our expertise in facial mapping and develop innovative products with strong potential for commercial application. www.fizzog.com

Marine Current Turbines now has a tidal energy rival – on paper at least

Tidal-power developments by British firms show this renewable power technology achieving impressive scale and continued design innovation. Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines (MCT) said that its SeaGen dual-turbine system achieved full power operation of 1.2 megawatts. MCT’s power peak is ‘four times the global record for a tidal-stream system set by the company in 2004’, according to based renewables journal ‘REFocus’, and 30 times more than the output from the tidal turbines pumping electricity in New York’s East River.Hitting full power clears a major hurdle for MCT. In July 2008 the company suffered a setback early on when the powerful tidal streams of Northern Ireland’s Strangford Lough damaged one of its blades shortly after installation. But the design specifically enables the dual rotors to be lifted clear up out of the water for easy maintenance and repair. In Cardiff, Tidal Energy Ltd is preparing to test a ‘1 MW’ version of its triple-rotor design off the coast of Wales in mid-2009. While at a considerably earlier phase of development, Tidal Energy’s triple-rotor concept provides an innovative means of ready repair. Tidal Energy’s rotors sit at the corners of a three-legged platform that can be deposited on the seabed and held in place by the system’s 250-ton weight. That should not only ease recovery of the system for maintenance, but also simplify installation by eliminating the need for a fixed foundation in the seabed. In January 2009 Welsh company Eco2 invested £150,000 to become the main shareholder and commercial driver of Tidal Energy. The developer, formerly known as Tidal Hydraulic Generators, wants to have a 1.2MW demonstrator of its DeltaStream turbines installed in UK waters in 2009. Eco2 said its investment would be matched by the Carbon Connections Development Fund. It represents the first step in a £6 million fundraising exercise expected to finance the prototype phase of TEL’s development through 12 months of operation. Eco2 will provide a total of £1 million of that funding and will own the initial demonstrator. Detailed design for a three-turbine triangular device is currently underway. Cranfield University, Lola Composites and Bennett Associates have joined long-time participant Jacobs Babtie. Previous partner Peter Brotherhood is no longer involved. The manufacture of a device is ‘expected to start’ with a view to installation in summer 2009. Eco2 said DeltaStream is unique in that it requires no fixing to the seabed, and can be installed and removed by a range of readily available marine vessels. Chief executive David Williams said: “It’s best to think of DeltaStream as a wind turbine concept with ship propeller technology. Besides the obvious advantage that its light weight and portability brings in terms of maintenance and clustering, it also has a far lower environmental impact, and is not limited to shallow waters.”www.marineturbines.com - www.tidalenergyltd.com

nanoTherics wins Lord Stafford Award for novel gene technology

A company with a distinctively annoying name, ‘nanoTherics’, has won the ‘Impact Through Innovation’, following on from cutting-edge biomedical research conducted at Keele University and the University of Florida, nanoTherics, a scientific medical research devices company founded in 2007, has in the past won investment from the Mercia Technology Seed Fund.nanoTherics’s primary business is supply of scientific devices and associated products to research laboratories in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as academia. The company’s products apply a patented technology using nanoparticles and magnetic fields to facilitate improved delivery of biomolecules, such as DNA, into living cells. The medium to long-term opportunity for this approach relates to a safer technology to treat genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. Dr Neil Farrow, founder, said “This award is given to businesses demonstrating greatest potential for products or services developed in association with a West Midlands University. Using this technology nanoTherics is introducing a range of systems initially with the launch of the magneFect nano, a flexible device which provides up to 1000-fold improvement compared to current marketed products.” www.nanotherics.com Contact: Dr Neil Farrow - neil@nanotherics.com - 01782 554 047.

Fledgling biotech startup CrossGen scoops Ethnic Minority award in Nottingham

Cross Gen Ltd, based at BioCity Nottingham, secured funding from an Enterprise Loan in June 2008 and since then has recruited a marketing firm to handle the company’s advertising, as well as a sales consultant. It won the Best New Business Plan Award at the First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA) Ethnic Minority Awards. CrossGen director and molecular biologist Dr John Okyere received his prize from award category sponsor EnterpriseLoans East Midlands, the loan fund established by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), and managed by FEBA which helps regional entrepreneurs to raise finance for new and existing ventures. CrossGen Ltd, which supplies software application tools to enable gene expression data analysis, impressed the judges with a detailed business plan that clearly identified and addressed all of the main components of the process going forward. CrossGen Ltd uses both wet and computational science principles to develop cross-species gene expression technology for biomedical applications in drug development. The CrossGen technology (patent pending) aims to reduce genetic variation between laboratory species and humans, which is an essential aspect of drug toxicity to humans. The technology has the potential of reducing the number of animals used in experimentation since only cell culture techniques are employed rather than whole animals. www.crossgen.co.uk

Oxford Nanopore to participate in €12m FP7 READNA consortium

Oxford Nanopore will collaborate closely with researchers from the University of Oxford, including Professor Hagan Bayley’s Chemical Biology group, the Biological Physics group and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. The University will receive €2m to support READNA projects. The Revolutionary Approaches and Devices for Nucleic Acid analysis project or READNA, is a newly-launched consortium that includes researchers from 16 academic and industrial institutions and will receive €12m in funding over four years, under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). As part of the consortium, Oxford Nanopore will receive €730,000 in grant funding to support the development of its nanopore technology into an early exonuclease/nanopore DNA sequencing system. The company will also work on projects to integrate protein nanopores and solid-state materials for the further progression of nanopore sequencing, the development of a new technique that uses nanopores for genome-wide methylation studies and the development of droplet-based bilayer arrays for rapid, multiplexed genotyping. Dr Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore said “The consortium aims to revolutionise nucleic acid analysis. Our role as the developer of a new generation of sequencing technology, based on nanopores, is critical to the project. With support also being given to our academic collaborators, we believe we are in the best position to deliver a meaningful improvement in sequencing technology with our label-free, single-molecule nanopore system.” Contact: 0870 486 1966 - www.ipgroupplc.com

Roving sensor hunts down corrosion in ageing motorways

In January 2009, the non-destructive technology from SciSite, a spinout company from Keele University, is being used to survey stretches of motorway such as the Hammersmith Flyover in west London and car parks across the country. Rusted metal in concrete structures can be detected through new technology that uses electromagnetic fields to measure corrosion through non-ferrous material. The equipment includes a probe with a passive 3D field sensor and a device that emits a proprietary combination of electromagnetic signals to energise the rust and steel in a concrete structure. In the technology”s current form, the probe is pulled along a surface in a frame like a golf trolley to gain an initial scan of the steel structure. The energising device trails behind the probe. The probe is then sent along the surface path again to take another scan. Matthew Hocking, SciSite operations director, said “We compare the before-energised scan with the after-energised scan and analyse it to find anomalies between the two.”If the probe detects an anomaly such as corrosion or a break in the steel structure, a rise in signal amplitude is displayed on a screen. If the structure is normal, the signal remains flat. The scanning process is fast and it can be done through thick layers of tarmac, concrete or any non-ferrous material. The probe, which is a few centimetres in diameter,

fits into expansion gaps and many inaccessible structures and can give a resolution of a few millimetres. The technology needs to be pulled manually along a surface but the company was recently asked by Transport for London to incorporate the probe sensors and energiser device into a vehicle that could be driven over a stretch of road. The vehicle would have a line of 20 3D field sensors at the front, a large energiser device in the middle and 20 more 3D field sensors at the back. Hocking said that although this was a good idea, the sensors are expensive and it would require a lot of funding. The SciSite equipment is relatively inexpensive to hire. Hocking said its upfront cost was the same as any other test kit but claimed the total expense is much less than other tests that require sections of the motorway to be closed off while the tarmac and under layers are ripped off. “It costs £10,000 a week in traffic management to close the lanes of a motorway,” he said.www.scisite.co.uk

Derby’s games developer secures handsome £500,000 via Connect Midlands

Creative game developers Strawdog Studios, formed in 2003, builds titles for game console platforms such as the Xbox360, Wii and PS3. The company attended Connect Midlands’ ‘Right Funds for You’ event and Amber workshop in 2008 which helped them to develop their winning proposition. Their current project won the support of EM Media which invested £250,000, which was match funded by a publisher. Strawdog Studios retain IP ownership of the digital download product and will act as the publisher for its release on the Xbox 360 later in 2009. Simon Morris, technical manager of Strawdog Studios, said “The development of the game is well underway and is really helping to further our ambitions of becoming a digital publisher. Securing investment was a crucial step.” www.strawdogstudios.co.uk

Kwik-Fit tycoon puts his cash into Scottish medical device startup

Tayside Flow Technologies (TFT) has raised £1.2 million in a third round of funding from a consortium of investors, including Kwik-Fit tycoon and ardent philanthropist Sir Tom Farmer. Tayside has developed an artificial artery with a unique corkscrew design that mimics how blood flows naturally in the body. It will use the money to bring its first product, a vascular graft for bypassing blocked or damaged arteries, to the market in the US, and expand its reach in Europe, where it already has sales in six countries. Geoffrey Thomson, chief executive of Perth-based Braveheart Ventures, one of the other investors in TFT, said he expected the medical device company’s sales to “ramp up substantially” in the next six months as a result of the funding injection. TFT chief executive David Lawrence said that, pending a licence application with the US Food and Drug Administration, the firm expected to be entering the lucrative US market by mid-2009 and to “break even” by 2010.

www.tayflow.com

Dial-up health services provider gets surprise cash from Vodafone

Mobile phone giant Vodafone has invested in t+ Medical, a provider of mobile health services accessed across mobile handsets. Vodafone Ventures Ltd, the corporate venture capital arm of Vodafone Group which is largely US based, has made an undisclosed investment in t+ Medical, which specialises in the use of mobile phone-based to transfer patient biometric data as part of mobile healthcare services. A spinout from Oxford University back in 2002, t+ Medical is currently involved in two of the Department of Health’s Whole System Demonstrators - large scale projects to test the benefits of telehealth services. The company is involved in the pilots in Newham and Cornwall. The company specialises in the transfer of patient data using standard mobile phones, into which a patient either enters data or to which vital signs data is automatically relayed – using technology such as bluetooth - from a range of personal monitoring devices. In the service for diabetics, a patient records their blood sugar in a text and answers a few simple questions which they then send to a medical call centre. The company has invested in its own dedicated medical call centre. Tim Clover, CEO of t+ Medical said: “By making deployments based on the patient’s mobile phone you make it so much cheaper than using a web-based system or home monitoring technology.” He said although t+ Medical offered a range of chronic disease management programmes – for areas including diabetes, COPD, cancer, cystic fibrosis and hypertension - customers to date had mainly been PCTs interested in “admissions management and reduction”. www.tplus medical .com

‘300 jobs lost’ as Kidderminster-based Ceramaspeed fails to find a buyer

Ceramaspeed had been the market leader in the provision of solutions into the glass ceramic appliance market. The company, which makes ceramic hobs for some of the industry’s biggest names, is blaming a downturn in consumer demand for its collapse. It recently expanded into the US and Poland and had a turnover of £46m. Accountants Grant Thornton have been appointed joint administrators for the UK wing of the company. Ceramaspeed was founded in 1973 by eminent scientist and entrepreneur Joseph McWilliams, an inventor in the field of nuclear physics.From a background firmly embedded in Research and Development through experience gained at the Dominion Physical Laboratory (DPL) of New Zealand and the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Harwell, he went on to develop several world first’s in product and material technology. One of his greatest breakthroughs was in the field of nanotechnology, the development of a high performance insulation material called ‘Microtherm’. The material has cellular

pores of dimensions less than the mean free path of air, inhibiting the normal molecule-to-molecule heat conduction process in a gas. It was used successfully in a number of high profile projects such as Concorde, radio isotope power generator and the very the first commercially available ribbon heater for glass ceramic cooking applications. Over the past 30 years the pioneering developments of Ceramaspeed in material technology and product innovation has set operating standards in glass ceramic surface cooking and continues to make an enormous contribution towards the development of this and related industries. As electronic innovations were developed, Ceramaspeed began to build up a portfolio of products that were engineered to meet demanding and specific requirements. Ceramaspeed produced the first radiant heater insulated with Microtherm microporous insulation back in 1969. www.ceramaspeed.com

SME SHORT STORIES

Realise, the Edinburgh-based web design company, has recorded its third year of growth, helped by a series of ‘high-profile’ business wins. The firm, which was set up in 1994 and also has an office in London, said turnover in the year to September had risen 34 per cent to just over £3.9 million. The figure compares with £2.9m last year and £2.2m in 2006. Realise said it had extended its reach beyond the financial services sector, where its clients include Fidelity International, Standard Life and HBOS. A series of recent business wins have included Vets Now, law firm Pagan Osborne and Channel 4. Chief executive Tony Murphy said: “We are pleased to report a third successive year of steady profitable growth. Over that period, we have concentrated on meeting the increasingly complex challenges of our clients’ online needs.” www.realise.com

Venerable drug development company Pharmaceutical Profiles has been bought by Quotient Bioscience Group of Newmarket.. The Nottingham company, which employs 75 people at Ruddington Business Park, will keep Mark Egerton as managing director but the company will change its name to Quotient over the next year. Paul Cowan, Quotient chief executive, said: “The acquisition brings with it a world-class reputation and an innovative service offering, which we plan to expand. It will allow us to increase capacity and extend the range of services we can offer. In particular, we’ll provide an integrated metabolic sciences capability offering clients considerable efficiencies and benefits.” www.pharm profiles .co.uk

Optos, the Scottish eyecare specialist and rising technology star, posted a 16% rise in revenue and more than tripled its pre-tax profits, in spite of “challenging economic” conditions. Shares in the company lifted 3.1% on the news. Optos’s retinal imaging device allows optometrists to see parts of the eye that are usually difficult to examine.

The machines, called Panoramic 200 scanning laser ophthalmoscope devices - branded Optomap - are sold mostly in the US and produce a high-resolution image of the retina in a single capture, allowing identification and prevention of eye disease such as retinal detachment and age-related degeneration at a very early stage. The company also noted that “both eye and non-eye diseases often first exhibit in the periphery of the retina”. www.optos.com

Matt Moulding, chief executive of online retailer The Hut, based in Northwich, has won the national final of the annual Bank of Scotland Entrepreneur Challenge. It is the second consecutive year that it has been won by a North West company and The Hut will receive £5m of funding over three years after beating competition from six other regional finalists. The company delivers ecommerce solutions to a range of high-street brands such as Asda, Phones 4u and Dixons, as well as operating its own online retail operations. www.thehut.com

Penrith-based telecoms consultancy Commendium has secured a £3.8m contract to help small businesses in Northern Ireland develop online and e-commerce strategies. The contract win follows on from the success of previous schemes, such as Project ACCESS, which saw the adoption rate of broadband in Cumbria rise from 20 per cent to more than 75 per cent. As a result of the contract, Commendium plans to open a new office in Northern Ireland in a move that will create 10 jobs. www.commendium.com

Human tissue sample supplier Asterand virtually doubled its share price in a year when merely registering a gain could be regarded as an achievement. Just 68 stocks on the main market made headway this year. Asterand’s share price performance can largely be attributed to its licensing deal with US eye care giant Allergan.www.asterand.com

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Birmingham secures funding of £500,000 for new nanotech laboratory

This is the new Facility for Environmental Nanoparticle Analysis and Characterisation (FENAC), based at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Researchers at the facility will analyse the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles and will look at whether they have significant adverse effects on human and environmental health. Although there is already some evidence that nanoparticles cause behavioural changes, cellular and organ damage and brain damage in fish, as well as lowered growth and mortality in organisms such as algae, invertebrates and plants, there is currently very little EU legislation governing the manufacture and use of nanoparticles.

Professor Jamie Lead, lead investigator and facility director, said “Nanoparticles are already being discharged into the environment and this discharge is likely to increase substantially in the short and medium term. The properties which make them attractive in industrial processes and consumer goods, also mean that they are potentially harmful to both human and environmental health.“We aim to provide an understanding of the possible environmental and human health issues surrounding the use and discharge of manufactured nanoparticles into the environment." The funding for the new facility has been awarded to the University by the Natural Environment Research Council. www.gees.bham.ac.uk

New centre launched to spearhead UK research in synthetic biology

An £8 million grant from the EPSRC will allow the programming of biological cells ‘so that they behave like engineering parts’ at the new Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation at Imperial College London.The new centre will focus on the field of science involved in modifying DNA for futre insertion into cells to make them function as parts in biological machines. These include bacterial cells that behave like time keeping devices in electronics, such as oscillators, and biologically based infection detectors in hospitals. Imperial’s Professor Richard Kitney, director, said the new research facility will bring a wealth of new expertise to the UK. He said “Imperial will recruit the best scientists from the UK and around the world to carry out collaborative research, generate intellectual property for licensing, and ultimately create spinout companies that will play a part in spawning new industries for the UK.” Imperial will work closely with its junior partner (LSE) ‘to inform the public about the research that will be carried out at the centre’. This will involve lectures and outreach activities about the potential benefits of synthetic biology and its public value. www.imperial.ac.uk

University of York experts to protect planes from electronic interference

The team of researchers from the Department of Electronics are to play a key part in the Euro 1m project, backed by major European aerospace companies.The York team won the largest amount secured by any university as part of the High Intensity Radiated Field – Synthetic Environment research programme (HIRF-SE). Alenia Aeronautica is leading the HIRF-SE project which is supported by other major European aerospace companies including BAE Systems, Dassault, Agusta Westland, Thales and Aermachhi. The department is a centre of expertise in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing and has a subsidiary company, York EMC Services Ltd offering services to the commercial sector in this field.

Modern aircraft are almost entirely reliant on electronic systems to fly. It is therefore essential that those systems do not disrupt each other or suffer interference from high-powered radar, electronic communication or even lightning. New aircraft are thoroughly tested for their vulnerability to electromagnetic interference but this is usually at a relatively late stage of the production process. A Euro 28m pan-European project is now underway to explore ways of enhancing the computer-based modelling programmes used by designers so potential problems are identified earlier. Professor Andy Marvin, who is leading the York team working on the project, said: “If a modern aircraft experiences interference with its electronic systems it can have very serious consequences indeed which is why it is essential that they are thoroughly tested before they fly. “This testing process, and rectifying any problems that are discovered, can prove very costly indeed. If potential risks can be identified in the early stages of their design, that will improve safety and save manufacturers significant amounts of time and money.” In addition to devising new computer-aided design tools for aircraft manufacturers, the team will also be responsible for delivering seminars across Europe designed to encourage more scientists and engineers to take an interest in this field. www.yorkemc.co.uk - www.elec.york.ac.uk

Cambridge photonics specialist reveals new 3D LCD technology

Dr Tim Wilkinson from the Department’s Photonics Research Group at the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge recently published his paper ‘The Future Is 3-D Liquid Crystals’.He claims a breakthrough – by combining liquid crystals with vertically grown carbon nanotubes to create a reconfigurable three-dimensional liquid crystal device structure. This offers completely new ways to control molecules in liquid crystals, allowing the crystals to move in a variety of directions to create optical components such as lenslet arrays. This technology is still in the early phase of development, but recent trials indicate that potential applications exist in adaptive optical systems such as the wavefront sensors used in optometry, digital video cameras, optical diffusers and emerging head-up display devices. www.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/stories/2009/3D_liquid_crystals

Aberdeen claims new, natural and renewable method of making hydrogen

The new method - which has the potential to be used to power homes, buildings and cars in the future - is the result of a 10-year collaboration project between scientists from the University of Aberdeen alongside international partner laboratories. The breakthrough means ethanol which comes from the fermentation of crops can be completely converted to hydrogen and carbon dioxide for the first time. The hydrogen generated would be used to power fuel cells - devices which convert fuels into electricity directly without the need for combustion. The main concern with this

method is the generation of large amounts of carbon dioxide increasing the risk of global warming. Professor Hicham Idriss, Energy Futures Chair at the University of Aberdeen who led the study said: “We have successfully created the first stable catalyst which can generate hydrogen using ethanol produced from crop fermentation at realistic conditions. “Moreover, hydrogen generated using this method is very clean and therefore suitable for fuel cells because it also converts all carbon monoxide, which is poisonous, generated in the process to carbon dioxide at the same time. “The catalyst is made of very small nanoparticles of metals deposited on larger nanoparticles of a support called cerium oxide which is also used in catalytic converters in cars. At present the generation of hydrogen needed to power a mid size fuel cell can be achieved using 1 Kg of this catalyst. “As with traditional methods of hydrogen production, carbon dioxide is still created during the process we have developed. However unlike fossil fuels which are underground we are using ethanol generated from an above the ground source - plants or crops. This means that any carbon dioxide created during the process is assimilated back into the environment and is then used by plants as part of their natural cycle of growth. “It’s quite feasible that we could see the use of this new type of catalysts to generate the hydrogen used in the UK in the future if the necessary changes to public policy were implemented.” Contact: Prof Idriss - h.idriss@abdn.ac.uk - 01224 272 960.

Royal Veterinary College builds world’s first comprehensive online knowledge base

Aimed at veterinary students, nurses and graduates, the WikiVet, helps veterinary students, graduates and practitioners keep abreast of changes to the curriculum and gives them learning tools, such as flashcards, videos and clinical case examples at the click of a mouse. Covering the entire veterinary curriculum, WikiVet has been created in a similar way to its big brother Wikipedia, but with distinct differences. All the content relates specifically to the veterinary curriculum, has been authored by vets and vet students and is peer reviewed by subject specialists at one of the participating veterinary schools - RVC, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Nottingham. Access to the site is restricted to the veterinary community, including students and practicising vets, in order to ensure that the general public is not able to edit the content. “WikiVet has seen an unprecedented level of cooperation between academics at different Veterinary Schools in the UK,” said Nick Short, Head of the eMedia Unit at the Royal Veterinary College. “Perhaps more importantly over 40 students have worked together to write most of the content, which was reviewed by recent graduates. Their involvement has improved content on the site and made it relevant and accessible - thus making it a leading online education resource for all vet students and practicing vets.” www.wikivet.net – www.rvc.ac.uk

Dr Gail McConnell is named Nexxus 2008 Young Life Scientist of the Year

Dr Gail McConnell - RCUK Academic Fellow at the Centre for Biophotonics, University of Strathclyde - and just named Nexxus 2008 Young Life Scientist of the Year, believes that ‘there is everything to be gained by such convergence of technology’. Since graduating in 1998 from the University of Strathclyde with a first class honours degree in laser physics and optoelectronics, Gail’s groundbreaking research has been the catalyst for more than 10 national and international research collaborations and publications - largely resulting from her demonstrating the first application of a white light supercontinuum source for laser scanning microscopy. This breakthrough revolutionised the visual study of biological samples by making such investigations simpler, more accurate, less time consuming and more cost effective. www.biophotonics.strathclyde.ac.uk

Dragon entrepreneur Theo Paphitis launches special degree course at Huddersfield

To graduate, students must start a business.. The new BA Honours degree in Enterprise Development at Huddersfield University, which starts in September 2009, is believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. It is designed to help young entrepreneurs start and run their own business while they study for a degree. The course is dubbed ‘pracademic’ because the students will learn by doing, so that what they learn in lectures has an immediate practical value.Theo Paphitis, who left school at 16 with a GCSE in Geography, wishes that such a course had been available to him. Professor John Thompson, one of the founders of the course and Roger M Bale Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Huddersfield, said “It’s important in a degree such as this that students are mentored by people who inspire them, people who have actually succeeded in business, as well as being supported by university staff.” In the first year the course concentrates upon on identifying and screening a number of ideas to find a real opportunity worth pursuing. The second year is all about developing this opportunity and starting a business, while at the same time learning the nuts and bolts of business discipline, such as sales, marketing and book-keeping, in modules that are taught throughout the year. In the third year the business is up-and-running and credits are gained from this experiential learning. The university provides support so that it is clear where the student is going with the business – to develop it as a franchise, for example, or grow it to a certain size and then sell it. www.hudd.ac.uk

The ‘University of Swindon takes another step forward to fruition

Education chiefs in Bristol look poised to fulfil Swindon’s 50-year dream of getting a university after two schemes were revealed within a matter of days.

The University of the West of England (UWE), on the outskirts of Bristol, emerged as the town’s potential higher education partner for both projects. Swindon council leaders are set to discuss the creation of a £20 million university at a brownfield site at North Star near the centre of the Wiltshire town.The former home of Clares retail equipment store appears ideal since it is next to the recently relocated Swindon College and home to the nation’s Research Councils. If it materialises, the move, which is winning support throughout the town, would result in the creation of a centrally-situated ‘Education Quarter’ in Swindon. However, talks are also under way for UWE to join the Swindon Gateway Partnership (SGP) which wants to create a university, a business park and 1,800 homes on 500 acres of countryside. UWE could now potentially fill the gap left by the University of Bath which pulled out of the controversial project almost two years ago. The scenario angered green campaigners who have collected more than 50,000 signatures in a vigorous bid to preserve the greenfield site by Coate Water Country Park. They believe developing the site would devastate many species of wildlife at the adjoining country park, which is home to migrating birds and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). www.uwe.ac.uk

University of Cumbria claims early boost to local business

Initiatives from the University of Cumbria’s School of Business and Enterprise have increased sales by almost £11m and created nearly 300 new jobs for North West business in the last two years, according to the university’s ‘Connecting With Business’ study. The school has campuses in Lancaster, Carlisle, Ambleside and Penrith and has provided support for 968 businesses. It is now looking to open a new knowledge transfer centre for Cumbria. Peter Armer, director of resources at the University of Cumbria, mustered local business on board to help transform the university, formed in August 2007, into an active institution. Armer said: “We must begin the journey from being a collection of legacy institutions into a serious, respected and high-performing county university.” The university is investing £160m over the next few years to transform its facilities, including a new £70m campus in Carlisle. www.cumbria.ac.uk

Portsmouth University joins with US Coast Guard to build rescue software

A new system is being developed to estimate how long a person is likely to survive when lost at sea, thereby determining when a search and rescue operation can be called off. The modelling device, which is created being between the US Coast Guard and the University of Portsmouth’s Sports Science and Mathematics Departments, is aimed at helping the US Coast Guard achieve its 93% ‘save’ of victims every year. By providing an accurate, dispassionate appraisal of a victim’s chances, the system helps remove emotional aspects of a decision to call off the search. Professor Mike Tipton,

human and applied physiologist from the University of Portsmouth, said: “Using this new computer model will take pressure off humans making very emotional and sensitive decisions about when to end a search. “When the model predicts that a victim can no longer survive, the search and rescue team can stop or redeploy the search. “It will ensure that Coast Guard personnel are not exposed to the high risks associated with search and rescue operations any longer than necessary and will also help to save time and resources,” he concluded. The system is due for trial in the US in late 2009. www.port.ac.uk

QUB pioneers compact body sensors that allow doctors to monitor illnesses

Experts in antennas and bioelectromagnetics from the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) at Queen’s, with funding from EPSRC, have developed new types of antenna that get round existing limitations. “The UK leads the world in the development of wearable communications including WBAN antennas,” says Dr William Scanlon, who is leading project. The use of biosensors attached to the body for health monitoring is not new; though antennas that enable such devices to be linked together efficiently on a patient’s body without wires are currently too uncomfortable to wear for a long time because they need to be large in order to maximise the strength of the signal being received. They can be reduced in size but this leads to the antenna being less efficient, meaning that the battery powering the device has to be recharged more frequently. The work at ECIT could revolutionise the way patient care is provided, making unnecessary visits for tests and check-ups a thing of the past. Instead, biosensors could gather data on heart rate, respiration, posture, gait etc, transmitting this information by radio signal to a control unit also on the patient’s body. The data could then be accessed by doctors via the internet or mobile phone, for example. The new types of antenna are the first in the world to deliberately harness the so-called ‘creeping wave’ effect. With a conventional on-body antenna the majority of the signal is transmitted either away from the patient or inwards, where it is absorbed by the patient’s body which weakens the signal. The rest of the signal, though, hugs the skin’s surface and ‘creeps’ round the body where it is picked up by the control unit. Only a small amount of the signal behaves in this ‘creeping’ way and so its overall strength has to be increased to allow enough of it to reach the control unit. Although traditional antenna designs can be used, they are physically large and typically protrude up to 4cm from the body surface for the frequency bands used by systems such as WiFi. Reducing the size leads to poor system efficiency. The new antennas developed at Queen’s solve these problems. www.qub.ac.uk

Genesis Conference event in late 2008 provides some key posters:

UK Trade & Investment have moved their annual Biotechnology Business Exchange meeting, which routinely attracts inward trade missions from over 10 countries, to now coincide with the Genesis biotech event held at Westminster in London. However, more importantly the ‘Bioversity’ poster forum yielded a number of innovative biotech and biomedical projects which were profiled. These were:

Queen Mary University of London Bioengineered Therapeutics Delivery Platform for Neurological Diseases NeuJan is a generic platform for the delivery of drugs to the central nervous system based on neuronal intracellular uptake of engineered particles. The commercial potential of this proprietary platform was developed at Barts and The London with awards from the Heptagon Fund and the BBSRC. The technology is suitable for the targeted delivery of agents including small drug molecules and larger biologicals such as peptides, proteins and nucleic acids.

University of Greenwich Fragment-based strategies for rapid drug discovery Fragment-based drug discovery is cost-effective and fast. We have designed and synthesised one of the largest fragment libraries currently available - a 5,500 component fragment library, based on structurally diverse fragments derived from two large, proprietary compound collections. Here, we present an overview of the physical properties of the library, and report its use in screening against members of three disparate gene families: histamine H4 receptor (Class A GPCR); protein kinase A (serine/threonine protein kinase); and HIV-RT (an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase).

Royal Veterinary College The Bloomsbury Antibiotic Discovery Company The Bloomsbury Antibiotic Discovery Company has been formed by leading scientists from the Royal Veterinary College, Birkbeck College, and School of Pharmacy to exploit the urgent clinical need for new classes of antibiotic active against new targets. The founding scientists have detailed knowledge of suitable targets and intend to exploit this knowledge by using a proven computational method to identify a suite of novel compounds with the desired activity. Based on current industry deals, any of the compounds selected ultimately could generate $10-20m in returns without further development and up to $1 billion if taken through early clinical trials.

University of ManchesterMedicinal Chemistry Panel Consultancy - accelerating medical/bioscience ideas from concept to market. Chemistry Partnering Service established a Scientific Advisory Board of key expertise in technology and drug discovery to assist SMEs in the North West Region. The group provides focused scientific and technical advice and consultancy, technical services, investment appraisals, assistance with proof of concept studies and pre clinical lead optimisation and design. The project has been hugely successful, the team exceeding all the project’s agreed targets. The project staff assisted over 55 SMEs locally, creating over 60 new jobs and assisting the (very early start-up) SMEs to generate over £3m in sales.

University of ManchesterCurapel - A specialist dermatology company Curapel, a University of Manchester spinout aims to become a leader in dermatology. The technology arose from research into proteins involved in maintaining skin integrity. Curapel identified a molecule vital in maintenance of skin integrity. Treatment of disease by replenishing the molecule will address the underlying mechanism of skin disorders.www.bioversity.co.uk/poster-summaries

LATE DATES FOR JANUARY AND EARLY FEBRUARY 2009

20 January 2009 - e-Government National Awards, Guildhall, London. Winners from among the 68 finalists in the e-Government National Awards 2008 (e-governmentawards.co.uk) will be announced on the evening of 20 January - highlighting the UK’s most effective services which improve citizen and business transaction with councils, central government departments and other public sector organisations. The winners will be presented with their awards by Minister Tom Watson MP and Government CIO John Suffolk. Finalists include a great diversity of excellence in e-Government and public sector services from across the UK - councils, central government, voluntary organisations, universities and others are all represented in this year’s ‘best of the best’. Key themes in this year’s finalists list are services which help build a fairer society, and are based on sustainable or carbon-neutral ‘Green IT’. There is no higher commendation for the UK’s best public sector ICT leaders. www.e-governmentawards.co.uk

20-21 January 2009 - Military Aerospace Test & Evaluation Conference, London. Defence IQ’s Military Aerospace Test and Evaluation conference will provide detailed analysis of the efforts made and successes achieved by the international T&E community. www.defenceiq.com/uk/mate/ediary - Contact name: Imaad Ahmed.

20 January 2009 - “In Conversation With... Georgie Cameron”, Bridge Club North event, Muckle LLP, Level 6, The Exchange, Time Central, 32 Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4BF. Like many owner-managers’ stories, the Georgie Cameron book would be an interesting one to read. Born in London and having lived part of her life in Africa, Georgie started her professional career in big-brand PR (Coca Cola, BMW and KLM) in the Middle East. It was that experience which landed her a role helping to build a national network of PR offices for McCann-Erickson, (then the largest integrated marketing, PR and advertising agency in the world, before she fell in love, moved to the North East and following a stint at Sage plc, set up Admiral PR in 1999. Time: 5.45pm for 6.15pm start - 8.00pm. Email: s.barakat@bridgeclubnorth.com 20 January 2009 - Nominations invited for the North West England Greater China awards 2009. UK Trade and Investment, along with the Northwest Development Agency

and Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, are seeking nominations for the North West England Greater China Awards 2009. Greater China is considered to include mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. There are two categories for participants to consider - The North West England Greater China Business Award and The North West England Greater China Recognition Award. The Business award is open to a company or organisation that has made a significant contribution to developing business or network links with Greater China during 2008, including bi-lateral trade or investment. Clive Drinkwater, Director of UKTI North West, said: “China is the great economic success story of the last 25 years, GDP growth has averaged more than nine per cent per year during this period and, despite slowing in 2008, its economy still offers opportunities to the North West business community. The winners will be announced at the North West of England Chinese New Year Dinner, to be held at Haydock Park Racecourse, Merseyside on Thursday, February 5 2009. Email: info@uktinorthwest.co.uk or calling 0845 603 7053. 21 January 2009 - Composites UK Technical Workshop, ‘Advances in Software for Composites Manufacturing & Design Analysis’, Hockley Heath, Birmingham. Laminate Tools is a revolutionary software design environment that aids engineers in the design, analysis and manufacture of laminated composite structures. It allows the engineer to drape plies to simulate the structure, view and check the results, convert the global ply results to local element materials properties for use in FEA and to generate flat plies from draped plies and export them to the cutting machine. It can also generate the ply book electronically eliminating the time consuming task of compiling it by traditional cut and paste methods.Contact: Composites UK Ltd - www.compositesuk.co.uk

21 January 2009 - Advances in Implantable Devices, Zarlink Semiconductors, Phase 2, Mitel Business Park, Portskewett, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, NP26 5YW, 9.30-17.00hrs. Over the last 5 years or so, advances in sensors and actuators, wireless communications, implantable power sources, biocompatible materials and micro-assembly techniques for 3D, flexible structures have enabled the advancement of this market sector and there is now growing interest in the possibilities for diagnosis, remote monitoring, therapy and care using implantable devices. Speaker line-up is excellent and it includes John Spensley, Managing Director, Finetech Medical; Prof Nick Donaldson – Professor of Neuro-Prostheses Engineering, UCL; Darren Wilson – Team Leader Orthopaedics Group, Smith and Nephew; Professor Chris McLeod – Prof CMcL, IBE, Imperial College; Giles Stanley – Development Engineer, Perpetuum; Tracy Wotherspoon – Snr Design Engineer, Zarlink Semiconductors.www.electronics-ktn.co.uk

21-23 January 2009 - HomeTelehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring Conference, Philadelphia, PA. This three day strategic event will be focusing on the latest trends, case studies, hands-on experiences and innovative strategies to implement and enhace telethealth programs. www.acius.net - Contact name: Sam Martin.

24-25 January 2009 – Fun Event, National Bird Count, 30th RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.. You can take part in the event simply by spending an hour on January 24th or 25th counting birds on the ground in your garden and then letting the RSPB know the results. Better still, buy this special Birdfeed Taster Pack - seeds, mealworms and more – from fast-growing garden products company, Wiggly Wiggers, based in Herefordshire.. www.rspb.org.uk - www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/searchresults.html?findit=P1103

25 January 2009 – ‘The Intelligence Squared Green Festival on Climate Change’, Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, London. The festival on Climate Change is a non profit all day event which has attracted experts to debate ‘the most important topic of our age’, you’ve guessed it, climate change. Ticket are £50 – if you can afford it.On show is the Tesla electric sports car, ‘the world’s first 100% electric luxury sports car’. (It takes 18 hours to re-charge, when it works, which is not often. It can brought in May for.. £92,000. A very capitalist price for a not very green car.)Speakers include botanist and broadcaster, Sir David Bellamy, Nobel-prize laureate, Professor Mohan Munasinghe – Vice Chairman IPCC, Professor Robert Watson - DEFRA’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Christine Loh – one of ‘Time’ magazine’s ‘Heroes of the Environment’, Tony Juniper, Special Advisor to the Prince’s Rainforests Trust and Svati Bhogle, winner of 2008 Energy Champion Ashden Award. ‘How Long Have We Got?’, ‘Can Asia Go Green? And if it doesn’t has the world had it?’, ‘Can technological Innovation save us from disaster?’ and ‘The UK Political Parties Don’t Mean What They Say on Climate Change’ are some of the issues up for debate. www.iq2greenfestival.com

26-29 January 2009 - Arab Health Trade Show 2009, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 2008. Arab Health will be the largest healthcare event for Middle East with the addition of the new Zabeel Hall at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre. Over 2,189 exhibitors utilize this show as a launch platform for new products and services as well as showcasing new developments. Arab Health attracts decision-makers from the region’s healthcare sector. Arab Health 2007 attracted 32,000 visitors from around the world, including medical staff, hospital management, and dealer distributors. The largest number came from the United Arab Emirates, with other attendees coming from Saudi Arabia, Quatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Oman, and Kuwait. The Middle East healthcare industry is estimated to be over US $81.4 billion per year. Arab Health attracts over US $81.4 billion per year, with an annual growth rate between 300-600 percent. www.arabhealthonline.com 27 January 2009 - Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION) Investment Meeting, North Wall Art Centre, St Edwards School, Oxford. OION is an investment network that focuses on innovative technology companies with high growth potential. OION aims to match entrepreneurs seeking business development funds with business angels and other investors, and secures investment rounds of between £200,000 and £2m for between 10 and 15 companies each year. Oxford Investment Opportunity Network was established in 1995 as one of the UK’s first business angel networks. Contact: Eileen Modral - 01865 811 143.

27 January 2009 - The Potential Performance Productivity conference, Centre for Enterprise, University of Teesside. Businesses can benefit from advice to help boost their performance and productivity at a special event. It is widely recognised that the key to improved profitability is a skilled workforce and this is even more relevant in the tough trading conditions being experienced in today’s markets. Workforce development is playing an increasingly vital role. The Potential Performance Productivity conference will enable SMEs to hear how some of the region’s leading companies have improved quality and employee commitment and how worked based learning has made a difference to them. Companies currently benefiting from this initiative range from those involved in engineering, law enforcement, health trusts, sports, education, business and commerce, media and performing arts. Keynote speakers will include Michael Shakesheff, MD of port agency and freight forwarding company Casper Shipping, John Evans, General Manager of Caterpillar and Morag Harvey, of the Open University. Also speaking will be Beverley Young, of CIFAS (Credit Industry Fraud Avoidance Service), Christine Watson, of NECC, Sarah Monk and Val Hetherington, of Education Village, Darlington and Allan Boughey, a former assistant editor of The Evening Gazette. The Potential Performance Productivity conference will be held in the University’s Centre for Enterprise from 9am to 1.30pm on Tuesday Businesses wanting to attend the conference, or find out more about work based learning, should contact TBSenterprise@tees.ac.uk - 01642 342 868.

28-29 January 2009 - International Conference On Innovation In High Speed Marine Vessels, Fremantle, Australia. Few sectors of the maritime industry have embraced innovation as readily and successfully as the high speed marine vessels sector, in seeking to extend operating envelopes, reduce downtime and increase reliability, safety and comfort, and reduce costs. Advanced design, the use of new materials and more efficient production methods and other means have and are all being explored to achieve these aims for commercial, military and recreational vessels. The first International Conference on Innovation in High Speed Marine Vessels will provide an opportunity for all those involved with this sector of the maritime industry to present and discuss recent and future developments in all these aspects of commercial, military and recreational high speed vessels. www.rina.org.uk/highspeedmarinevessels 28-29 January 2009 - The Retail Business Show, National Hall, Olympia, London. The Retail Business Show is taking on a new persona that of “brand keeper” Much like the finest of London’s stores The Retail Business Show will feature an array of departments showcasing and focusing on the very fundamentals for a modern Multi Channel Retailer. In Store TV and Digital Signage With a series of master class and case study presentation The Retail Business Show continues to be at the centre of this exciting medium. www.retailevents.co.uk/trbs2009/index

28 January 2009 - How Solent Universities’ Expertise can Improve Business, Portsmouth. This free seminar explores the number of ways in which companies can

engage with Universities to help improve their business performance. It will also provide a valuable opportunity to hear from companies who have done just that, and are now reaping the rewards. - Company case study- a firm that has employed a graduate from Portsmouth University. - Tapping into the University of Southampton’s skills base, how student projects and placements can support your business objectives - How Logical Transport Ltd are successfully using a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to improve the competitiveness of their software products Email: katy@solentsynergy.co.uk - or call 01489 889 882.

28 January 2009 - CamBridgeSens January Networking event, Addenbrooke’s site, Room 215 A&B Li Ka Shing Centre, Robinson Way, Cambridge. 12:30pm. Their most frequent request to date is for introductions to researchers working at the Addenbrooke’s site. To help develop new relationships with these researchers, they will be hosting a lunch time networking event at the Cambridge Research Institute. Contact Mica Green at admin@sensors.cam.ac.uk - www.sensors.cam.ac.uk

28 January 2009 - Cardiff University Innovation Network event, ‘Opportunity from Crisis: Harnessing Disruption from Discontinuous Innovation’, Cardiff University, Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB. Speaker: Professor Rick Delbridge, Chair in Organisational Analysis, ESRC/EPSRC Advanced Institute of Management, Cardiff Business School. Topics: Moving beyond continuous improvement, Mastering higher-order innovation; the characteristics of companies who successfully manage diversity and discontinuous innovation. www.innovation-network.org.uk

28 January 2009 - ITsON: Partnering with Microsoft event, ‘Support for Entrepreneurial Software Developers’, Magdalen Centre – Oxford Science Park, Oxford. 6pm, small fee to attend. The UK Emerging Business Team at Microsoft UK work with early stage companies, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other organisations that support innovation and entrepreneurship in the UK. The fourth event in the ITsON series welcomes Lars Lindstedt who heads up the UK Emerging Business Team and who will give an insight into the range of programmes within the Microsoft Startup Zone, some of their new initiatives and highlight the opportunities that exist for software startups to engage with Microsoft. More details about the UK Emerging Business Team can be found on their blog: http://microsoftstartupzone.com/blogs/united_kingdom/pages/ukebt.aspx Register at: www.itson.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=53

28 January 2009 - ‘How Web 2.0 and Generation Y are changing the way management work is done’, London Business School, Baker St, London. 3.30pm-7.15pm. The second wave of the Internet revolution, often called Web 2.0, has had an impact on the way we interact with each other online and the ways we access and use information. This is particularly so for Generation Y, the generation born after 1980, who were born into a high-tech, digital world, and who are now entering the workforce in

large numbers. Generation Y employees communicate differently than their baby boomer or Generation X bosses, and they have different expectations about what constitutes an exciting and worthwhile work environment. The purpose of this MLab conference is to map out the contours of what we are starting to call Management 2.0® - the new-look workplace that builds on the opportunities provided by Web 2.0 and the demands created by Generation Y. Speakers will include CEOs and senior executives from companies with highly innovative management models, and from thought leaders who are exploring the potential of these trends for a radically different workplace of the future. Speakers include Jack Hughes, CEO, Topcoder; Sherman Rowland, CEO, Co-thrive; Don Sull, Professor, London Business School; Bruce Rayner, CEO, You at Work; Ross Smith, Director, Testing Solutions, Microsoft; Julian Birkinshaw, MLab; Peter Cheese, Managing Director, Accenture.7.15pm Finish, drinks reception The MLab is supported by UBS Investment Bank, David and Elaine Potter Charitable Foundation, and the CIPD. rrobertson@london.edu

29 January-1 February 2008 - Pacific 2008 International Maritime Exposition, Sydney, Australia. Pacific 2008, the 5th International Maritime Exposition and Conference in this series will take place from at the Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre at Darling Harbour, Australia. Supported by the Australian Ministry of Defence and the Australian Navy, it is the major maritime exhibition for the region. The four day event comprises an exhibition, conference, and the visit of senior staff delegations and will showcase a full range of maritime and naval technologies, services and products. The exhibition is open to exhibitors world-wide from companies or groups of companies which design, manufacture, maintain, repair or modernise naval equipment, including naval aviation equipment, refit ships, support fleets, train personnel, and promote, sell or provide services, or produce documentation and journals connected with the naval and maritime industry. The British Naval Equipment Association has been officially appointed as the Group Organiser for the UK Group. Companies are invited to join the UK Group, either by taking space only or by exhibiting in the BNEA pavilion using the Group shell scheme of superior design. Contact Clem Upton by emailing clem@maritimeindustries.org 29 January 2009 - Application Deadline for Manufacturing Excellence Awards 2009 (MX 2009). MAS is partnering with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) for what have been dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the manufacturing industry - the MX is the only UK awards scheme of its kind that offers an elite panel of industry experts giving free, impartial advice in a benchmarking report that has been valued at up to £20,000. The report will offer a ‘top tips’ service to firms with invaluable advice on how to improve performance, taking size, industry and resources into consideration. MAS’ connection with the IMechE and the awards process is key to promoting and protecting the heritage of the UK manufacturing industry and sharing best practice. This is especially relevant during this economic period, when manufacturers are tasked with managing increasing energy costs and a downturn in consumer demand.

Roger Parr, MAS National Network Manager commented: “We are actively encouraging as many companies within the region to enter these awards. By entering MX, they will receive a benchmarking report compiled by leading manufacturing experts, as well as industry and peer-recognised kudos if they go on to win an award at June’s awards ceremony. The MX2009 website: www.mxawards.org

29 January 2009 - Cambridge Chinese New Year Dinner, The Dome, New Hall, Cambridge, at 6.30 pm. With China rapid emergence as a powerhouse in the world economy, the drive for a better understanding of relationships is vital. Businesses in the Cambridgeshire area will have a chance to gain inside knowledge from the man who represented the UK in China at the highest level. The former British Ambassador in Beijing, Sir Christopher Hum will be sharing his unique insight with guests at a Cambridge Chinese New Year Dinner. He will be joined by Mr Zhang Lirong, Minister-Counsellor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China as Guests of Honour. The event is being sponsored by East of England International and UK Trade & Investment with the support of the China-Britain Business Council and the 48 Group Club. Sir Christopher is one of Britain’s leading China experts. Some 18 years of his diplomatic career were spent working in or on China, culminating in the appointment as British Ambassador in Beijing (2002-2005). In 2006, on retirement from the Diplomatic Service, was elected Master of Gonville and Caius College Cambridge. At 5.00 pm there will be a China-Britain Business Council market update and seminar. This is a very popular seminar which is likely to attract a full-house. During dinner there will be a performance by the Shaolin Lion Dance Troupe. www.marchpublishing.co.uk/ccny

30 January 2009 - Midlands Business Awards 2009, NEC Metropole Hotel in Birmingham. Nottingham’s two universities and an enterprising graduate from one of them have been short-listed for the 2009 Midlands Business Awards.Nottingham and Nottingham Trent are vying against Coventry University to take the title of Enterprising University of the Year award. At the same time, Nottingham Trent University graduate Kawsar Miah, the driving force behind wholesale electronics firm Digicom Solutions Ltd, is on track to realise his hopes of a hat-trick. He has made it into the final three for the Entrepreneur, Young Entrepreneur and Business Person awards. www.midlandsbusinessawards.com - www.digicomsolutions.biz

30 January 2009 – Closing Date, 2nd Armourers & Brasiers’ Materials Science Venture Prize. The Armourers & Brasiers’ Company is sponsoring an annual prize to help scientists commercialise early stage research and enable the exploitation of new and exciting ideas. This annual prize is worth £25,000 in the form of an investment into the enterprise and will be judged on a competitive basis by a committee of commercial, financial and technical experts. This prize is intended to enable the winner to fund a significant commercial advancement of the project to a stage where a business may be created to exploit this technology.

It is expected that the Armourers and Brasiers’ Prize would become a significant factor in enabling the commercialisation of promising materials-based technologies in the UK by providing funding which is otherwise difficult to source, to high potential researchers. Over time, prizewinners could go on to create materials-based enterprises of commercial potential. The prize will be directed at projects with a specific commercial objective that should be specified in the application: for example a market study or the creation of a prototype that can be shown to customers, rather than general R&D. The last winner’s was Cambridge-based Green CPD..sec@armourersandbrasiers.co.uk

2 February 2009 - Speedpitching Evening Event, Angels Den, Adam Street London. Angels Den’s own Speedpitching event. Pitch individually to a room full of business angels and chat to them informally afterwards over a glass of wine. The last event at Adam Street saw 14 entrepreneurs pitching individually to 20 angels. There were some good business ideas which the Angels liked. However several angels were frustrated that some people didn’t do themselves justice in the pitching process and thought we should make the Pitching School a mandatory requirement of attending. Make sure you’re amongst the ones to secure funding by signing up early and taking on board our advice. www.angelsden.co.uk/applicants/Appevent.aspx?tag=118

3 February 2009 – Women in Technology 2009 (W-Tech), Savoy Place, London. It will feature a range of seminars, speakers and networking opportunities. Female technologists profiled by womenintechnology.co.uk in anticipation of W-Tech, an event that the career and networking portal is hosting with the British Computer Society in February. Penny Bailey is a single mother of two, who after creating her own database programme founded her own company which now has 170 clients worldwide. Becky Duffy’s IT career has taken her to Australia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Philippines, whilst after facing redundancy from her consultancy position, Diane O’Brien used her career break to combine freelancing, networking and training all while looking for a permanent job. www.wtech-event.co.uk

4 February 2009 – ‘Get Growing, Go Global’ event for exporters, Kettering Conference Centre, Kettering, Northants. UKTI is organizing a special event for SMEs keen to learn about exporting. Research shows that businesses which export their goods and services are more competitive than those who don’t, which is just one of the many reasons regional companies should consider exporting to help their business grow. Experts from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, the Regional Language Network, HM Revenue & Customs and East Midlands International Trade Association will also be available.www.eventsforce.net/getgrowing2009 - on 0845 052 4001.

4-6 February 2009 - Imagina 2009, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco. This is Europe’s leading event for the 3D community. Architecture, Urbanism and Territory Planning will be represented in this year’s ‘Digital City Village’. The megaprojects: design, enhancement and sustainable development (Wednesday, 4 February), please, click here to see the conference programme; movie-making skills for the visualization industry: technologies,

gains and storytelling (Thursday, 5 February). Pass includes access to the exhibition floor, workshops and Imagina Awards for professionals, and schools and universities, upon presentation of a valid student ID. Pass includes access to all conferences Imagina and DSC, exhibition floor, workshops, Imagina Awards, networking list and speaker presentations. Behind the President of the Jury, Alvise Simondetti from ARUP, London; Douglas Pritchard from Glasgow School of Art, Herve Halbout from Halbou Consultants, France will reward the best of The Architecture & Urbanism, Landscape & Territory sector during the Imagina Awards Ceremony, 5 February at 8pm.www.imagina09.com 6 February 2009 - Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust is currently inviting new preliminary applications for both its Seeding Drug Discovery and Translation Awards (which cover diagnostics, enabling technology, regenerative medicine, therapeutics, vaccines and medical devices). Both awards are open to researchers from academic institutions and early-stage companies. Deadline for preliminary applications: Translation Awards - 6 February 2009; Seeding Drug Discovery Awards - 22 May 2009. For further information about these awards, how to apply and for further examples of past funding, email J.Finn@wellcome.ac.uk

AND FINALLY..

Big doubts emerge over Big Name house price figures. Take, for example, this month’s Nationwide house price report, which revealed that Scotland’s house prices were down just ‘8.1 per cent over the year’, compared with a UK-wide 14.7 per cent decline. The average price in Scotland actually rose in December, by 0.1 per cent, said Nationwide. This was taken as proof in too many quarters that things north of the Border were fine. In many cases, that perception is stretched further by comparison with house prices in London and the south-east of England. Doubts appeared over the Nationwide figures when the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre’s (ESPC) produced its own, 100% accurate figures for December, based on actual transactions. It said the average house price in the capital had fallen to £193,354, quite different to the £241,617 average put forward by Nationwide. The ESPC figures, based on sales recorded by its members, is the more credible figure and the group’s overall picture is more realistic than the one the Nationwide stats paint. Recent remarks by Halifax also seem implausible. For the first time in more than five years, interest rates could at last start to make home affordable again, claims the Halifax.Martin Ellis, Chief Economist for Halifax, agreed with this sentiment, adding, “There has been a marked improvement in housing affordability in many parts of the UK. First-time buyers, in particular, are benefiting, especially outside the south of England and the midlands. We expect this trend to continue in 2009.”Since 2003 only 33% of transactions have been made by first time buyers, far less than the 46% average since 1979. First time buyers may have been desperate to take their first steps on the property ladder but have been ‘locked out’ by rising prices. But where are

first-time buyer mortgages – now that a minimum of 40% equity is needed by most lenders?www.espc.com

The credit crunch has wiped £65bn off assets in the pension schemes of the UK’s largest 100 companies, according to research from Deloitte. This is equivalent to five years’ worth of current pension contributions from these companies. Staff on BT’s pension fund awaiting retirement have been told they will get ‘30% less than previously forecast’. David Robbins, pensions partner at Deloitte, says: “In the current environment it is crucial that companies look to proactively manage their pension schemes, just like the other aspects of their business operations.” Deloitte estimates that the FTSE 100 pension schemes are in deficit by £130bn. Using companies’ disclosed long-term expectations of expected asset returns, pension deficits would fall to £120bn over 2009.

Proof that City Councils destroy our traditional traffic patterns..Now universally recognized as one of the worst run city transport systems in the UK, Edinburgh’s city authorities – both Labour and SNP – have completely lost control of the massive roadworks going on the Scottish capital.Gridlock gripped the city this week as emergency gas works piled on the pain for all traffic – on top of the routine chaos caused by the very expensive tram system. Angry drivers have reported delays of more than an hour on Queensferry Road as emergency gas works are carried out and there is set to be even more congestion, with the resumption of tram works in Leith this month. With around 350 different sets of roadworks currently underway in the city, council chiefs yesterday took the last-minute decision to cancel a planned closure of part of the West Approach Road. The ongoing problems led former city leader Ewan Aitken to accuse the ruling administration of turning Edinburgh into ‘Gridlock City’. Scotia Gas Networks, the company carrying out the repairs in Queensferry Road between Clermiston Drive and Parkgrove Road, said two of the road’s four lanes would be closed for up to eight weeks to allow for repairs. www.roadworksscotland.org - www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet

Walking around Fulton Innovations’ showcase at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it’s easy to think that 2009 will be the year of wireless electricity. A blender whirs wireless, and a laptop powers up without a battery. Like a modern day version of the 1904 World’s Fair, it’s the miracle of electricity without a plug in sight. The devices are all powered by electromagnetic coils built into the charging surface. Fulton’s wireless electricity technology is called eCoupled, and the company hopes it can be used across a wide rage of consumer devices. Fulton is one of a half-dozen companies wowing consumers and wooing potential licensees at CES. ECoupled uses a wireless powering technique called “close proximity coupling,” which uses circuit boards and coils to communicate and transmit energy using magnetic fields. The technology is efficient but only works at close ranges. Typically, the coils must be bigger than the distance the energy needs to travel. What it lacks in distance, it makes up in intelligence. In conjunction with the Wireless Power Consortium, Fulton, a subsidiary

of Amway, has developed a standard that can send digital messages back and forth using the same magnetic field used to power devices. These messages are used to distinguish devices that can and can’t be charged wirelessly, and to relay information like power requirements or how much battery is left in a device. A second system was on display from WiTricity, the Massachusetts-based brainchild of MIT physicist Marin Soljacic. The technology uses a technique developed by Soljacic called ‘highly coupled magnetic resonance’. As proof that it works, an LCD TV is powered by a coil hidden behind an oil painting located a few feet away. Across the hotel room, WiTricity Chief Executive Eric Giler walks in the direction of another coil holding an iPod Touch in the palm of his hand. Power hungry, it starts to charge when it gets within two meters. Soljacic has already earned a $500,000 ‘genius’ grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for his work, but Giler says the technology is at least a year away. www.witricitynet.com

VW’s clean diesel BlueSport concept is more economical on fuel consumption than the supposedly ultra-green Toyota Prius, with 80% more power The latest generation turbo injected clean diesels are already delivering proper sportscar performance at fuel economy levels that beat even the updated version of Toyota’s pedestrian Prius hybrid - and Volkswagen’s major concept debut at Detroit’s Auto Show is determined to ram home the point. Using similar technologies to what VW subsidiary Audi has employed in its Sportback concept, the VW BlueSport concept’s 54mpg fuel economy makes a mockery of the third-generation Prius’s 50mpg, while delivering nearly twice the horsepower.

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