Material scarcity – how might it affect your R&D?

Please help the R&D Society and Materials KTN to create an event that is useful to you and your organisation.

Some materials are becoming scarce, or are in danger of becoming scarce in the near future. Some are well-known and frequently discussed - eg oil or natural gas. However, there is increasing awareness that other materials are in danger of becoming scarce, which has challenges and opportunities for future R&D and design.

The R&D Society and Materials KTN are planning to hold an event on this issue, and we would be grateful for your input at an early stage to help us in planning this, by answering a short survey on our website.

We’d be grateful if you could respond at your earliest convenience – preferably by 28 December 2010.

Opportunity: TSB announces £13m crop protection R&D competition, c/d 25 Feb 2010

The Technology Strategy Board has announced a new competition with £13m available for industry-led projects that will help growers respond to the challenge of increasing crop productivity whilst also reducing the environmental impact of crop production.

The competition opens on January 18th 2010 and aims to meet existing and new EU regulation on the approval and use of pesticides. This call is relevant to businesses and stakeholders across the agricultural supply chain, including those involved in the following sectors:

• arable crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes and pulse crops
• horticulture
• grasses and forage crops
• crops for biofuels, and other non-food uses
• in the field or protected cultivation

Further information is available at the Technology Strategy Board website.

The Biosciences KTN, which is free to join, can help assist by providing advice on project scope and fit to eligibility criteria; identification of potential collaborative partners; confidential review of draft proposals.

Opportunity: Industrial Mathematics Internships from Industrial Mathematics KTN

The Knowledge Transfer Network for Industrial Mathematics has launched a new programme of Industrial Mathematics Internships. Each Internship is a collaboration between a host company, an Intern, and a research group within a university. This will allow companies and university research groups to promote direct knowledge exchange and develop long-term working relationships, through engaging a dedicated postgraduate researcher to work on a specific industrial project over a period of 3-6 months.

A pilot of 6 Internships will run between September 2007 and August 2008 and is jointly founded by EPSRC. Each Internship will last between 3 and 6 months and will be supported by one of the KTN’s Technology Translators. Apply through the Industrial Mathematics Internships website. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Funding: SPARK Award Call 2007, c/d 16 November 2007

The Electronics Enabled Products KTN, is pleased to announce a new call for SPARK awards aimed at building relationships between SMEs (Small to Medium sized Enterprises) and HEIs (Higher Education Institutes). The grants, which are of a fixed value of £5,000 each, will be awarded to the relevant HEI to tackle a problem of direct relevance to the SME. The grants aim to help the SME tackle a problem they are currently facing, and to lead to longer-term relationships between the educational institutes and the business community. Applications, which may be made online, are actively encouraged in the areas of design, development and manufacture of complex products with integrated electronic and mechanical function.

Survey: Research and Development management, by Sensors & Instrumentation Knowledge Transfer Network (SIKTN)

The Sensors & Instrumentation Knowledge Transfer Network (SIKTN) is carrying out a small survey into Research and Development management by leading UK organisations. The survey, run by Qi3, is centred around the size and nature of spending on research and development and the extent to which partnering and outsourcing are used to further R&D aims. Complete the short survey to receive a copy of the results.