UK Business to benefit from commercialisation of CERN technologies

The United Kingdom now has increased support for transfer of technologies from the prestigious laboratories at CERN. The Geneva-based organisation is Europe''s centre for Particle Physics research, which is supported by the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), the UK''s strategic science investment agency, to the tune of some #90m each year.

Whilst CERN is rightly best known for its pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the building blocks of our universe, there are many examples of CERN technologies becoming commercially useful - not least the World Wide Web. , ,A recent competition led to the appointment of Cambridge and Oxford-based firm Qi3 to the role position of UK Technology Transfer Co-ordinator for CERN. This is in addition to their role as Industry Co-ordinator for PPARC in the UK. The Qi3 team of Nathan Hill, John Attard and David Rafe now work on helping UK businesses to benefit from the diverse range of technologies developed by scientists at CERN and the associated laboratories in UK universities. Nathan Hill is this week attending the ''Britain @ CERN'' exhibition, where more than 30 companies are in Geneva to develop new business contacts., ,Nathan Hill, PPARC Industry Co-ordinator and UK Technology Transfer Co-ordinator for CERN said, "I''m constantly impressed by the commercial potential for technologies developed by CERN and its collaborating institutions. Through PPARC''s support of CERN, we have access to the ideas generated by one of the world''s leading scientific research academic organisations. We have already started looking at several opportunities, including novel semiconductor packaging materials, high speed imaging cameras, accelerator components and cost improvements in the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturing process"., ,Commenting on this new initiative Prof. Ian Halliday, PPARC Chief Executive said, "The United Kingdom has made major strides in helping develop a culture which allows commercial innovation alongside scientific discovery. This new commitment by PPARC will undoubtedly put UK companies in Britain in an advantageous position to access cutting edge technologies. , ,Business partnerships, technology licences and spinout companies will all form routes to commercialisation for technologies developed at CERN. Companies and CERN academics are encouraged to contact Nathan Hill or John Attard to discuss how they may access this rich source of technology. , ,The appointment of Qi3 was enabled with the support of a grant from the UK''s Britain''s Office of Science and Technology., ,Images available from www.pparc.ac.uk or from Julia Maddock
Image 1,From Left to Right: Nathan Hill (Qi3), Mr Basil Eastwood (Her Majesty''s Ambassador to Switzerland), Nigel Griffiths (DTI Minister), Luciano Maiani (CERN''s Director General)., ,Image 2,From Left to Right: Nathan Hill (Qi3), Nigel Griffiths (DTI Minister), Lyn Evans (Head of the LHC Project, CERN), Luciano Maiani (CERN''s Director General), Roger Cashmore (Director for Collider Research, CERN), Mr Basil Eastwood (Her Majesty''s Ambassador to Switzerland)., ,For further information, ,Julia Maddock,Press Officer, PPARC,Tel: [phone],Email: [e-mail], ,Nathan Hill,Qi3,UK Technology Transfer Co-ordinator for CERN,Tel: [phone],E-mail: [e-mail]

Britain @ CERN Exhibition,This takes place at CERN 12-14 November. The exhibition provides UK companies with a virtual office at CERN for the week, enabling them to establish contact with the relevant procurement staff and demonstrate their products and capabilities. Britain @ CERN is organised by BEAMA and supported by PPARC and Trade Partners UK. For further information about Britain @ CERN please contact [e-mail], ,The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is the UK''s strategic science investment agency. It funds research, education and public understanding in four areas of science - particle physics, astronomy, cosmology and space science. , ,PPARC is government funded and provides research grants and studentships to scientists in British universities, gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), and the European Space Agency. It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank observatory., ,PPARC''s Public Understanding of Science and Technology Awards Scheme funds both small local projects and national initiatives aimed at improving public understanding of its areas of science.

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