1.2 Nanotechnology: market growth and regional initiatives  (Page 7/8)

Collaboration, including joint project work, was undertaken with research teams from the UWCM, CU and the Physics Department at UWA built on successful collaborations that were already underway. They anticipated that the Centre’s scanning microscopy-and-spectroscopy and nano-fabrication laboratories would be of particular interest to groups working in the fields of dermal wound healing and biomaterials (UWCM), organic thin films (UWA), nano-modelling and semiconductor and bio-chip technologies (UC). Furthermore, smaller groups who do not have critical mass or developing groups with potential in the field of nanotechnology were encouraged to participate.

The lead organization was the University of Wales Swansea a research-led institution. Of particular relevance to the proposal were its areas of strength and international recognition in Engineering and the Physical Sciences, which housed the nanotechnology expertise. The University recognised the need to support research selectively through the promotion and development of Centres with a critical mass of personnel and resources and an international profile. The University physically reorganized its Departments on campus to promote this strategy. The proposal was well-suited to take advantage of these developments. The proposed Centre for Nanotechnology resonated with the establishment of the Swansea Clinical School, in which there were recent staff appointments at senior levels in cognate biomedical areas. The University participated in forming all-Wales Networks of Excellence and the Centre for Nanotechnology forming a pivotal role acting as one of those networks. The development of a Multidisciplinary Centre of Nanotechnology on the UWS campus feeds into this strand of activities. Along with opportunities for interactions with local industry, through the established Technium project for knowledge exploitation, consistent with UWS’ stated goals.

Links of the proposed programme with external schemes and initiatives are exemplified by the work of the two key strands, the Centre for Complex Fluids Processing (Chemical and Biological Process Engineering) and the Semiconductor Interface Group (Electronic Engineering). The former has been endorsed and funded by an EPSRC Platform Grant; an award given only to world leading groups to provide continuity for longer term research and international networking. The latter has been successful in attracting EPSRC and industrial funds to support nanotechnology projects within the electronics and sensing sector; research carried out by this group and the Power Electronics Centre (Electronic Engineering) was seen to be instrumental in attracting International Rectifiers and PureWafer, SMEs to set-up in Swansea. Both strands of research are also in receipt of a Higher Education Funding Council of Wales (HEFCW) funding, which has been awarded on the basis of technical excellence and a proven track record of successful collaboration with industry.

The rapidly developing area of nano-technology research area at the time was certain to be a growth area within Wales. At the time Cardiff University planned to create a multidisciplinary Research Institute for Micro and Nano-science (IMNOS) and it was seen that it would be vital for Swansea and the Cardiff centres to work closely together and co-ordinate their activities, based on their previous solid record of collaboration.