Feature INNOVATION
Up to £2m is available for feasibility studies lasting between 6 and 12 months. Projects must be SME-led and be collaborative. Each can attract up to 75% public funding, with total grants not exceeding £75k and project size around £100–125k. Up to £12m is available for collaborative R&D projects, which must be business-led. Successful projects will generally attract up to 50% public funding and last two to three years.
“Innovation is key if UK businesses are to take advantage of future global market opportunities in nuclear engineering and
associated technologies.”
Investment per project is £250k–£1m, with total project size between £500k and £2m, although others could be considered. The targeted call for KTPs to seek part of the £1m funding will help businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance in the nuclear sector through the better use of the knowledge, technology and skills that are available within its knowledge base. It will also increase awareness of this technology and help ensure that UK industry maintains a world-class innovation capability.
The feasibility and collaborative R&D competitions open on 2nd July, with a registration deadline of 29th August. The final date for submitting feasibility applications and expressions of interest in collaborative R&D is 5th September; for KTPs this deadline is extended to 4th October. An optional briefing event for interested company representatives to find out more about the range of funding for 2012 and to meet potential KTP, feasibility and CR&D partners is to be held on 10th July. Information relevant to the competition is available via the dedicated online group
https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/ developing-the-civil-nuclear-power- supply-chain.
2010 projects showcase
Nearly two-thirds of commercial innovation stems from small companies and is a vital
source of wealth generating new products. As part of its energy generation and supply investment programme, and in support of the national and global resurgence of civil nuclear power generation, the TSB has funded earlier collaborative feasibility projects. These covered a wide range of nuclear R&D technologies, including condition-monitoring, construction, non-destructive testing, waste-handling and decommissioning.
‘Collaboration Nation: Nuclear R&D’ 2012 showcased the outcome of the Nuclear R&D feasibility studies funded by the TSB in 2010, where companies were encouraged to look at how their capabilities could be applied to other industry sectors. The event highlighted the 20 innovative products in development by the winners of that competition and promoted collaboration between end-users, supply chain companies and the R&D community.
TSB Director David Bott explains, “Feasibility study competitions give people the ability to think outside their normal areas of working and then allow them to share their experiences. The scale of the capability and commitment to supporting the supply chain for the civil nuclear programme shown at this year’s event was huge.”
“Feasibility study competitions give people the ability to think outside their normal areas of working and then allow them to share their experiences.”
Presentations from individual consortia and an exhibition of materials outlined the development and outputs of each project thus far. The TSB also published details in a Nuclear R&D feasability study directory.
The projects – a selection
The consortium FORGEMAN encompasses a supplier of open-die forgings to industry Somers Forge, a research provider with experience in welding and materials technology, TWI, and SME supplier of electron beam welding systems Aquasium Technology Ltd. The combination of the
three organisations represents a complete supply chain for forged and welded products. The Forgeman project examined the feasibility of fabricating large components from smaller forgings, joined by the electron beam welding process. In a nuclear pressure-vessel steel-grade they demonstrated that the use of an autogenous welding process can produce joints which are virtually indistinguishable from the base forging in terms of microstructure, chemistry, mechanical properties and ultrasonic response.
Caunton Engineering, partnering with the Steel Construction Institute and Amec, looked at the feasibility of developing European design rules for steel concrete composite construction techniques, fashioned on the eurocodes within the nuclear sector. Harmonised European design rules would remove the technical barriers to the use of SCS structures. It also assessed the opportunities for SME fabricators to enter the supply chain with sub-assemblies and components for SCS modules by considering fabrication requirements (complexity, quality, scale and transportation).
The collaboration between SME Shadow Robot Company, RTS Life Science, R U Robotics and National Nuclear Laboratory investigated how the capabilities of advanced robotics, in particular autonomous operation, could help reduce risk and cost in the nuclear sector. They identified the need for joined-up thinking, funding of research in new technology for nuclear-specific development and the adoption of a common strategic roadmap across the industry.
Iain Gray, TSB Chief Executive had this to say: “Innovation is key if UK businesses are to take advantage of future global market opportunities in nuclear engineering and associated technologies. As part of a strong, sustainable supply chain, we see innovation, combined with the development and transfer of skills, as vital ingredients to success.”
Words: Penny Lees
Technology Strategy Board:
www.innovateuk.org
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council:
www.epsrc.ac.uk
Department of Energy and Climate Change:
www.decc.gov.uk
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority:
www.nda.gov.uk
NuclearCONNECT 37
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