Engineering Perspective: The University of Ulster’s Role in Innovation and Economic Growth with

Northern Ireland

The Engineering Research Institute and The School of Engineering

University of Ulster

Overview of the University of Ulster

Ulster is a university with a national and international reputation for excellence, innovation and regional engagement. The University is home to over 27,000 students and makes a major contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of Northern Ireland, playing a key role in attracting inward investment.

Ulster’s core business activities are teaching and learning, widening access to education, research & innovation, and technology & knowledge transfer.

Ulster has a positive impact on the economy and community in Northern Ireland and employs over 3000 staff with an annual turnover of more than £200 million.

Ulster is a major contributor to the Research and Development capacity within Northern Ireland and we impact strongly on local business and industry.

The University has a strong science and engineering research capability across its four campuses, with priorities in areas such as Biomedical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Computer Science, Sports Science and Bioengineering.

These areas perform essential research and teaching that has worldwide industrial impacts. And Northern Ireland benefits via the university’s networks of centres of excellence, spin-outs, knowledge transfer, consultancy and training initiatives.

This booklet highlights the University’s School of Engineering and the Engineering Research Institute’s role in stimulating innovation, creating successful technology transfer, training students from undergraduate through to PhD and advising local and national industry on new and advanced manufacturing and materials processes.

The Impact of Engineering from the Engineering Research Institute (ERI) at the University of Ulster.

The Engineering Research Institute (ERI) is identified by the University of Ulster as a high priority research area.

Over a number of years, it has had a very high profile in research and impact associated with structural and advanced functional materials, relating to connected health, medical devices,

tissue engineering, nanomaterials, plasmas, photocatalysis, coatings, sensors, composites and metal forming.

In particular the Institute has focused on its three research centres:

The Nanotechnology and Integrated Bioengineering Centre (NIBEC);

The Engineering Composites Research Centre (ECRE) Advanced Metal Forming Centre (AMFoR).

ERI, currently managed by Professor Jim McLaughlin, has a particular focus on interacting with Industry, Clinicians and Society in order to benefit all communities within today’s rapidly growing knowledge based economic environment.

Strong international collaborations with India, Taiwan, USA and Japan have been developed and large infrastructural funding has been a highlight of this rapidly growing research area.

Technology transfer is also a key objective and the Institute is one of Northern Ireland’s leaders in intellectual property exploitation, with over 6 successful spin-out companies.

NIBEC: In its relatively short history, NIBEC has evolved from its initial electro-physiology research conducted by Professor John Anderson (in conjunction with Professors Pantridge and Adgey- inventors of mobile coronary care), to having a multi-disciplinary focus for R&D in the areas of Connected Health & Sensors; TERM, Nanostructured Surfaces, Photocatalysis, Clean Technology and Dense Plasma Technology. In recent years nanotechnology has underpinned a diverse range of work and this led to the opening of a new £10M purpose built facility in 2003.

NIBEC’s existing IP portfolio, with over 35 patents and proven expertise in a range of engineering technologies, provides a clear platform on which to have built an internationally leading and innovation-led Centre. The research centre has started 3 spin-outs (Intelesens, Heartsine and Heartscape) and is home to a spin-in called SiSaF.

ECRE (including NIACE developments): The Engineering Composites Research Centre (ECRE) has a unique blend of expertise in textile technology, polymer processing and engineering for research into polymeric and composites materials for use in a diverse range of engineering applications, in particular aerospace applications.

AmFoR is at the forefront of materials characterisation and modelling for the sheet metal forming industries.

Both these Centres have led to two new spin-outs namely Axis Composites and Lenis Aer.

Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering (NIACE Centre) is jointly owned by the

University of Ulster and Queens University Belfast. This centre, located next to Bombardier, was launched in January 2012, and it is the technology hub for the research and development of advanced engineering and advanced materials technologies across a range of industrial sectors, with over 10 companies such as Bombardier, Wrightbus, Thales, Base, etc. signed up as members.

Impact of Nanotechnology and Nanoparticles

Nanomaterials within ERI has over the last 5 years, built a solid track record in the preparation, analysis and processing of carbon-based materials including diamond-like carbon (DLC), carbon nanotubes (CNT), nano-silicon, and nano-titanates.

This work has led to commercial impact relating to:

AVX: 100nm particle fabrication and characterisation for multi-layer capacitors which has improved production quality

Seagate (Irl): 1.5nm Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings which have led to higher areal densities as the read-write head can now fly closer to media.

SiSaf: The fabrication and funtionislisation of Nanosilicon particles for drug carrier. SiSaf is a spin-in company to NIBEC

Lear-Med/ TFX Medical: Nano Biofunctional Coatings on Guidewires

Nanotechnology within NIBEC focuses on developing a fundamental understanding of materials processing and its impact on resultant characteristics and properties, with the strategic aim of advanced device fabrication and integration into industrial manufacture. Specific equipment grants have led to the creation of one of the most advanced academic laboratories for carbon thin-films, nanoparticle production and characterisation in the EU.

The cluster's capability to grow Graphene, CNT structures, nano-particles etc. has been enhanced by the recent acquisition of the world's first custom-designed microwave system (Seki, Japan) for dedicated oriented nanotube production.

Impact of Connected Health

Professors McLaughlin, Anderson and McAdams have a 25 year history of developing successful patent exploitation in the area of medical sensors and electro-stimulation devices, following the impact that Pantridge, Adgey and Anderson had on mobile coronary care in Northern Ireland.

Their more recent work, with over 35 patents, has been commercialised to companies such as Heartsine Inc., Samsung, Intelesens Ltd. Heartscape Inc., Tyco, SHL Telemedicine, Phillips and Air Products. These companies’ products have now been well established and include the world’s best selling disposable ecg electrode, telemedicine based 12 lead electrodes, the most compact AED marketed and a smart wireless chest based ecg, respiration rate, temperature and SpO2 monitor.

These developments have culminated in the award of a new £5M Competence Centre called the Connected Health Innovation Centre (CHIC), which will focus on industry-led research, underpinned by the University's research capability in this area. The products associated with this research have already impacted in the following way:

Created over 120 jobs across all 3 Connected Health spin-outs Saved lives, improved the quality of life and cut costs. Technologies are used by the Wellcome Trust, CIMIT and various

companies as exemplars of the future of healthcare. The concept of Connected Health in Northern Ireland was derived

from much of our early work. This has inspired many initiatives such as the BEST Centre, ECHCampus (2009-2012) and now the European Connected Health Alliance (2011-); NICH-ECO; culminating with NIMAC which will see a joint agreement between USA, Finland, ROI, Northern Ireland, the Manchester Eco System and Catalonia as well as the Northern Ireland DHSSPSNI & DETI signing a strategic and joint Connected Health MOU

Impact of Composites and Metal Forming

Both ECRE and AMFoR are established as key research players within the UK Composites and Metal Forming Industries.

Many years of transferring knowledge and technology to companies such as Caterpillar and Bombardier have now transformed their research activities and capabilities and

this has led to the formation of two new spin-outs, namely Axis Composites and Lenis-Aer.

Initial research carried out at Ulster in the early 90’s has helped in the conception of a new manufacturing process for composite aircraft components as well as numerous other application areas (including sport, biomechanics, transport etc.) . This process was subsequently patented by Bombardier (Belfast) and has helped the company in its entry into the commercial narrow body aircraft market which is worth $43 billion per annum.

Advanced Metal Forming Research at Ulster is at the forefront of materials characterisation and modelling for numerous sheet metal forming industries. The combined lab facilities of traditional and special purpose test equipment are unique within the UK and exceptional in the rest of the world. Collaborative projects with Caterpillar, Bombardier and local SME’s in the area of metallic formability and aerospace manufacturing have led to improved efficiencies and cost savings.

This research resulted in a University of Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast led consortium to setup the Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE) in 2012. This is a technology hub for the research and development of advanced engineering and advanced materials technologies across a range of industrial sectors.

Co-operation between Engineering at Ulster and the Manufacturing sector:

Current Activities

The School and the Research Institute has significant engagement in various short and major industrial projects. These include small interventions such as innovation vouchers (which are usually establishing proof of principle work) and larger KTP or FUSION projects lasting a year or more (which attempt to deliver a significant innovation within a company). Numerous large R&D projects lasting up to 4 years exist between researchers within ERI and the objectives of these projects range from the full development of new processes to training staff in advanced research methods.

For illustration purposes

Innovation Vouchers (INI £31,200 & £21,338 in year 2011/2012); FUSION projects (£76,896 in year 2011/2012). Consultancy (£202,000 in year 2011/2012)

Major R&D Projects:

NIACE: Companies such as Bombardier, Wrightbus, Thales, Creative Composites, BAE Aerospace, BASE, Axis Composites, FG Wilson, etc. are only some of the companies occupying the new 120 seat centre based next to Bombardier Engineering Centre.

Bombardier: On going R&D grants; direct funding involving Composites; Metal Forming etc.

AVX Capacitors (Coleraine): There are 2 large (over £1.5M) R&D projects on-going developing new nanotechnology solutions for current and future multilayer capacitors.

SiSaf: There have been two Collaborative R&D grants involving the role of nanoparticles in Drug Delivery Systems

Seagate: PhD Programmes and a history of collaborative projects. Kelvtek: On-going consultative projects addressing gas sensing MATCH: This is an EPSRC National Centre (one of the major hubs is

within ERI) addressing Medical Device Assessment and work has

been undertaken with local companies such as Randox, Heartsine, Almac and Intelesens as well as local hospitals.

ERI has had a range of R&D collaborative projects with companies such as TFX Medical, Rousche, FG Wilson, Seagate, Courtaulds (Limavady), Heartsine, Intelesens, Mackies, AVX,

University of Ulster Spin-out Companies from the Engineering Research Institute:

Heartsine: Manufacturing and R&D company based in East Belfast. The company develops and sells AED (defibrillators), employing 70 people all with a very high level of engineering/software skills.

Intelesens: Manufacturing and R&D company based in East Belfast. The company develops and sells Connected Health Devices (wireless physiological monitoring systems), employing 40 people all with high a very high level of engineering/software skills.

Heartscape: (now Verathron): This company was based in East Belfast for 20 years and was sold last year to Verathron. At one time it employed over 100 staff were employed and it developed telemonitoring and cardiac mapping systems

Axis Composites: This is a new company employing 6 staff and is focused on Aerospace Composite Solutions

Lenis Aer: This is a new company employing 5 staff and is focused on Aerospace Metal Forming Solutions

SiSaf (spin-in): This company employs 8 people and is focused on nanoparticles of silicon as a drug delivery solution.

Key Initiatives related to industry within the Engineering Research Institute:

Connected Health: ERI (in partnership with Computing Science) are developing an Industry led Competence Centre within Connected Health (over 40 companies including BT, Randox, Microsoft etc.)

Composites: Within NIACE Ulster and QUB are developing a Composites Competence Centre

Advanced Manufacturing: Early stage development of Mass Customisation Facilities via a Capital bid to Invest Northern Ireland

Key Facts about Engineering at Ulster

The School of Engineering is over 40 years old and has graduated numerous engineers. Many have developed highly successful careers as leaders of local and national industry and much of Northern Irelands successful Engineering Sector is due to the inspiration and training received within the School and the Research Institute.

The School of Engineering graduates around 150 undergraduate students every year in subjects ranging from electronic engineering to mechanical engineering; clean technology to bioengineering as well as design and manufacturing related subjects.

The School of Engineering graduates approximately 20 Masters students per year and 10 PhD students per year.

The School is the strongest performing school in areas such as technology transfer, spin-outs, industrial consultancy and general industry interactions.

Metallurgy and Materials (now Engineering) research at the University of Ulster has jumped from 17th to 11th in the UK national league table for research excellence. In Ulster’s submission to RAE 2008 the Assessment Panel found strong evidence of world class research, supported by internationally leading research. In fact 95% of the staff are judged to be of international standing.

The Assessment Panel for this highly competitive and economically important discipline were looking at scientific discovery and engineering innovation at some of the strongest academic institutions in the UK including Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial, Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield and Imperial. The outcome for Ulster is a reward for the strategic focus in nanotechnology and advanced materials research and provides a strong foundation for future growth of the young and dynamic Engineering Research Institute.

Contacts:

Engineering Research InstituteProfessor Jim McLaughlin OBENIBEC Building02890368933Jad.mclaughlin@ulster.ac.ukwww.eri.ulster.ac.uk

School of EngineeringDr Colin Turner5F14+44 28 90366278c.turner@ulster.ac.ukwww.seng.ulster.ac.uk