2010 Grant Balance University of Edinburgh

The aim of this proposal will be to invest in approx 6 short (4 months or less) focused projects looking either to commercialization or public engagement potential of existing EPSRC-funded research or to invest in novel pilot projects to determine the feasibility of future EPSRC applications.

Innovative projects will be supported in the four priority areas: Materials science in energy; Modelling and simulation for systems medicine; Biophysics in health and disease; Water sustainability and security

For Pilot projects the impacts will arise from a successful full project; it is unlikely that a short project will deliver meaningful socio-economic impacts of itself. For Bridging Funding, the specific impacts will arise from the continuation of funding beyond the bridge.

Public Engagement and Commercialization projects will be specifically aimed at the relevant public or industrial stakeholder groups. The areas indicated in the proposal are all ones where there is good connectivity to industry through Edinburgh Research and Innovation and to the public, including schools, through SCI-FUN and FUSION within the University and through Edinburgh International Science Festival. Industrial stakeholders include Scottish Power Renewables and Iberdrola (Energy), Lothian NHS (Healthcare), IBM Research, the National Physical Laboratory and SMEs (Physics and Life Sciences), and Scottish Water and DfID (water engineering and sensing).