Heather Hobbs Research & events news
£10m Knowledge Transfer Deal Signed with the University of Surrey
The joint Surrey/NPL team will focus on three specific areas of technology, each with the potential to create transformational benefits for the UK economy and society. The areas are:
• Communications and Signal Processing – including advances in mobile communications and internet connectivity;
Professor Stephen Williamson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), University of Surrey and Brian Bowsher, Managing Director, NPL
The University of Surrey and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have signed an agreement to collaborate on the delivery of a £10million programme to translate the results of research into innovation that makes a real-world difference. The collaboration is supported by a £4million Knowledge Transfer Account (KTA) from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), with an additional £6million funding from industrial partners and the University of Surrey.
• Next Generation Materials and Characterisation – with applications in automotive, aerospace and the growing sector of space and satellite engineering; and
• Nanotechnology and Photonics – covering the latest in high speed optical communications and the next phase of miniaturisation in the semiconductor industry.
Dr Brian Bowsher, MD of NPL, said:
"NPL is delighted to have this opportunity to continue our work with the University of Surrey. The Knowledge Transfer programme is the latest in a series of joint activities initiated under our Memorandum of Understanding with Surrey and affords us the chance to demonstrate real impact from EPRSC funded research into the UK economy.
"Over the past ten years we have developed knowledge transfer processes and tools as part of the National Measurement Office- sponsored National Measurement System. We will work with Surrey to tailor our approach to deliver maximum benefit to the KTA stakeholders."
Professor Christopher Snowden, Vice Chancellor of the University of Surrey, said:
"We are absolutely delighted. This award affirms Surrey's track record as a leading university for innovation and commercialisation. The KTA represents a fantastic opportunity to expand the already successful partnerships developed by the University and, most importantly, it will be of great benefit in helping create business opportunities in these difficult times.
"Surrey developed the laser diode that is used in CD and DVD players worldwide and NPL has also had a fantastic track record of transferring technology to industry. This major award will enable Surrey and NPL to work together to create more opportunities of this kind."
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. £1m Research Accolade for Plant Biologist
class research to tackle serious scientific questions.
Professor Bennett’s research will concentrate on the architecture of plant roots which critically influences how crops absorb nutrients and water. The eventual aim is to breed eco- friendly agricultural crops which can thrive in both the developed and developing worlds. He said: “I am thrilled to receive this award which will allow us to press ahead with this original and urgent research. Improving the root architecture of cereal crops will enable us to increase crop yields in a sustainable manner, and so help to address the global challenge of food security.”
Professor Malcolm Bennett
A University of Nottingham plant biologist has won a highly prestigious £1 million research fellowship to help tackle one of the biggest challenges facing the planet… to provide an increasingly sustainable food supply for the world’s growing population.
Professor Malcolm Bennett from the University’s Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, and Biology Director for the Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, has been awarded the Professorial Fellowship from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The Fellowship, which runs for five years, allows internationally renowned researchers to concentrate exclusively on conducting world
Root architecture critically influences the efficiency of a plant to take up nutrients and water. The depths to which roots grow affects how efficiently they take up nitrogen and water from the soil, since nitrate leaches deep into the ground. In contrast, phosphates accumulate nearer the surface, and the efficiency of their uptake could be significantly improved by manipulating the angle of root growth to better explore the top soil.
The BBSRC Professorial Fellowship research aims first to identify the genes that regulate root architecture in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, then use this information to manipulate equivalent genes in cereals, with the ultimate goal of altering their root architecture and improving nutrient take-up. The ambitious programme of research relies on
a new X-ray based technique called Micro-CT which reveals in great detail the 3D arrangement of living roots in soil. The scientists will use the Micro-CT technique to identify Arabidopsis mutants (which lack a specific gene) with an altered arrangement of roots. This will allow them to pinpoint exactly which genes regulate root architecture.
Identifying equivalent genes in cereal crops is relatively straightforward since barley and rice are distantly related to Arabidopsis. Professor Bennett and his team will then use advanced genetic techniques to inactivate these barley and rice genes and then examine the effect this has on root architecture and nutrient use. Promising rice and barley lines will be made available to professional breeders at the International Rice Research Institute and Scottish Crop Research Institute with the ultimate aim of incorporating their modified root traits into elite crop varieties.
Professor Bennett’s Fellowship is one of 16 awards announced by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, said: “The UK is already a world leader in biosciences research. These fellowships from BBSRC will help us maintain our lead and give some of our most outstanding bioscientists an extra boost. It is vital that we nurture scientists throughout their careers, as they will be essential to helping us tackle the major challenges we face.”
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Babraham’s New Biomedical Research Facility Opened
A new biomedical research unit has been was opened at the Babraham Institute by Lord Drayson (pictured above), Minister for Science and Innovation. The £22million Bio - logical Support Unit (BSU) will help further the UK’s capacity in basic biomedical research to investigate the mechanisms behind normal cellular functions and to understand how, over lifetime, their failure may cause disease. This includes studying responses to infections and processes governing healthy ageing. Discoveries at Babraham have given insight into the basis of conditions like hypertension, heart failure, cancer, autoimmunity and neurode - generative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.
It is the translation of this knowledge that will lead to innovative approaches for therapeutic strategies to tackle healthcare challenges. Speaking about the opening, Science and Innovation Minister Lord Drayson said: “Britain is a world leader in Life Sciences and the Government is proud of the pioneering work of our scientists and researchers. This state- of-the-art facility will be vital, increasing the likelihood of scientific breakthroughs whilst ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare.”
Babraham’s Director, Professor Michael Wakelam explained: “Using mouse models of human disease is revealing insights into how the immune, nervous and cardiovascular systems develop and the importance of certain genes in human development, disease and ageing. Babraham’s ground-breaking work on cell signalling – understanding how cells communicate with each other and cellular responses to hormones – has paved the way for novel therapeutic targets and treatment pathways for immunity, inflammation, cancer and heart disease. The new facility will enable our scientists to remain at the forefront of globally-competitive biomedical research and enhance bioscience in our region.”
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