Small items of research equipment at Loughborough University

Lead Research Organisation: Loughborough University
Department Name: Materials

Abstract

This research grant is designed to purchase items of research equipment which i) are up to a maximum of £10,000 inclusive of VAT in value; ii) will extend the boundaries of the research of our Early Career Researchers in line with both Institutional and EPSRC goals; iii) enhance not only the applicant's research, but also the core capabilities of our key research areas and iv) will either be new or provide significant enhancements to existing facilities. A Management Team, chaired by an experienced Principle Investigator, will oversee the process of selecting items to purchase, ensuring that they meet all of the rules, and that they are purchased in time for the 5 month duration of the grant.

Planned Impact

Each of the individual items of equipment purchased under this Call, which are likely to number around 60, will make a separate, innovative contribution to its field. Some of these have been highlighted in the Case for Support; the final report on this grant will include a brief statement of the expected contribution for every single item purchased.

Intellectual Property: Some of the items purchased will inevitably result in the generation of intellectual property (IP). In anticipation of this occurring, not just as a result of this Call but more generally through their research, the Enterprise Office (EO) offers all academic staff at LU a course on intellectual property covering what it is and how to protect it. Research Fellows, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students are also encouraged to take courses related to IP. The EO also provides experienced staff that will assist in the identification and protection of IP and has an on-line form that can be completed by any researcher that identifies what the novel features of the work are. A member of the EO then works with the researcher and their supervisor, if a PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, to determine whether there is IP that requires protecting and, if so, the best approach to protecting it. If appropriate, the EO can also advise on licensing or creating spin out companies at the relevant point in time.

Beneficiaries: See the section on academic beneficiaries.

Networking and Outreach: An important impact measure for the research undertaken with the equipment purchased will be the development of active, connected academic and industrial communities. All four research themes have established dedicated web sites capable of delivering webinars and other information dissemination, both through the Research Schools and the various Centres that already exist and are described in the introductions to each theme in the Case for Support. Outreach to the wider community will also be assisted by presentation at national and international conferences, publication in scientific or engineering journals and involvement with public engagement to different, but relevant target audiences. The professional communities, e.g. the IMechE, IChemE, IEEE, IOP, RSC, IOM3, ICE, IStructE, etc, will assist with the latter, via the input of the more senior staff where needed, including the Management Team. Where relevant, we will also network directly with agencies such as DSTL and AWE and will encourage applied research through TSB and other forms of collaborative projects.

Training: The provision of training is an essential output; it benefits the 'people pipeline' directly. Some of the ECRs have already attracted promises of PhD student funding if they are able to secure the equipment item under consideration whilst many others will be able to attract increased external funding further down the line as they generate results. LU is committed to providing appropriate training to all PhD students and postdoctoral researchers as well as to all academic staff. Both the Research Schools and Academic Schools at LU have training budgets that can be accessed to fund attendance at courses or conferences, leading to the creation of a well-trained future workforce for both industry and for R&D.
Timeliness and Novelty: It is firmly believed by the Management Team that every single item of equipment proposed will result in research that is both timely and novel. It is clearly difficult to demonstrate this for what will be around 60 separate items of equipment covering a wide range of different fields, but this has been explicitly considered during the selection process for the first round Call and will also be a fundamental issue for the second Call.

Publications

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Description The 'Small items of Research Equipment at Loughborough University' grant was awarded in November 2012 and the funds had to be spent by 31 March 2013. All items needed to cost less than £10,000 (including VAT) to be eligible. Internally we announced two calls for proposals in order to gather the list of items that people wanted. This process was done in accordance to the EPSRC rules.

The Dean of the School of Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering led the proposal, and the School AD(R)s prioritised the submitted proposals and allocated the funds accordingly. Over all we received £500,000 from EPSRC and the University contributed £125,000, making the total spend £625,000.

Across the University 7 Schools benefitted from the grant, and
56 Early Career Researchers received funds for items. In total 74 items were purchased

Some examples on the outcomes that have been developed through the equipment purchased under this grant:

School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences
The equipment purchased resulted in the following KPIs:
-1 PhD studentship funded through the BRU exploring sedentary behaviour self-monitoring. This research was presented at ICAMPAM in Boston in 2013 and the paper has been submitted to Implementation Science.
-1 MSc project (student (Andrew Kingsnorth) went on to achieve top academic grades in SSEHS and went on to win a graduate school PhD studentship.
-The above-mentioned pilot work with these sensors has led to the funding of our current SSEHS and SPGS, mini CDT in Lifestyle-related chronic disease which was the top rated application last year. There are 4 PhD studentships in this funding.
-Results from this work have been presented to NIHR through the BRU directly to Sue Hill, Chief Scientific Officer of NHS. Sue Hill went on to fund, directly from the DH, our PhARaoH Study valued at £141k.
-The Actigraph accelerometers were used to help deliver on the PhARaoH study and have been a well-used resource in our labs, teaching, enterprise and research.
-Again, the above mentioned pilot research led to a successful ~ £110k EPG bid with Sijung Hu to develop a novel PPG sensor (patented and now launched commercially under the CareLight brand)
-we have two published papers that were made possible by the funding for our accelerometry analysis software:

1. Bohm, C., Stewart, K., Onyskie-Marcus, J., Esliger, D.W., Kriellaars, D., Rigatto, C. Effects of Intradialytic Cycling Compared with Pedometry on Physical Function in Chronic Outpatient Hemodialysis: a Prospective Randomized Trial. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. In Press.

2. Metcalf, K.M., Singhvi, A., Tsalikian, E., Tansey, M., Zimmerman, M.B., Esliger, D.W., Janz, K.F. Effects of Moderate-to-Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity on Overnight and Next Day Hypoglycemia in Active Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes Care. 37(5):1272-8, 2014.

School of Civil and Building Engineering
- Portable building energy monitoring equipment has contributed to a larger research project funded by Mitsubishi electric and the work of a PhD student.
- Simulated occupancy for building energy test equipment has been used in the EPSRC DEFACTO project and the EPSRC LoLo CDT. This resulted in a submitted journal publication (under review): Measuring the Potential of Zonal Space Heating Controls to Reduce Energy use in UK homes: the case of 1930s dwellings.
- The shake table with accessories, the resonance frequency meter, the piezoelectric sensors and accelerometers are integral for Dr Lombardo's ESPSRC First Grant (Non-local theories and stochastic mechanics: Two convergent directions for structural modelling?, Marco Doná - research associate).
The shake table with accessories, the resonance frequency meter and the accelerometers will be used to complete a research project funded by the IStructE Undergraduate Research Project Grant (Dynamic performance of rubberised concrete beams). Dr Lombardo secured one of the six grants available in the UK. One of the students working on the project (Oliver Jones, Loughborough MEng) during summer 2014 carried out research activities related to the project supported by the EPSRC Vacation Bursary (10 weeks funding).
The resonance frequency meter and accelerometers have been also used by Ruting Sun for her PhD research.
The shaker has been used by a number of PhD students within the CBE School (David McCarty, Till Sieberth) and for undergraduate research projects (David Newby, winner of the IStructE competition).
Exploitation Route - Many of the items purchased have been used by a number of PhD/EngD students across the University and for undergraduate research projects.
- Several of the items have been included in funding proposals to a diverse range of funders and continues to be prevalent in discussions for future research in both academia and industry
- Research has been presented at International conferences, published in leading journals, with many awaiting peer review.
- Research has led to dissemination at international venues and academic institutions
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Chemicals

Electronics

Energy

Environment

Healthcare

Manufacturing

including Industrial Biotechology

 
Description - Many of the items purchased have been used by a number of PhD/EngD students across the University and for undergraduate research projects. - Several of the items have been included in funding proposals to a diverse range of funders and continues to be prevalent in discussions for future research in both academia and industry - Research has been presented at International conferences, published in leading journals, with many awaiting peer review. - Research has led to dissemination at international venues and academic institutions
First Year Of Impact 2013
Sector Chemicals,Energy,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology
Impact Types Economic