Yorkshire Concept Board Meeting, September and October 2009
Submissions
A record 11 applications were received for the September board meeting requiring an additional Board meeting to be held in October. As a result of this applications from the universities of Hull, Leeds. Sheffield, and York have been approved brining the total number of applications submitted to 43 with 31 approvals and a total of £1.8m grant committed. Short summaries of those approved appear below.
September
The approved projects are:
Visibility Simulation in Smoke Laden Environment
A computer simulation tool that models visibility in buildings during fire situations based on computer aided design models. Increasingly simulation is used to demonstrate that buildings meet regulations (performance based building design) as this allows greater flexibility than adherence to prescriptive guidance. This is the first system to model visibility. Proposal sponsored by the University of Hull and approved at the September 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting.
Field trials of microbubble flotation actuated by fluidic oscillation
Energy efficient microbubbles can be made with our technique. Laboratory trials of our microporous diffuser show 20 micron bubbles produced with less energy usage than 1-10mm bubbles conventionally. We will investigate the performance of replacing energy intensive dissolved air flotation in water purification with the same size bubbles produced by fluidic oscillation. Proposal sponsored by the University of Sheffield and approved at the September 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting.
October
The approved projects are:
Electronic Detection of Disease Biomarkers
The University of Leeds has developed breakthrough technology using semiconductor devices to detect microscopic traces of proteins, including biomarkers of specific diseases. This could move many medical diagnostic tests from the laboratory to the patient via a plug-in USB device that produces highly accurate results in minutes. Proposal sponsored by the University of Leeds and approved at the October 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting
Commercialisation of a novel fuel-saving device for commercial vehicles
Engineers at the University of Huddersfield have developed a new drag reduction device that, when fitted to commercial vehicle trailers, will reduce fuel consumption by 5% (and as a result CO2 emissions by around 4 tonnes per vehicle per annum). The Yorkshire Proof of Commercial Concept Fund is being used to take this device from a laboratory prototype to a commercially available product. Proposal sponsored by the University of Huddersfield and approved at the October 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting
LIMA - Forensic Imaging Systems
LIMA is a unique software tool allows for acquiring, manipulating, classifying and reporting a variety of crime marks – footwear, tyres, gloves, fingerprints – through an intuitive and unified graphical interface. It is seen as transformational in the use of crime marks by the UK Police and has excited considerable interest from individuals, user groups, and NPIA as well as other commercial players. Project sponsored by the University of Sheffield and approved at the October 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting
The Skills Forge for Industry
Skills and Competences are the foundation upon which any organisation competes. A clear understanding of HOW these are developed and used is vital to organisational success. Skills Forge is a web-based management system that provides organisations and their staff with a powerful set of tools to manage and develop competencies across individuals and teams. Proposal sponsored by the University of York and approved at the October 2009 Yorkshire Fund Board meeting
New Board members
The Fund welcomes two new Board members who attended their first meeting in October, these are Amelia Morgan (CEO Yorkshire Universities) and Nick Butler (CEO Connect Yorkshire).
Changes to Fund guidelines
As a result of discussions arising out of the Bradford Working Dinner in July 2009 and conversations within the Fund's HEI Steering Group the following changes have now been made:
1. In exceptional circumstances the ceiling for full grants is now £100, 000 although still subject to the 50:50 co-investment model.
2. Similarly there are lower thresholds of around £10,000 based on the co investment model and aimed in particular at smaller HEIs being able to access the Fund.
3. Spin in activities from existant companies will be eligible.
