Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
LEADERSHIP DISCOVERY INNOVATION
IMPACT REPORT 2016-2017
Contents
Summary 2
EPSRC at a glance 4
Delivery Plan 2016-2020: Ambitions built on strong foundations 5 Connected nation: Technology for a superfast internet 6 Resilient nation: Energy security – batteries and fuel cells 8 Healthy nation: Advances in MRI scanning 10 Productive nation: Lasers in manufacturing 12
Maintaining the UK’s research leadership in EPS disciplines 14 High quality, high impact publications 14 Awards and recognition 15 Pushing the boundary of our understanding and challenging convention 16 EPSRC investments to capture opportunities in emerging areas 17
EPSRC’s research at the heart of discovery and innovation 18 Creating the UK businesses of the future 18 Maximising impact through collaboration 19
Developing a skilled workforce to reap the benefits of technological advancements 21
Investing in ‘world class labs’ to support cutting edge research and its translation 23
International impact of EPSRC-funded research 24
Methodological developments and future challenges 26 Impact study: Socio-economic impact of EPSRC’s investment in research equipment 26 Researchfish: Outcomes collected from EPSRC-funded research 26
Metrics 28
Bibliography 33
1 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Summary
EPSRC funds research and training that feeds into the knowledge and innovation ecosystem. Our focus is on funding excellence and providing flexible mechanisms that support the generation of new ideas and the translation of knowledge for scientific, social and economic benefits. Through our funding we successfully maintain the UK’s leadership in engineering and physical sciences (EPS) research. We fund research and training to develop the highly-skilled leaders and workforce that the country needs and to support the creation of products and services through linkages within the innovation system.
Our funding for excellent research aims to maintain and enhance In terms of overall the UK’s research leadership in the EPS disciplines. The distribution impact, EPSRC-funded of our funding portfolio maintains a healthy pipeline of research, research produced publications from discovery through to innovation. ’’that are well above the world average in terms
Knowledge generated from research is key to future innovation. EPSRC
of field-weighted maintains a healthy pipeline of research which feeds through to translation citation impact of that knowledge to bring economic and social benefit to the UK. In (FWCI). [1] particular, we place an emphasis on maintaining and supporting high quality research across the EPS disciplines and managing a balanced portfolio of Analysis of Research Publications Arising from Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research ‘investigator led’ and research with ‘strategic intent’ focused on national Prepared by Council Elsevier’s Analytical Services need. Our flagship investments, such as The Alan Turing Institute and the Quantum Technologies Hubs, continue to ensure that the UK builds research excellence in emerging technological areas. Both of these investments EPSRC have strong engagement with businesses evident from a healthy portfolio of commissioned partnerships, collborations and leverage1. EPSRC’s expenditure in 2016/17 Elsevier study was £956 million.The researchers that we support are highly valued in the 2017. research community and are leaders in their field. Publications arising from EPSRC funding have a high impact consistently across all the EPS disciplines and are cited more often than the world average for that subject.
EPSRC-funded research plays a vital role in the UK innovation Firms involved in projects landscape. The research excellence that we support attracts funded by EPSRC benefit much investment from businesses in the high value industrial sectors. We more in terms of employment fund a wide variety of research from knowledge driven ‘discovery ’’and turnover growth, research’ to research that is closer to translation into social and increasing their scale by 27% economic benefits. This helps maintain the healthy pipeline of and their turnover by ideas and inventions at different stages which is critical for future more than 30%, innovations. six years after
the start of the EPSRC provides the flexible support and routes of engagement to connect Assessing the business receiving researchers with businesses and other relevant organisations, so that project. [2] performance effects of -funded science, research publicly the research outcomes can be translated to impact. The linkages created and innovation grants
through our funded research and training fuels innovation. As of 1 April 2017 2 around 55 per cent of our portfolio was collaborative with ‘users’ of research, ERC Research Paper 61 which included 542 new organisations3. Across our portfolio our investments August 2017 leveraged around £1.2 billion from user organisations which included 4 businesses, charities and government departments. Around 670 spin-outs ERC paper 2017 8 independent research. 1 have been attributed to EPSRC funding over the last 35 years.
1 Annual reports: Alan Turing: https://aticdn.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/2017/07/Turing_AnnualReport_Members.pdf; Quantum Imaging hub: http://uknqt. epsrc.ac.uk/files/quanticannualreport1516/, Quantum communications hub: http://uknqt.epsrc.ac.uk/files/qcommshubannualreport1516/, Networked Quantum technologies hub: https://nqit.ox.ac.uk/sites/www.nqit.ox.ac.uk/files/2017-06/NQIT%20Annual%20Report%202017%20for%20web.pdf, Quantum hub sensors and metrology: www.quantumsensors.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/qt-hub-annual-report-2015-2016-web.pdf 2 By value of grants that were current on 1 April 2017. 3 User organisations with whom we have not collaborated in the last ten years. 2 4 This count includes only spin-outs that are still active as per Companies House data and excludes those that were spun out, but are no longer active. The research that we fund, from ‘discovery’ through to translation, supports future innovations and will be key to the success of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. Our investments in the Faraday Institute to drive fundamental research and development in battery technologies, and in the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hubs, contribute directly to the Industrial Strategy. Around 78 per cent of research grants5 announced in 2016/17 were relevant to key industrial sectors such as aerospace, automotive, chemicals, and other manufacturing and service sectors. EPSRC continues to invest in strengthening links between the academic base and industry, with the announcement of a £138 million investment in research- business partnerships in July 20176. This includes a £78 million new initiative, a set of Prosperity Partnerships with contributions from EPSRC, Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), partner organisations and universities and £60 million from EPSRC for 33 universities to advance their Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAA)7.We are also continuing joint investments and partnerships with other funders of research and Innovate UK (IUK) which enables us to support the impacts from our funded research.
The teams emerging We train and support the highly skilled scientists and engineers from the CDT will be the next- who drive research and innovation. Our doctoral training prepares generation business leaders the highly numerate, analytical workforce that is required for ’’who will solve some of the most the success of businesses, public services and communities. We pressing challenges faced by support researchers across all career stages. the infrastructure sector. It’s The UK’s leadership in research and innovation and its prosperity depend vitally important that industry on a workforce with high level skills and creativity to seize opportunities has a pipeline of innovation in an ever changing global landscape. EPSRC supports training across all emerging from research career stages in academia, providing a steady flow of highly analytical and relationships with experienced numerate doctoral graduates in EPS disciplines and helping to prepare the people with the knowledge to next generation of leaders in academia and the public and private sectors. implement solutions. The CDT Analysis of the 2015/16 HESA Destinations of Leavers of Higher Education is meeting this need. show that around 40 per cent of our doctoral graduates go on to work in the Tim Embley, Innovation private sector. A recent mid-term review of our Centres for Doctoral Training Director, Costain [3] (CDTs) [3] captured the breadth of impact that our doctoral training is having on various economic sectors and research areas. The review is informing future EPSRC investment of some £0.5 billion in training highly skilled scientists and engineers through CDTs.
This report presents some of the impact highlights of 2016/17. It summarises how EPSRC research and training supports the UK’s leadership in research and translates into growth and benefits to society.
5 Based on numbers of grants which had an industrial sector identified. 6 www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/partnershipsprosperousnation 7 IAAs allow institutions the flexibility to operate tailored schemes that help increase the likelihood of impact from their research. The IAAs speed up the contribution that scientists make towards new innovation, successful businesses and the economic returns that benefit the UK. 8 Using data on funding and partnership from Gateway to Research on all funded projects by the UK Research Councils over the 2004 to 2016 period and business performance data from the Business Structures Database, the study has applied a difference-in-differences propensity score matching technique to evaluate the performance of UK firms who participated in publicly-funded research projects. 3 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
EPSRC at a glance
£3.4bn £1.2bn of our portfolio leverage from is relevant industry, to industrial charities and sectors1 public sector 2 The research that The research that organisations we fund impacts on we fund has strong the growth of key engagement with industrial sectors. users of research. £4.6bn Single EPSRC’s total discipline 44% Multi- research disciplinary and training We encourage 56% 4 researchers to We aim to maintain portfolio bring the strengths and enhance the of individual UK’s research disciplines together EPSRC Portfolio3 leadership in EPS to create impact. disciplines.
55% World of our research EU 28
portfolio is UK collaborative with users EPSRC Publications arising 024 We actively engage (over 3,800 5 from EPSRC-funded with users of organisations) research are strong Field-weighted research to derive in terms of citation citation impact maximum impact. impact. publications6 2,862 670 Number of new Approximate PhD students spin-outs supported7 attributed to Building the specialist EPSRC funding skills in EPS to capture Our funded research over last 35 emerging and evolving is at the heart years8 technologies is one of of discovery and our key strategies. innovation.
Notes 1 Based on value of grants which had an industrial sector identified on 1 April 2017. 2 Leverage across our portfolio on 1 April 2017. 3 Based on number of research grants. Analysis based on department disciplines in the research proposals and co-funding from other research councils. 4 As on 1 April 2017. 5 By value of grants that were current on 1 April 2017. 6 FWCI compares the actual number of citations received with the average number of citations for a publication of the same subject, document type and publication year. It therefore accounts for differences in citation practices between subjects and is benchmarked against the world average, set at 1.00. 7 As on 1 April 2017. 8 Spin-outs that are still active as per data from Companies House.
4 Delivery Plan 2016-2020: Ambitions built on strong foundations
EPSRC’s policies and funding provides the support for ambition, exploration and collaboration while simultaneously steering research priorities where appropriate and fostering partnerships to deliver economic and societal benefits. Impacts arising from EPSRC-funded research over the years has laid the strong foundation that has enabled us to aspire for a more connected, resilient, healthy and productive nation in our Delivery Plan for 2016/17-2019/20 [4]. Presented in the next few pages are examples from specific areas of research illustrating how they have had an impact in relation to the prosperity outcomes9 outlined in the current delivery plan.
9 The four prosperity outcomes are: Connected, Resilient, Healthy and Productive. EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Connected nation
Connectivity between people, processes and achieving this in a variety of ways. Around 53 per cent things are vital for social cohesion and economic of our current portfolio by value of grants as on growth, even more so in an increasing digital world. 1 April 2017 was directly relevant to our ambition of a There is a plethora of research funded by EPSRC connected nation. in mathematical sciences, physical sciences, computing and engineering that helps build and One of the key areas driving connectivity that we enhance connectivity. We have funded research have chosen to highlight in this report is the internet. that has enabled us to connect people, things and According to figures quoted in a government’s report data in a safe, secure, trustworthy and productive “By 2020, the volume of global internet traffic is way. The success of the UK economy in the future expected to be 95 times that of 2005 and connected will require development of the world leading devices will outnumber the global population by products, processes and technologies based on the nearly seven to one. In the UK, fixed internet traffic research that we fund, to bring in new innovations is set to double every two years, while mobile data to remove existing bottlenecks and harness the traffic is set to increase further at a rate of 25 per benefits of technological developments, to enhance cent to 42 per cent per year” [5]. Highlighted here are the connectivity of people, data and things. EPSRC- selected impacts from our funded research that have funded research is making a major contribution to contributed to developing a superfast internet.
6 Technology for a superfast internet
EPSRC SUPPORTED Optoelectronics petabytes of data every month and faster than the fastest broadband Research Centre (ORC), based at the most of this travels through optical available in the UK, today. The new, University of Southampton, received amplifiers developed at the ORC led simplified receiver is also cheaper the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary by Professor Payne. The centre has, and smaller requiring just a quarter Prize for Higher and Further spawned a cluster of photonics of the detectors used in Education in 2017 in recognition companies to commercialise its conventional receivers. of the innovations inspired by research, generating revenues in ORC. Fibre optic networks and excess of £100 million and creating developments in photonics will more than 500 jobs. underpin all future communications, OPTICAL FIBRES are the only data and internet services and ORC technology we have that can is going to lead the £6 million EPSRC transmit high-bandwidth signals ‘AirGuide Photonics’ programme thousands of kilometres across announced in 2017. This programme INNOVATIVE RESEARCH has placed the earth’s surface. However, as is to develop the next generation of the UK among the world’s most achievable speeds in practice are fibre optics and position the UK as a connected societies. In 2014 the beginning to reach theoretical world-leader in this technology. digital economy represented seven limits due to constraints within per cent of the UK’s economy, nine the fundamental properties of Optical fibre technologies per cent of all businesses and five light itself, researchers are now have revolutionised worldwide per cent of employment [6]. looking at the largely unexplored telecommunications and fuelled However, the broadband speeds in potential of ‘space’ in Mode Division the explosion in internet growth, the UK average 36 Mbps, lagging Multiplexing (MDM) technology, transmitting more information behind other comparable whereby light beams are assigned over greater distances than could countries10. Researchers from UCL to different shapes for different ever have been achieved without and the University of Cambridge, channels. The COMIMO project, them. Quite simply, the modern funded under the EPSRC UNLOC funded by EPSRC in collaboration internet would not exist without research programme have with UCL and the Universities of these technologies. One such key developed new optical receiver Oxford and Southampton, has development was the result of blue- technology that could enable developed a revolutionary MDM skies research funded by EPSRC, superfast broadband speeds in the system for transmitting data this research was 15 years ahead of UK. This breakthrough was reported down fibres – the light of each its time and was carried out when in Nature Communications in July channel is coupled into the fibre there was no commercial market 2017. The newly proposed receiver by way of a specially designed for its findings. Long-term EPSRC- was tested on a dark fibre network computerised hologram. With funded Professor Sir David Payne installed between Telehouse in East further development, it is expected and his research team developed London, UCL, and Powergate in the system will enable the creation the Erbium-Doped Optical Amplifier West London, where the of some of the fastest optical links in 1987 – a key device for internet researchers were able to send data ever made – another pioneering expansion through its ability to over 37.6km and 108km to eight leap forward in telecommunications transmit and amplify vast amounts users who were able to download/ technology. of data. Today, more than one billion upload at a speed of at least ten internet users exchange over 2,000 Gb/s. This is more than 30 times
10 Reported in The Engineer, October 2017, www.theengineer.co.uk/optical-receiver-ucl 7 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Resilient nation
UK prosperity depends on the smooth and Faraday Institution in 2017. The Faraday Institution sustainable functioning of complex infrastructures: is the UK’s independent, national institute for battery transport, communications networks, water, energy research which will draw upon academic expertise in and waste utilities. Research and innovation in universities across the UK to deliver a research and mathematical sciences, computing and engineering training programme that is designed in conjunction is fundamental to the generation of new ideas and with industry to keep the UK at the forefront of innovations needed to keep the UK competitive and novel battery technologies. With an ever increasing resilient. Around 61 per cent of our portfolio on demand for energy and significant increase in 1 April 2017 consisted of research that was directly renewable energy supplies, storage solutions can aimed at making the UK resilient. Investments in bring enormous economic and social benefits as well energy technologies and associated efficiencies is as contribute to the low carbon future network. The one such area included in the portfolio. Renewable Energy Association (REA) quotes “if 2GW of energy storage was deployed by 2020 the industry Our long-term support and funding has built critical could create jobs for up to 10,000 people in the capabilities in areas of energy generation efficiency, UK” [7]. Here are a few selected examples of how storage and distribution. Building on the success EPSRC research has made a significant impact in the of the past research, we announced funding for the area of energy security.
8 Energy security – batteries and fuel cells
PROFESSOR PETER BRUCE who materials, supported by EPSRC- FUEL CELLS are the most efficient has had sustained long-term funding, and this work holds the devices known for converting a funding from EPSRC was awarded key to new generations of energy range of fuels, including hydrogen the prestigious Royal Society of storage devices. The establishment and bio-fuels, into electricity and, Chemistry Liversidge Award 2016, of the Faraday Institution in 2016 is in some cases, heat. According to for his contributions to the chemistry a key milestone in this quest. a report by Global Market Insights, of energy conversion and storage, the fuel cell market size is expected particularly pioneering the lithium- to reach US$25.5 billion by 2024, air battery and the discovery of ionic INTELLIGENT ENERGY is the driven by a need for environmentally conductivity in crystalline polymers. world’s largest independent fuel cell friendly and better alternatives to Professor Bruce has also been company. Spun out from EPSRC- existing energy options [8]. selected as a highly cited researcher funded research at Loughborough and has made it to the Thomson University, the firm’s R&D is led H2GO Power, a University of Reuters Highly Cited Researcher by a core team of EPSRC-funded Cambridge spin-out company list three times in a row, the most researchers. In 2014 the company formed with EPSRC IAA funding by recent being in 2017. This is a was valued at £639 million in the Dr Enass Abo-Hamed and EPSRC testament to the significance of his biggest pure technology floatation RISE Rising Star, Professor Oren work amongst his peers. Professor on the London Stock Exchange for Scherman, has developed a safe Bruce is involved in a number of over five years. In 2015 the company method for hydrogen production grants announced in 2016 and announced a milestone £1.2 billion and storage. The system is based 2017 to develop next generation deal to provide efficient, economical on a hybrid smart material capable solid state batteries and materials and clean power to over 27,400 of behaving like a ‘sponge’, which for energy conversion capture and telecom towers in India. Intelligent catalytically produces and stores storage. Batteries technologies are Energy employs over 350 people hydrogen gas at room temperature important as it is estimated that worldwide and has collaborated and atmospheric pressure, which almost 2.4 million battery-electric with many high profile partners it releases when heated. The vehicles will be sold worldwide including Boeing, Airbus, Citroen technology was developed by Enass, in 2020. The lithium-ion batteries and Lotus. Collaborations led to the through her work as a doctoral used in many of the battery-electric world’s first purpose-built motorbike student in the Scherman research The fuel cells potentially vehicles use electrode materials with a fuel cell power sources, group. have five times the energy capacity which was discovered by Professor fuel cell aircraft and zero emission of current battery technologies, Bruce alongside Professors John road vehicles. In 2017 the company Goodenough, Mike Thackeray and announced it was partnering with and will be suitable for numerous Bill David. the UK based construction plant applications, from phone chargers hire and sales company, Taylor to electric aircraft. The company Pioneering work funded by EPSRC Construction Plant Ltd, to supply is piloting a plug and play unit in on LiCoO2 at Oxford University its air cooled fuel cell modules for Nigeria to enable buildings such as in the 1980s led to the first integration, testing and evaluation hospitals to continue functioning commercial lithium-ion batteries, into power products, initially for the during black outs. which have transformed portable UK construction industry, but with electronic devices. New generations the intention to expand to other of lithium-ion batteries are now markets. Applications include off the technology of choice for the grid site power, power tools and electrification of transport, as equipment, welfare cabins and well as having a key role to play in general construction storing electricity from the grid. The loads. discovery of LiMn2O4 spinel positive electrodes, also at Oxford, resulted in a lower cost and safer alternative to LiCoO2. As a result they were the material of choice for the first generation of electric vehicle batteries. The UK has continued to pioneer and innovate in lithium batteries and their
9 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Healthy nation
EPSRC-funded research has delivered new essential in terms of delivering diagnosis and care. technologies, materials, methodologies and knowhow Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines which continue to improve our ability to predict, and related software are undergoing rapid diagnose and treat disease as well as help improve technological changes and are being increasingly the quality of life and our wellbeing. Our funding in used in the NHS to deliver care: MRI tests have physical sciences, mathematics and engineering increased by 49 per cent in the period between has enabled new diagnostics, personalised care and 2011 and July 2017 [9]. Four research programmes routes to treatment of different conditions. EPSRC- announced in 2016 totalling £17.7 million include funded researchers have worked in partnership with a programme to improve the range of applications researchers in biological and medical sciences to for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosis bring in several innovations, for example, but not of cardiovascular disease (CVD). EPSRC are also limited to, advances in imaging, software and systems delivering and managing the Rosalind Franklin for genomics and new materials for regenerative Institute (RFI), a £100 million investment by the medicine. Around 54 per cent of our portfolio on government announced in 2017. Research at the RFI 1 April 2017 consisted of research that is striving to will initially be centred on five selected technology make the UK a healthy nation. themes, focusing on next-generation imaging technologies and on new chemical methods and High susceptibility of a growing elderly population strategies for drug discovery. Here we showcase towards musculoskeletal and degenerative spinal some of the successes from our past funding focused problems and cardiovascular conditions, makes on developing and enhancing MRI in the clinical advances in imaging technology lucrative and context.
10 Advances in MRI scanning
THE DEVELOPMENT of a new widespread use to the medical IN NOVEMBER 2017 several type of MRI scan to predict stroke profession. There are now more media outlets reported the first risks described in the Journal of than 20,000 MRI scanners globally instance of imaging of patients by the American College of Cardiology: and over 70 million scans are Fast Field Cycling MRI scanner Cardiovascular Imaging in 2017, performed each year. The annual that has been described as ‘100 generated significant media interest. market value for the technology MRIs in one’. The EPSRC-funded The project was conducted by the reached US$5.8 billion in 2015 and multidisciplinary research carried researchers in collaboration with is expected to reach US$8.0 billion out at the University of Aberdeen surgeons at the John Radcliffe by 2021 [11]. in collaboration with two SMEs, Hospital in Oxford and was supported led to significant awareness and by EPSRC, with other partner development of the new field of funding organisations. The scan is Fast Field-Cycling MRI, in which designed to identify the cholesterol THE TECHNOLOGY underpinning the scanner’s magnet is able levels of plaques in the carotid medical imaging company Mirada to be switched rapidly between arteries, which supply the brain with Medical originated from the magnetic fields enabling greater blood. Plaques high in cholesterol research of long-term EPSRC- image contrast. Already leading are more likely to cause a stroke. funded Professor Sir Michael Brady, to improvements in the standard This new, non-invasive technique who today leads the Department scanning of patients, researchers can differentiate between risky of Oncological Imaging at the are now using the technique plaques containing large amounts University of Oxford. Professor alongside another pioneering of cholesterol and more stable Brady has played a key role in technology developed by the ones. Stroke is a leading cause breakthroughs in image analysis, team, called Zero-Field Magnetic of disability and the third biggest working with new technologies and Resonance Imaging (ZF-MRI), in a killer in the UK. The NHS and social techniques alongside MRI. Mirada new scanner. A radical departure care costs of strokes are around Medical’s expertise in developing from standard MRI, the new £1.7 billion a year in England [10]. diagnostic imaging solutions is ZF-MRI will take the scanner’s Since its creation in the 1980s the derived from the core research magnetic field very close to zero Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) background of two early spin-outs to see disease-related changes scanner has transformed diagnostic formed to commercialise Professor in tissue that cannot be seen by medicine by creating detailed images Brady’s work. Recognised as a conventional MRI scanner. It of the body to assist in the diagnosis one of the leading specialists in is hoped the new scanner will of conditions, saving the lives of medical imaging software, the advance the development of many thousands of people. The MRI company’s products are used by new drugs for diseases such as scanner is the result of over 50 years more than 2,000 hospitals and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. of research incorporating research imaging centres worldwide. It has Neurodegenerative diseases and ideas from different disciplines quadrupled its size to over 50 staff present major public health such as chemistry, mathematics, and had a turnover of £4 million concerns, with over 850,000 cases engineering, computer science, in 2016. With distributors around in the UK (expected to double by medicine and physics. UK engineers the world and plans to open up 2040 due to an ageing population), and physicists have been key to a regional office in Asia, 73 per with an annual cost to the economy the development of the MRI body cent of the company’s turnover is of more than £23 billion. scanning machine, bringing its attributed to international markets.
11 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Productive nation
The success of the UK in the face of increased From the plethora of impacts from our funded competition from new emerging economies and research, in this report we want to draw attention to geo-political changes requires development of lasers in manufacturing. Lasers have a major role in products, process and technologies based on high value production and our research strengths in research and innovation in mathematical and physical this area are helping the UK to compete in the global sciences, information and computing technologies manufacturing arena. The global laser processing and engineering, supported by a skilled workforce of machine tool market is valued at £10 billion. The scale future scientists, engineers and technologists. Our and potential rewards of lasers in manufacturing funding in the past has enabled business growth is immense, with £300 million of laser components and innovation, digital transformation, efficiencies being integrated in lasers and systems enabling in process, waste reduction and others contributing >US$300 billion of products globally [12]. The EPSRC- to the UK’s economic growth. Around 64 per cent of funded Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Laser our portfolio on 1 April 2017, consisted of research Based Production Processes (CIM-LPP) is working striving to contribute to the UK’s productivity. Some to increase the uptake of laser based manufacturing exemplar investments for 2016/17 include a through coordinated research and network building £60 million investment to strengthen and boost the activities, as well as providing the leadership in UK’s manufacturing base through six new research developing UK policy [13]. CIM-LPP is a part of our hubs and £17.3 million in UK’s robotics and artificial strong portfolio of research which is focused on intelligence research to accelerate the translation generating new ideas for exploiting laser lights in of fundamental research into cross-sector, enabling manufacturing as well as enabling wider adoption and technologies. translation of the research in this area to the benefit of the UK.
12 Lasers in manufacturing
THE WORLDWIDE laser market per the 2017 account statement, THE LASER is a crucial part of is growing with fibre lasers being the company now employs over many Additive Manufacturing one of the main contributors with 280 people in Southampton and its (AM) processes providing a highly an expected growth rate that is revenue in 2017 increased to over localised and controllable source higher than the average for the £71 million, up 43 per cent from of heat that can be translated at entire laser market11. Fibre lasers previous financial year12. high speeds. AM has been identified allow for the precision engineering as a key enabling technology of complex shapes and have also for high value manufacturing. been made with over 1,000 Watts of EPSRC-FUNDED research at EPSRC-funded research enabled power (1kW) – more than enough the University of Manchester researchers at the University of to cut through an inch of steel. has resulted in Rolls-Royce Sheffield, working closely with Today, laser-based cutting and implementing the technology of partners Rolls-Royce, to fabricate a welding processes are giving us laser cleaning of Ti alloys for the 1.5 meter-diameter titanium front stronger, safer cars and lighter, automatic preparation of surfaces bearing housing for the Rolls- faster planes. The technology of prior to electron beam welding. Royce Trent XWB-97 engine, the fibre lasers is also being applied to The technology is also being power-plant for the Airbus A380. new challenges such as increasing adopted by BAE Systems to replace This project had early support from internet capacity, creating chemical cleaning during airframe EPSRC and follow-on funding from renewable energy sources and manufacture. Prior to this research Innovate UK and the Manufacturing improving health care diagnostics the practice in use for E-beam Technology Centre in Ansty. This and treatment. High power fibre welding of aero-engine components was the first time additive layer lasers, based on rare-earth ion was either manual, which involved manufacturing was used to doped silica fibres were effectively several steps using chemicals and produce such a significant load- created by EPSRC-funded research abrasives, or dipping into highly bearing component, instead of the at Southampton, which has a long corrosive and hazardous acid baths. conventional processes of casting and prestigious history in this field Laser cleaning eliminates the use or forging. When the Airbus A380 of research. The research led to of chemicals and allows the process flying testbed aircraft, powered the creation of the spin-out SPI to be fully automated and over 20 by Trent XWB-97, completed its Lasers that was valued at £40 times faster. The economic impacts test flight in 2015, it marked the million when it was floated on the arise from reduction of scraps at first flight of the world’s largest Alternative Investment Market in the final stage of assembly and 3D printed aero engine structure. 2005. Attracted by the strength of from elimination of use of harmful Rolls-Royce is now developing this the company, it was acquired by chemicals and their disposal, technology which has potential to German machine tool and disc estimated at millions of pounds per improve manufacturing and product laser specialist TRUMPF GmbH year. This research has also led to a functionality in terms of design in 2008 for £27.8 million. SPI spin-out, Advanced Laser Technology optimisation, cost and speed. now has a global presence and Ltd, which now employs over 19 continues to spend ten per cent people and is reported to have a of their turnover on research. As turnover of between £1-2 million13.
11 www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171105005082/en/Global-Industrial-Laser-Market---Segmentation-Analysis 12 https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03290610/filing-history 13 From researchfish® 2017 submission. 13 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Maintaining the UK’s research leadership in EPS disciplines
EPSRC’s funding of excellent ‘discovery’ and research of strategic importance helps the UK to maintain its research leadership in EPS disciplines.
High quality, high impact publications
Publications arising from EPSRC-funded research are of very high quality and In terms of overall they continue to maintain their strength in terms of citation impact. impact, EPSRC-funded Overall EPSRC publications appeared relatively more frequently than expected research produced publications 14 ’’that are not only well above in top citation percentiles , namely the top one per cent, five per cent and ten per cent of cited publications, with engineering publications performing four the world average in terms times higher than world average in top citation percentiles [1]. These figures of field-weighted citation are an indicator of the high quality articles produced from EPSRC-funded impact (FWCI), but also above research which contribute to the UK’s research leadership in EPS disciplines. the UK and EU28 averages, for the same subject areas. World Engineering research produced very high impact publications, with a FWCI of 2.37, versus a EU 28 world average of 1.0. Energy, with a FWCI of 2.06 and UK Computer Science at 2.01, were also well above the world EPSRC average. [1] 024
Figure 1. An analysis of publications in core subject areas funded by EPSRC, show that overall EPSRC-funded research has higher relative citation impact (2.06) compared to the UK (1.55), the EU 28 (1.23) and the World (1.0).
Figure 2. Compared to a world average of 1.0, EPSRC-funded research produced very high impact publications with field-weighted citation impact (FWCI)15 across EPS disciplines greater than 1.
14 FWCI compares the actual number of citations received with the average number of citations for a publication of the same subject, document type and publication year. It therefore accounts for differences in citation practices between subjects and is benchmarked against the world average, set at 1.00. 14 15 Citation percentiles: the number of publications that belong to the world’s top x per cent of most cited publications. Awards and recognitions
The contribution of the researchers that we fund is highly recognition that they receive and by the uptake of respected and valued within the scientific community their discoveries and inventions internationally. Some internationally. This is reflected in the awards and examples are highlighted below.
Heart monitor developer wins prestigious EPSRC-funded researcher prize wins the Abel prize
Dr Mark Grubb, an engineer at the University of Nottingham Professor Sir Andrew who was supported by EPSRC during his doctoral work, was Wiles, who has been recognised for his outstanding work to help newborn babies in supported by an their first minutes of life. Dr Grubb was awarded the 2016 EPSRC strategic J A Lodge Award, a prestigious prize given to the nation’s package at the most promising early-career researchers in the field of University of biomedical engineering, by the Institution of Engineering and Oxford, was Technology (IET). the recipient of the 2016 Abel His original doctoral work that forms the basis of the new prize, widely heart-rate sensor device was developed to monitor the health regarded as of workers in metal foundries and had attracted sponsorship the Nobel for from the mining company Rio Tinto. mathematics and The HeartLight sensor was the most prestigious subsequently developed international award for the by a multidisciplinary discipline. The prize is given in recognition team which included of contributions of extraordinary depth Dr Grubb and it is and influence to the mathematical currently undergoing sciences and has been awarded yearly evaluation under since 2003. Professor Wiles won the clinical conditions. prize for his ‘stunning proof’ of Fermat’s A new joint venture Last Theorem. In solving the problem, business with Derby- he developed new tools which have since based electronics allowed researchers to make great strides specialist Tioga and the in an ambitious effort to unify disparate University of Nottingham branches of mathematics. The Abel has been setup to work Committee said: “Few results have as rich towards making HeartLight a mathematical history and as dramatic a a commercially viable product. proof as Fermat’s Last Theorem.”
Wireless sensor chosen as technology for exporting to China
Heba Bevan, a doctoral student at the EPSRC and Innovate UK-funded Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC), developed a miniature, self-powered, wireless sensor for civil engineering instrumentation and monitoring. Weighing less than 16g and able to self-calibrate and self-align once positioned, UtterBerry® offers asset protection with a robustness which allows it to be deployed in hazardous environments. Since April 2014, the sensor has been deployed by Crossrail to measure temperature, humidity and tunnel wall inclination on a London tunnel construction site, enabling the condition and structural health of the tunnel to be safely and effectively monitored remotely from the company’s offices.
UtterBerry has received many awards for its innovation. In 2017 UtterBerry was chosen as the advanced technology for export to China, to champion British technology excellence. It is now being supported in China by the ARM Innovation Eco- system Accelerator – a company which helps SMEs and start-ups accelerate their business in China.
15 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Pushing the boundary of our understanding and challenging convention
EPSRC’s broad remit coupled with the focus on panels. We actively manage the balance of our portfolio encouraging creativity and adventure, help to push the of research that is ‘investigator led’ and that which has a boundaries of understanding and tackle real world ‘strategic intent’, so that we maintain a healthy pipeline problems. Our investments from discovery research of research from discovery through to innovation. Our through to its translation open up new areas of portfolio of research grants and fellowships on 1 April exploration bringing economic and societal benefits to 2017 had a balance of around 51 per cent: 49 per cent the UK. of ‘strategic’ to ‘investigator led’ research. The following examples illustrate the breadth of application areas In 2016/17, 73 per cent of our funded research was benefitting from innovative materials research within the judged to be ‘adventurous’16 by the respective peer review EPSRC portfolio.
Product breakthrough: Super-protective metal with holes
Bainite has traditionally been used in gun barrel manufacture where the steel barrel is hardened by quenching it in a high temperature salt bath. This process makes it hard, but the material becomes brittle and prone to cracking. If the brittleness of Bainite could be tackled, its hardness would make it an ideal candidate for applications where strong materials are required. Dr Francisca Caballero and Professor Harry Bhadeshia of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at Cambridge with EPSRC funding and in collaboration, set out to refine and enhance the properties of Bainite. Years of research, expertise in materials and metallurgy and EPSRC funding, resulted in a super strong material ‘Super Bainite’. The innovations introduced in the material has resulted in the UK now having its own onshore supply of high performance armour steel. As well as being used in military applications, Super Bainite could be used to provide increased stiffness to roll cages within car manufacturing, adding strength to civil engineering projects or even in space craft manufacturing.
The result of 30 years research, Super Bainite is the world’s first bulk nanostructured metal. Now rolling off Tata Steel’s Port Talbot mills, Super Bainite has brought back high performance steel armour production to the UK after a gap of 20 years.
Helping discovery and innovation: Scientific breakthrough: First Software to speed up validation and reported liquid with permanent discovery pores
Making materials better is a key part of technology EPSRC-funded researchers at Queen’s University innovation, but doing so often takes decades. Now, Belfast made a major breakthrough by inventing software based on quantum mechanics and originally the first ‘porous liquid’. This new class of developed by physicists at Cambridge with funding from ‘porous liquid’ feature permanent holes at the EPSRC, is helping R&D teams speed up the search for molecular level and can dissolve large amounts new materials17. Called CASTEP, the modelling code of gas. Permanent pores are conventionally only is widely used in many industries – from chemical and associated with solids as their fixed structure semiconductor manufacture, to oil and gas. CASTEP has means that they can support empty cavities. This been licensed to Cambridge-based software company could provide a number of practical applications, Accelrys (now BIOVIA) since 1995 and in 2013 it passed including capturing carbon-dioxide emissions US$30 million in sales. from factories. The result of their study was published in the journal Nature and attracted Used in tandem with ‘real’ experiments, the ‘virtual’ significant curiosity and publicity in the press and experiments that CASTEP enables, mean that as well the scientific community. as boosting efficiency of the R&D process, the code can help pinpoint sources of product failures. CASTEP is Since this discovery, a whole new area of widely used in academia and across many industries, as material science has been opened up with clear a result it has been referenced prolifically in scientific potential for long-term applications in chemical literature. An indication of its wide adoption can be processes. EPSRC is continuing to support the judged by the fact that in the two year period spanning group so that research leadership in this area is 2016-17, it has already accumulated over 1,900 scientific translated for the benefit of the UK and society citations18. as a whole.
16 The proposal is classed ‘adventurous’ where either the majority of the work packages show a high level of adventure and creativity, e.g. new methods, new techniques, bringing together existing approaches to form new directions, or the entire proposal presents high levels of adventure with a highly creative approach with the potential of the research to be transformative, e.g. creation of a new area of research, paradigm shift, disrupting current approaches/ methodology. 16 17 Sourced from Researchfish 2017 submission. 18 http://accelrys.com/products/collaborative-science/biovia-materials-studio/references/castep-references/index.html EPSRC investments to capture opportunities in emerging areas
The Alan Turing Institute • Creating new secure big data technology demonstrators, platform to enable data sharing prototypes and early breakthroughs The data economy is key to the without compromising data in the Quantum Technologies UK’s prosperity and growth. It is privacy impacting on sectors Showcase held in 2016 and 2017 predicted that data will benefit the such as health, financial which had significant involvement UK economy by up to £241 billion services and crime. and interest from businesses. between 2015 and 2020 [14]. To maintain the UK’s leadership in • Generating new indicators in Oxford Ion Trap group (part of the data analytics and data innovation, collaboration with Office for networked quantum technologies EPSRC has established The Alan National Statistics Data Science hub; NQIT) demonstrated a Turing Institute (ATI). Since its Campus, to support decision- laser-driven quantum logic gate inauguration in 2015, The ATI making across a range of policy between two different isotopes of has continued to train the next domains and generating the next calcium ions. The work, published generation of leaders in data generation of data scientists in Nature, was chosen as one of science and collaborate with within government. Physics World’s, top ten physics universities, business, public breakthroughs of the year, and third sector organisations to The ATI has continued to build on alongside a similar experiment undertake research, which will its strong collabortative network performed concurrently at NIST in tackle the challenges in science, across disciplines with partners the USA [17]. society and the national economy. in academia, industry, government Some of the exciting research at the and third sector. The collaborative The UK QT Hub in Enhanced ATI include: network includes Lloyd’s Quantum Imaging (QuantIC), with Register Foundation, who pledged the help of strong engagement • Combining the advances in £10 million to support a programme with businesses, for example, artificial intelligence and in data-centric engineering in Aralia Systems, Bridgeporth, machine learning to develop 2015, a strategic partnership with Chromacity, Kromek, Lockheed systems that help to automate Intel, partnership with the UK Martin, M Squared Lasers, Thales each stage of the data analytics Government Defence and Security UK and others, has been successful process. The resulting sector, HSBC, Microsoft, Winton in early stage development of new technology will impact on speed Labs, British Library, Office for products which include a new kind and efficiency of transforming National Statistics and several of gravimeter for gravity mapping data into useful knowledge. universities [15]. applications19 ‘Gas-Sight’ a low-cost camera for gas imaging20 and a new • Working in partnership with Quantum Technology Hubs multiplexed imaging system for life Intel to improve the speed of sciences21. data driven computing tasks and The quantum technology hubs providing Intel with the tools have made significant progress as to build the next generation highlighted in the second annual computer processors and high report published recently [16]. They performance systems. have also successfully showcased
19 https://quantic.ac.uk/quantic/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Wee-g-Bridgeporth-CASE-STUDY-final.pdf 20 https://quantic.ac.uk/quantic/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/M-Squared-Gas-Sight-Case-Study_FINAL_WEB.pdf 21 https://quantic.ac.uk/quantic-partners-with-horiba-on-new-industry-project/ 17 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
EPSRC’s research at the heart of discovery and innovation
Creating the UK businesses of the future
A common route for research outcomes to be taken contribute to various economically important sectors in forward is through the creation of a new company, or the UK. These spin-outs have resulted from long-term, spin-out. Each year around 30-40 new spin-outs are flexible support provided by EPSRC that encourages created from EPSRC investments; over the last 35 years co-operation and collaboration within the research and EPSRC research has contributed to the creation of over innovation landscape to catalyse translation of research 670 spin-outs22. These are spread across the country and for national benefit.
Geographic distribution of active spin-out companies attributed to EPSRC research (with highlighted examples) The size of theGeographic pie chart is linkeddistribution to a number of spin-outs.of active The coloursspin indicate-out thecompanies RCUK industrialattributed sectors. to EPSRC research (with highlighted examples) Size of the Pie chart linked to number of spin-outs Colours indicate RCUK industrial sectors
Cirrus Logic International (UK) Ltd Turnover - £786.7m No. of employees - 105
Scotland Applied Graphene Materials plc Turnover - £252k No. of employees - 42 Industrial Tomography Systems plc Turnover - £1.6m No. of employees - 14 Nort h East Tracsis plc Turnover - £32.6m No. of employees - 644 Northern Ireland
Lagan Technologies Ltd Intelligent Energy Ltd Turnover - £28.9m North West Yorkshire & Humberside Turnover - £7.2m No. of employees - 398 No. of employees - 243
Swansea Materials Research & Testing Ltd Turnover - £0.76m Cranfield Aero space Solutions Ltd Turnover - £5.8m No. of employees - 6 East Midlands No. of employees - 54
West Midlands Wales East England Serious Games International Ltd LiDCo Group plc Turnover - £758k Turnover - £7.6m No. of employees - 16 No. of employees - 46
London Vectura Group plc South West Turnover - £72m Optasense Ltd No. of employees - 270 Sout h East Turnover - £17.5m No. of employees - 76
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Aerospace, Defence and Auto-Engineering Biotechnology Marine Construction Digital/Communication/ Transport Information Technologies (including Software) Manufacturing including Agriculture, Food and Drink Chemicals Industrial Biotechnology Creative Economy Security and Diplomacy Healthcare Electronics Energy Retail Environment Financial Services and Unknown Management Consultancy
18 22 Spin-outs that are still active as per the data from Companies House.
Maximising impact through collaboration
We actively encourage collaboration so that the EPSRC investments in research and training contribute research that we fund is enhanced by multidisciplinary to innovation in a range of industrial sectors. Over approaches and informed by users of the research. As 78 per cent of research grants announced in 2016/17 of 1 April 2017, around 55 per cent of our portfolio of have direct relevance to key industrial sectors including, research and training grants by value was collaborative but not limited to, aerospace, defence and marine, with over 3,800 user organisations, which included chemicals, construction, communications, energy, businesses, charitable organisations and government electronics, healthcare, IT and manufacturing. departments, including 54223 new organisations. Approximately 56 per cent of our research grant portfolio Total leverage on the portfolio on 1 April 2017 from user on 1 April 2017 was multidisciplinary24. organisations was £1.2 billion.
EPSRC IMPACT ACCELERATION ACCOUNTS
EPSRC’s Impact Acceleration Accounts (IAAs) are Over the same period, IAA projects have leveraged flexible funds that enable universities to support a more than £93 million cash and in-kind contributions range of knowledge exchange activities taking forward from company partners. We are continuing to invest the outputs of EPSRC-funded research. The IAAs through the IAAs and have recently announced a have reported 451 patents and around £2.9 million further £60 million IAA funding for 33 universities. worth of licensing agreements between 2012-16.
56% of our portfolio is multidisciplinary 670 £1.2bn active spin-outs attributed total leverage from user organisation to EPSRC funding on our portfolio on 1 April 2017
542 78% 55% new user collaborator of announced research of our portfolio organisations out of grants in the year have collaborative with over 3,800 in the year direct relevance to users of research industrial sectors
23 Organisation that had not collaborated with EPSRC over the last ten years. 24 Based on number of research grants. Analysis based on department disciplines in the research proposals and co-funding from other research councils. 19 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
The balance of our portfolio of research and our activities. This includes up to £2 million per year for approach to linking work at early stage technology Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs), which are readiness levels to users of research and other managed by IUK, and innovations linked to research partners, such as Innovate UK (IUK), is critical for future areas, for example, energy, industrial biotechnology and innovations and success of the Industrial Strategy. In quantum technologies. 2016/17 we have spent over £24 million to support IUK
Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT)
Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs) funded by EPSRC and IUK are university-based centres of excellence, set up to accelerate and promote business exploitation of an emerging research and technology field and to ensure that great ideas are swiftly translated into industrial development, into products and into jobs. The Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), hosted by Queen’s University Belfast, is one of seven IKCs which is building on the world class research, leveraging investments from government and business to create new value, venture creation and entrepreneurial approach in the area of cybersecurity. Since its creation the centre has now grown to be one of the largest centres internationally in cybersecurity and is increasingly being recognised as a leader in cybersecurity research. CSIT has created a unique ‘Open Innovation’ model that is successfully ‘bridging the gap’ to economic impact.
The centre has produced over 200 publications which include journal articles and conference papers. Five spin-out companies have been created, Titan IC Systems Ltd, Liopa Ltd, Sirona Technologies Ltd, Sensurity and Cognition Video Ltd, which are delivering new benchmarks for content inspection, novel and robust personal authentication, cryptography technologies, intrusion detection and platforms for automatic and intelligent image and video processing. The spin-outs are getting recognition, winning awards and attracting venture capital. In addition to commercially relevant core technologies around security, CSIT has enabled the creation of a new business cluster, attracting inward and foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland and creating hundreds of jobs in cybersecurity.
Strengthening links between research base and Industry
EPSRC-supported research focuses on innovation aided by collaborations with user organisations like businesses, charities and government bodies; it has strong links with areas that are key to the success of the Industrial Strategy. Research and partnerships that have been developed in these areas over the years, are already helping to deliver the Government’s Industrial Strategy.
To continue with our support for fostering research partnerships that will strengthen the links between the UK’s research base, industry and business partners, we have announced a set of Prosperity Partnerships in July 2017. They provide an opportunity for co-investment in large-scale research programmes between businesses and universities, building on existing strategic relationships.
The Prosperity Partnerships represent £31 million of government funding from the EPSRC and the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), matched by a further £36 million from partner organisations in cash or ‘in-kind’ contributions and £11 million from universities, resulting in a total investment of £78 million.
20 Developing a skilled workforce to reap the benefits of technological advancements
Building skills that the UK needs for its prosperity and During 2016/17 we funded 63 fellowships which included supporting the leaders of tomorrow, is a key part of our 35 Early Career Research Fellowships, nine fellowships strategy. Over the next decade, the UK will need high to support established researchers, 14 postdoctoral level specialist skills in EPS disciplines to capture the fellowships and five other fellowships. Over the same value and reap the benefits of emerging and evolving period we supported over 2,800 new PhD students. technologies. EPSRC doctoral training in EPS disciplines provides the flexible support, opportunities for mutually We have a continued focus on enhancing our training beneficial collaborations and transferable skills, in so that we are in a position to address the systemic addition to expertise in subject areas, to prepare the skills shortages in the UK. Many of our centres for workforce and contribute to all areas of the economy. training involve research that connects industries to Around 40 per cent of our doctoral graduates go on key technologies and research breakthroughs. Over the to work in the private sector and around 35 per cent last ten years our training grants have involved over are employed in the higher education sector25. Both 1,400 businesses, charities and other users of research, these sectors are key to the prosperity and growth of leveraging around £420 million worth of support. A mid- the UK. In addition to the doctoral training, we also term review of our Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) fund fellowships across all career stages so that the highlighted the high quality of research and training researchers are able to progress their capability and undertaken and the social and economic impact the provide the leadership required for the ‘knowledge and research and researchers were having in diverse areas innovation’ economy. in the EPS and multidisciplinary landscape [3]. Below are a few examples highlighting the success of our doctoral students and fellows.
New approach to computer EPSRC-funded student generates new modelling wins international insights into dental healthcare prize for research Removing plaque – the EPSRC-supported PhD student Oliver biofilm of bacteria that Britton won an international prize for forms on teeth and research which could reduce the use of along gumlines – is vital animals in research, especially for safety in preventing cavities testing new drugs. The National Centre for and gum disease. Nina the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction Vyas, a student at the of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) prize was EPSRC Centre for awarded in recognition for ‘a new approach Doctoral Training (CDT) to computer modelling’. Oliver is the first in Physical Sciences for doctoral student to have received the NC3Rs Health, has generated prize for his paper, building a computer new insights now model of cardiac electrophysiology. It is also being taken forward the first time the prize has been awarded for with instrument manufacturers to produce tools that enable computer modelling research. dentists to tackle the problem more effectively. Working with clinicians at Birmingham Dental Hospital and academic The innovative model can identify drug colleagues from a breadth of disciplines, Nina’s research compounds that could be toxic to the heart showed how the use of ultrasonic scalers to remove plaque before animal studies are done and could can be optimised, while also making the process more eventually replace some animal studies comfortable for patients. Key to this was high-speed imaging altogether. The computer model has been of the process at a million frames per second, which made it developed into a user-friendly software possible to understand in unprecedented detail exactly what package called Virtual Assay (developed by happens around the tips of ultrasonic scalers. Oxford Computer Consultants Ltd), which will increase industry uptake for use in drug The insights generated have been taken to teaching institutes safety testing, as it can be used without and used to educate clinicians and hygienists on the more the need for specialist programming and effective use of these scalers, while Unilever is supporting modelling experience. further development of specific aspects of Nina’s work.
25 www.hesa.ac.uk/news/29-06-2017/sfr245-destinations-of-leavers. Figures based on our analysis of the HESA Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data 2015/16. 21 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Researchers develop world’s Research funded by EPSRC underpins first quantum secured encryption award-winning spin-out company technology
EPSRC-funded researchers and students co- founded KETS Quantum Security Ltd (KETS) in July 2016 to deliver optical communications technology that enables the strongest digital encryption. The company was founded by Dr Chris Erven, Dr Jake Kennard, Dr Phil Sibson and Professors Jeremy O’Brien and Mark Thompson. Professors O’Brien and Thompson have been supported through a number of EPSRC awards over the years; Dr Chris Erven is a co-investigator on the EPSRC-funded Quantum Technologies Hub for Quantum Communications Technology; Dr Jake Kennard received an EPSRC Industrial CASE award and Dr Phil Sibson’s PhD was funded by EPSRC and he is now a Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre Fellow and Research Associate at the Quantum Engineering Technology Labs at the University of Bristol. KETS Quantum Security have developed the world’s first quantum secured encryption technology in an integrated platform. Synaptec Ltd, a University of Strathclyde spin-out company formed to bring to market research by The company’s integrated technology uses existing Dr Philip Orr, a former EPSRC doctoral student semiconductor fabrication processes to manufacture and doctoral prize holder, is going from strength cutting-edge optical microchips that are fast, efficient to strength. The award-winning company, set up to manufacture and can be integrated with existing by Philip and two colleagues from the university electronics. It is the only quantum solution which developed sensor-based technology, originally meets the challenging size, weight and power (SWaP) designed for the oil and gas sector, that enables requirements demanded by customers, enabling energy and telecoms companies to quickly isolate large scale adoption of quantum encryption in a network faults, reducing the length of service cuts multitude of different applications that just weren’t and minimising fines by regulators. Philip founded accessible before, including defence, telecoms and the company when working as a postdoctoral critical infrastructure; with end-users from finance, research associate at the university. He was government and data centres. Recently, KETS subsequently awarded an Enterprise Fellowship Quantum Security have been announced as winners from the Royal Academy of Engineering, which led to of a major venture capital initiative led by BT, the a further £260,000 in funding from Innovate UK (IUK) Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and Facebook, which will to adapt the technology to meet industry standards provide them with access to investors with funds for power systems. totalling £125 million. In 2016 Synaptec secured funding from one of Scotland’s leading angel syndicates to help it break into the renewable energy and subsea markets. Synaptec was the winner of Best Offshore Renewables Innovation at the 2017 UK Energy Innovation Awards for its Refase™ product. Refase™ enables automatic fault location up to 100 km away and isolation of that section in under a second, compared to a typical response time of between 12 hours to several days, thus offering a significant saving. Offshore windfarms are hard to reach and it costs millions to locate and repair faults when things go wrong. A recent Carbon Trust OWA report cited an average repair cost of £12.5 million and 105 days for the last seven UK offshore windfarm outages, hence technologies which can even reduce outages by one day represent a millions of pounds saving.
22 Investing in ‘world-class labs’ to support cutting edge research and its translation
EPSRC is committed to providing its researchers access primary requirements of the research community that to and support for cutting edge technologies to help the the equipment infrastructure is intended to serve. The research base enhance and maintain its international impact of our research infrastructure funding extends competitiveness. Our research infrastructure funding beyond academia as many of our facilities are unique is flexible and responsive to community needs and is and offer test beds for industries. Provided below are aimed to facilitate ‘world class labs’. We also actively a few examples of how our infrastructure funding has encourage sharing of the equipment that we fund. We enabled researchers to push the boundaries of our are constantly striving to better what we have already understanding and created impact. achieved in access and sharing, whilst balancing the
Supercomputer used to develop novel model of the heart
Heart failure affects over half a million people living in the UK and accounts for two per cent of the NHS budget. Understanding the heart’s complexity is crucial to improving diagnosis, optimising procedures and predicting outcomes. Researchers at King’s College London, the Medical University of Graz and Oslo University Hospital have exploited the computational power of the EPSRC-supported supercomputer ARCHER, to develop large computational models that mathematically represent the chemistry, electrics and mechanics of the heart, in order to better understand patient physiology, pathology and treatment outcomes.
The project has resulted in the development of a novel four-chamber model of the heart that simulates both its electrophysiology and its mechanics. This has led to improved outcomes for Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) patients and personalised modelling for patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Personalised modelling provides another step towards personalised medicine in which patient selection and patient treatment will be tailored to individual needs and specific patient conditions.
World’s first 3D printed steel bridge provides a EPSRC-funded research ‘living laboratory’ for research facility develops new technology MX3D, a 3D printing company, is building the world’s largest 3D printed metal structure: a ten metres long stainless steel bridge The EPSRC UK National Mass due to be installed across a canal in Amsterdam in 2018. To Spectrometry Facility (NMSF) has ensure the safety of people using the bridge and inform the next acted as a project partner in the generation of 3D printed structure, the company is working with a development of a novel multi- team of structural engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists modal ionisation source compatible and statisticians drawn from the EPSRC-supported Alan Turing with separation technologies Institute. Sensors will collect data on structural measurements such as chromatography, which such as strain, displacement and vibration and measure is instrument vendor neutral and environmental factors such as air quality and temperature. The capable of expanding the portfolio data from the sensors will be inputted into a ‘digital twin’ of the of chemicals amenable to a single bridge, a living computer model which will imitate the physical mass spectrometry platform. The bridge with growing accuracy in real time as the data comes in. NMSF has tested prototype devices and will be the early recipient The project will be a world-first for the and adopter of the technologies discipline of data-centric engineering developed. This work originated and will deliver a step-change in the from a part-funded EPSRC/Swansea way bridges are designed, constructed University PhD studentship (co- and managed, generating valuable supervised by NMSF) and has insights for the next generation supported the generation of a spin- of bridges and other major public out, AberMS Ltd, and an additional structures. It is funded by The Turing- EU-industry funded studentship that Lloyd’s Register Foundation programme has attracted commercial support to for data-centric engineering. the local area.
23 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
International impact of EPSRC-funded research
We actively collaborate and fund research that is aimed at supporting international development and increasing the UK’s influence in the global landscape.
There is an increased recognition of the role of research that we fund has a successful track record research and advancement of our understanding to of active international collaborations and translation tackle developmental challenges across the world. of research for societal benefit. Use of the knowledge We believe that research is a global endeavour and technological advances can help tackle multiple and use of outcomes of research by communities challenges in developing countries and help the UK across the globe, especially where it’s needed most, extend its influence on the global stage. Below are a few motivates researchers to collaborate and take on examples from our research that have had an impact new challenges as well as inspires innovations. The internationally.
World-first in safe removal of arsenic from water supply
Arsenic contamination of drinking water in Bangladesh has been a huge problem. In 2002 the United Nations had described the crisis as ‘the largest mass poisoning of a population in history’. To this day this continues to be an emergency. An estimated five per cent of deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to high arsenic in drinking water. Besides this, the polluted water causes many serious diseases such as arsenicosis, sores, gastrointestinal problems and others. In the Indian subcontinent, nearly 70 million people are chronically exposed to high levels of arsenic in rice, milk, vegetables and drinking water.
Professor Bhaskar Sen Gupta from Heriot-Watt University, working with the Bangladesh Green Energy Foundation, has opened the world’s first fully autonomous, solar-powered plant to safely remove arsenic from the water supply. The low cost, environmentally-friendly technology has been designed for the subterranean treatment of groundwater for both drinking and irrigation purposes. The plant, in the Comilla District of Bangladesh, is now ensuring a safe supply to 200 schoolchildren and, within a year, will serve an additional 800 members of the local community. The plant is operated entirely from a mobile phone app, so will have no running costs for 25 years and doesn’t use any chemicals or produce waste. The pioneering project was funded by EPSRC with logistical support and assets provided by the Bangladesh Green Energy Foundation.
Mobile phone technology provides HIV testing and prevention advice
Researchers are developing mobile phone-connected HIV tests which link to online prevention and medical care for use in South African communities hardest hit by HIV. The technology is being developed at the i-sense EPSRC Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration in Early Warning Sensing Systems for Infectious Diseases, led by Professor Rachel McKendry at UCL. People in South Africa use mobile phones more than in any other African country: there are 76 million mobile phone subscriptions and over 11 million smartphones. In addition to developing low-cost, user-friendly mobile diagnostic tests, the i-sense researchers are exploring the use of an online app that enables people to receive care and potentially gain access to HIV drugs from within their local community. The diagnostic tests, which will provide results within minutes, use ultra- sensitive techniques and advanced nanomaterials that could detect HIV at the very early stages of infection, when transmission is most likely and prevention is most important.
Underpinned by EPSRC research, the research team is working on next stage technology readiness in a collaboration funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) under the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund.
24 Newton-funded project creates technology for clean, sustainable and affordable energy
An EPSRC Newton-funded project that has advanced costs, but has shown materials and device instability technology to create cleaner, more sustainable and from ambient humidy and oxygen in the air. The affordable energy to improve the quality of life in latest project has addressed this and advanced the villages in India, was awarded a 2017 Newton Prize technology, resulting in patents. The possibility worth £200,000 at an awards ceremony in New of cheaper and low upfront cost processing has Delhi. The Newton-Bhabha APEX-II programme attracted interest in the technology in India and is a flagship project in solar energy between India other countries. and the UK, building on the achievements of an earlier programme that focused on addressing The Newton Prize is an annual £1 million fund the challenges of perovskite solar cells, a class of awarded for the best research or innovation that easily-synthesisable and cost effective materials. promotes the economic development and social This has proved successful in terms of efficiency and welfare of developing countries.
25 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Methodological developments and future challenges
Impact study: Socio-economic impact of EPSRC’s Researchfish: Outcomes collected from EPSRC- investment in research equipment funded research
EPSRC funds research equipment through multiple In common with most of the other research councils, routes and at different scales. Investment in equipment 2017 was the third time EPSRC used researchfish® to underpins successful research endeavours and not collect information from Principal Investigators (PIs) only creates advancement in technical opportunities, and students about the outputs, outcomes and impacts but also creates paths for fostering new ideas and of their funded research. An overview of the data from collaborations and accelerates scientific breakthroughs researchfish® is presented in the outputs section of while upskilling people involved in research. the metrics table. In order to present a richer picture EPSRC combine the data gathered from researchfish® There are some external independent impact studies with other data sources, for example Companies House where the value of investment in large research and the European Patent Office, and present it in the infrastructure has been captured, for example, a cost form of an ‘outputs report’. The Research outputs 2017 benefit analysis of the Large Hadron Collider [18] and report [23] summarises the outcomes and outputs TRIUMF, Canada’s national laboratory for particle arising from EPSRC investments in research and and nuclear physics [19]. There are also reports on training. approaches and methodologies to determine the socio-economic impact of research infrastructure, for Highlights from the report include: example: Exploring Cost-Benefit Analysis of Research, • approximately £6.5 billion of further funding, Development and Innovation Infrastructures: An almost twice the value of the original grants; Evaluation Framework [20]; Evaluating and Monitoring • 1,500 influences on policy or practice; the Socio-Economic Impact of Investment in Research • over 1,300 patent applications over the past Infrastructures, Technopolis (2015) [21]; and EvaRIO decade. – Evaluation of Research Infrastructures in Open Innovation and Research Systems [22]. However, no studies so far have attempted to demonstrate the value Impact of EPSRC research on policy and regulations of mid-range research equipment. EPSRC-funded research and researchers facilitate evidence-based policies which benefit society EPSRC has commissioned a study to understand the especially in an era of increasing automation, digital impact of mid-range equipment that it has funded connectivity, pressure on natural resources and through targeted funding for equipment via the strategic globalisation. Analysis of outcomes submitted by equipment initiatives and equipment funded through researchers in the 2017 researchfish® submission responsive mode grants. under ‘policy and practice’ demonstrates that EPSRC research has significant influence on national and The study aims to find the Return on Investment international policies. There were over 800 reported (ROI) figure for the funded equipment from a range of instances of influence qualitative and quantitative indicators and is using on national policies and a Theories of Change (ToC) method to assess over 400 on international the impact of equipment on research and policies. Besides this, economic activity. The study will report in there was over 130 spring 2018. reported instances of influence on local/ municipal/regional policy. The cited policy influences span different economic sectors as highlighted in the graph overleaf.
26 Influencing ‘standards’ for concrete repairs and asset management strategies
Research at Loughborough University’s EPSRC-funded Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering has provided unique and previously unknown evidence regarding the long-term performance of corrosion management processes and strategies for maintaining reinforced concrete bridges. As well as influencing changes in British and European standards for concrete repairs, the research findings have provided the basis for changes in the asset management strategies of Highways England, the UK Government and The Highland Council. Potential cost savings resulting from the research carried out by EPSRC-funded engineering doctoral student Dr Christian Christodoulou, have been estimated at over £2,000,000 per year through improvements in ongoing maintenance programmes.
Reported instances of policy influence on different economic sectors
Energy 630 Environment 451 Digital/communication/information technologies 313 Transport 223 Education 206 Healthcare 196 Manufacturing, including industrial biotechnology 193 Government, democracy and justice 167 Aerospace, defence and marine 158 Communities and social services/policy 133 Construction 132 Electronics 126 Culture, heritage, museums and collections 113 Other 103 Security and diplomacy 97 Pharmaceuticals and medical biotechnology 94 Agriculture, food and drink 94 Chemicals 91 Creative economy 69 Financial services and management consultancy 43 Leisure activities, including sports, recreation and tourism 16 Retail 12 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20% Percentage of awards reporting policy influence (3,660) (number to right of bar)
27 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Metrics
The research councils have agreed a revised set of common indicators on performance with the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). These indicators draw on information from grants databases and the researchfish® system.
Researchfish® is an online system supported by Researchfish Ltd. It is used by the research councils to collect information on the outputs, outcomes and impacts of research council-funded research. Outcomes can be entered into researchfish® at any time, but once a year there is a formal submission period when researchers are required to confirm that their outcomes information is accurate and up-to-date.
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE
Category/Metric Units 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Notes Total funds available £m 879 971 983 933 956 Budget allocation £m 849 942 956 905 928 Leverage £m 30 29 27 28 28 Funding received directly to EPSRC. Does not include direct or in-kind leverage that EPSRC- funded grants obtain from other organisations. of which private sector £m 4 4 3 3 3 of which from other research councils £m 10 11 15 12 14 of which from other source £m 16 14 9 13 11 of which private sector % 13 14 11 11 11 Equals percentage of total expenditure. of which other research council % 33 38 56 43 50 Equals percentage of total expenditure. of which other % 53 48 33 46 39 Equals percentage of total expenditure. Additional funding leveraged by £m 205 419 148 269 226 This indicator reports the cash research projects at the point of and in-kind contributions from application partner organisations that were listed on the original research proposal. It does not include any further leverage funding that may have arisen during the course of the award. It does not include additional funding leveraged by research council centres, institutes and other intramural investments.
This figure is different from that reported in the body of the report as it includes contributions by academic partners and universities and figures reflect only grants announced for the year. of which private sector £m 172 342 91 182 153 of which public sector £m 11 41 38 39 44 of which non profit £m 0.5 3 0.1 1 0.4 of which academic sector £m 21 33 18 47 29 of which private sector % 84 82 62 68 68 of which public sector % 6 10 26 15 20 of which non profit % 0.3 0.7 0.1 0.4 0.2 of which academic sector % 10 8 12 17 13 Total expenditure £m 879 971 983 933 956 This indicator reports all research expenditure. Prior to the 2016 Impact Reports, this indicator was referred to as ‘responsive mode expenditure’. of which research £m 581 635 690 640 680 of which training £m 226 226 178 185 173
28 Category/Metric Units 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Notes of which other components £m 72 110 115 108 103 of which research % 66 65 70 69 71 Equals percentage of total expenditure. of which training % 26 23 18 20 18 Equals percentage of total expenditure. of which other components % 8 11 12 12 11 Equals percentage of total expenditure. Human Capital Principal Investigators # 2,123 2,133 2,189 2,171 2,127 This indicator reports the number of PIs supported on research grants on 1 April of each reporting year. It excludes PIs supported through intramural investments, unless they are in receipt of a research grant. Research fellowships # 270 279 292 312 328 This indicator reports the number of research fellows supported on 1 April of each reporting year. Number of Principal Investigators and # 5,116 5,456 5,607 5,752 5,750 This indicator reports the Co-Investigators on research grants number of PIs and Co-Is supported on research grants on 1 April of each reporting year. It excludes PIs and Co-Is supported through intramural investments, unless they are in receipt of a research grant. This indicator also includes the number of research organisations (including independent research organisations) where these PIs and Co-Is are located. Number of ROs (incl. Independent # 228 227 200 198 182 Research Organisations) Human Capital – Postgraduates Number of new PhD students # 2,516 2,600 2,984 3,104 2,862 Count of only new PhD supported registerations for the year. 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 Doctoral submission rate % 87 88 87 87 88 Percentage submitting within six years of registration. Destinations of leavers # 1,296 1,419 1,350 1,381 1,392 The destination of leavers data is drawn from the HESA Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) dataset. of which university % 38 36 37 35 36 of which wider public sector % 3 2 2 4 3 of which third sector % - - - - - of which private sector % 36 38 40 43 40 of which unknown or other % 17 16 15 12 14 of which unemployed % 7 8 6 6 8 Collaborations, Partnerships and Secondments 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Number of collaborations and # 1,886 3,198 1,649 2,129 2,087 Collaborations reported within the partnerships research proposal at the point of application for grants announced in the year. Proportion of awards reporting at least % 38 40 41 46 41 Proportion of awards (expressed one partner organisation as a percentage) reporting at least one partner organisation at the point of application.
29 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
OUTPUTS (based on data from researchfish®) Collaborations, Partnerships and Secondments: Year first reported 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Instances of new collaborations reported in researchfish® 1,117 1,291 1,261 1,259 1,174 Instances of secondments reported in researchfish® 301 385 647 588 691
Instances of new collaborations: This indicator relates to new collaborations as reported within researchfish®. Collaborations are only included in the indicator for the first year that they were reported, but may continue for several years after this date. Researchers may also report collaborations that were in place at the point of application. Instances of secondments: This indicator relates to secondments as reported within researchfish®. Secondments are only included in the indicator for the first year that they were reported, but may continue for several years after this date.
PUBLICATIONS Year outcome realised 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Instances of journal articles 10,084 11,384 12,348 13,781 13,933 Instances of books 92 93 102 91 83 Instances of books chapters 567 662 667 670 550
A publication may have arisen from more than one award. Duplicate publication outputs are removed, where possible, using system- generated codes to indicate when an individual researcher has attributed an output to more than one award. This cannot identify duplicate outputs where different researchers have entered similar information independently of one another. It is not feasible to calculate the precise number of unique publications as some publications/publication types do not have unique identifiers (e.g. a Digital Object Identifier, a PubMed ID). The indicator is intended to provide information on the trends over time, rather than a precise measure of total publication output.
Publications: Number/Proportion of Awards Year award started 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Number/proportion of awards that gave rise to at least one example of a publication 1,187 1,139 1,037 863 895 within five years of award start date 86% 86% 84% 89% 88%
OTHER OUTPUTS Year outcome realised 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Instances of artistic and creative outputs 63 99 135 157 113 Instances of research databases and models reported 58 51 76 101 204 Instances of software and technical products reported 174 212 331 357 334 Instances of research tools and methods reported 45 58 80 83 95 Instances of medical products, interventions and clinical trials 7 13 35 14 30
Instances of artistic and creative outputs: Some of the data within researchfish® do not have an associated time stamp. For EPSRC, there are seven instances of artistic and creative outputs which do not include a time stamp and which are therefore excluded from the common indicators. This represents one per cent of the council’s artistic and creative outputs data within researchfish®. Instances of research databases and models: Some of the data within researchfish® do not have an associated time stamp. For EPSRC, there are 549 instances of research databases and models which do not include a time stamp and which are therefore excluded from the common indicators. This represents 53 per cent of the council’s research databases and models data within researchfish®. Instances of software and technical products: Some of the data within researchfish® do not have an associated time stamp. For EPSRC, there are 86 instances of software and technical products which do not include a time stamp and which are therefore excluded from the common indicators. This represents six per cent of the council’s software and technical products data within researchfish®. Instances of research tools and methods: Some of the data within researchfish® do not have an associated time stamp. For EPSRC, there are 502 instances of research tools and methods which do not include a time stamp and which are therefore excluded from the common indicators. This represents 58 per cent of the council’s research tools and methods data within researchfish®.
30 SPIN-OUTS/START-UPS/INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Spin-outs/start-ups created and significantly supported from the outset Year outcome realised 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Instances of spin-outs/start-ups 28 31 41 43 23 Instances of IP reported 90 127 135 133 123
Instances of spin-outs/start-ups: Within researchfish®, researchers are asked to provide details of links between their research and the establishment, development or growth of new private sector organisations, including for profit and not-for-profit organisations. Supplemental information was used to identify duplicate spin-out companies where available (e.g. Companies House IDs for UK companies).
Instances of Intellectual Property: This indicator includes patents, copyrights and trademarks. Some of the data within researchfish® do not have an associated time stamp. For EPSRC, there are 1,036 instances of intellectual property which do not include a time stamp and which are therefore excluded from the common indicators. This represents 63 per cent of the intellectual property data within researchfish®.
PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES Engagement activities (outside academia) Number/proportion of awards Year award started 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 8.1.1 Number/proportion with at least one instance of engagement within five years 137 252 290 303 377 of the start date 10% 10% 23% 31% 37%
Researchers engage with a wide variety of audiences and stakeholders to communicate research outcomes, disseminate knowledge, stimulate public awareness and encourage public engagement and dialogue. The engagement activities indicator helps demonstrate the extent to which researchers are engaging with audiences outside academia.
INFLUENCE ON POLICY AND PRACTICE Number/proportion of awards Year award started 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 9.1.1 Number/proportion with at least one instance of policy influence within five years 24 41 55 72 82 of the start date 2% 3% 4% 7% 8%
Research may be used to inform policy and practice, which may subsequently lead to wider societal and economic benefit. The influence on policy and practice indicator helps demonstrate the extent to which researchers are informing decision-making within government departments and elsewhere. Variance from the figures in the body of the report is due to a difference in methodology used for calculation.
FURTHER FUNDING Number/proportion of awards Year award started 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 7.1.1 Number/proportion of with at least one instance of further funding within five years 362 389 360 347 368 of the start date 26% 29% 29% 36% 36%
This indicator includes further funding to continue or develop the research, or to support the translation of outcomes into practical application.
31 EPSRC Impact Report 2016-2017
Notes on common indicators data
The data in this report might not be directly comparable to those reported in the metrics in previous impact reports due to further harmonisation between research councils on definitions and methodology.
The outcomes data included in the common indicators are not static. Researchers can enter data retrospectively, which may result in changes to individual indicators in subsequent Impact Reports.
EPSRC has used the researchfish® system for outcomes collection since 2014. As such, data for earlier years may not be complete.
A particular output, for example a publication or a collaboration, might have arisen from more than one award. In this report, a particular output is always reported against each individual award where the unit of analysis is at the award level (for example the proportion of awards reporting a particular output). Duplicate outputs are removed, where possible, in analyses at the level of the type of output generated. Duplicate outputs are removed using system-generated codes to indicate when a researcher has attributed an output to more than one award. This cannot identify duplicate outputs where researchers have entered similar information independently of one another.
Percentages in this report are mostly rounded up or down to the nearest whole number.
The Common Question Set used by researchfish® is available from the researchfish® website: www.researchfish.com
32 Bibliography
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33 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Polaris House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1ET www.epsrc.ac.uk