University of Cambridge Institutional Application for the Capital Award for Early Career Researchers
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Chemistry
Abstract
The funding available through this grant will be used exclusively for the procurement of equipment as required by the call. The primary beneficiary will be the Early Career Researchers within the University of Cambridge, with benefit to the wider academic community in Cambridge and other institutions a secondary benefit. The University will use the grant to set up an internal competition for equipment grants aimed at only Early Career Researchers. Only equipment in EPSRC remit and additional to what is already provided at the institution will be eligible for funding from this grant. We expect that the grant will help advance the careers of the Early Career Researchers, enable them to carry out high quality, novel research, and be positioned to respond quickly to developments in their field.
Planned Impact
The capability afforded by this proposal will have a direct impact on individual researchers and wider training and skills development, technology development in both local and global companies and new innovation (e.g. spin outs), supporting both the local and UK-wide economy. Several pathways will facilitate this impact:
(i) Reinforcing world class labs ecosystems. The University will incorporate this equipment into its existing infrastructure that offers a unique emphasis on hands-on facilities comprising bespoke analytical capabilities supporting multiple research disciplines across all central Cambridge departments. This will add significant value to current research and raise impact at subject boundaries, allowing researchers to rapidly respond to emerging new areas.
(ii) Training the next generation of scientists. The availability of cutting edge facilities is an imperative requirement for training. Such training and skills now represent a basic-requirement in a wide range of research fields in academia but also in the R&D activities of many industrial sectors, including aerospace, automotive industry, battery and energy technology, catering and food, communications, drilling and refining, electronics, healthcare, hygiene, information and communication technologies, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, sensing and therapeutics. The integration of this equipment will be vital to ensuring that the next generation of scientists gain early stage hands-on access to state of the art facilities and will greatly enhance the skills of EPSRC-funded young researchers.
(iii) Reinforce and create collaborations with industries/SMEs. This equipment will directly improve the quality and extent of collaborative research which is already performed through existing links to companies such as Aqdot, AstraZeneca, GSK, Medimmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Syngenta (Healthcare and pharmaceuticals), BP, Castrol, Johnson Matthey, Shell (batteries, catalysis, petrochemicals), Cambridge Design Technology (communications and electronics), Cambridge Refrigerant Technology, Mars (catering and food), Dyson, Zircomet (Engineering), Maersk, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota (transport and automotive industries), P&G (hygiene), Schlumberger (drilling and refining), and Sumitomo (Energy). The network of University's Knowledge Transfer Facilitators will also help enhance awareness of the equipment amongst the business partners and collaborators and facilitate industrial collaboration and interaction. In addition, a series of industrial outreach meetings will be organised involving the equipment PIs, in order to showcase the new facilities and the existing ones that are available to business users.
iv) Access. The equipment will be listed in our institutional Equipment and Facilities Database and be promoted via a dedicated webpage that highlights departmental facilities. Industry will be able to access the facility not only as a service but also through direct access after training. This latter route in particular will promote direct interaction between departmental and industry personnel by having them visit the department to do research, participate in workshops and spend periods on secondment.
(i) Reinforcing world class labs ecosystems. The University will incorporate this equipment into its existing infrastructure that offers a unique emphasis on hands-on facilities comprising bespoke analytical capabilities supporting multiple research disciplines across all central Cambridge departments. This will add significant value to current research and raise impact at subject boundaries, allowing researchers to rapidly respond to emerging new areas.
(ii) Training the next generation of scientists. The availability of cutting edge facilities is an imperative requirement for training. Such training and skills now represent a basic-requirement in a wide range of research fields in academia but also in the R&D activities of many industrial sectors, including aerospace, automotive industry, battery and energy technology, catering and food, communications, drilling and refining, electronics, healthcare, hygiene, information and communication technologies, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, sensing and therapeutics. The integration of this equipment will be vital to ensuring that the next generation of scientists gain early stage hands-on access to state of the art facilities and will greatly enhance the skills of EPSRC-funded young researchers.
(iii) Reinforce and create collaborations with industries/SMEs. This equipment will directly improve the quality and extent of collaborative research which is already performed through existing links to companies such as Aqdot, AstraZeneca, GSK, Medimmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Syngenta (Healthcare and pharmaceuticals), BP, Castrol, Johnson Matthey, Shell (batteries, catalysis, petrochemicals), Cambridge Design Technology (communications and electronics), Cambridge Refrigerant Technology, Mars (catering and food), Dyson, Zircomet (Engineering), Maersk, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota (transport and automotive industries), P&G (hygiene), Schlumberger (drilling and refining), and Sumitomo (Energy). The network of University's Knowledge Transfer Facilitators will also help enhance awareness of the equipment amongst the business partners and collaborators and facilitate industrial collaboration and interaction. In addition, a series of industrial outreach meetings will be organised involving the equipment PIs, in order to showcase the new facilities and the existing ones that are available to business users.
iv) Access. The equipment will be listed in our institutional Equipment and Facilities Database and be promoted via a dedicated webpage that highlights departmental facilities. Industry will be able to access the facility not only as a service but also through direct access after training. This latter route in particular will promote direct interaction between departmental and industry personnel by having them visit the department to do research, participate in workshops and spend periods on secondment.
