Observing the Earth from Space
NPL and the University of Surrey have signed a strategic agreement to work together in the area of Earth Observation, where there is great potential for novel applications in sectors such as finance, agriculture, health and transport. Vital to the increasing use of Earth Observation technologies are the availability of low-cost, high-performance satellites, a long-standing strength of the University of Surrey, and accurate, thoroughly‑referenced measurement techniques, which are a speciality of NPL. The partnership will bring these strengths together, reinforcing the UK’s position as a leader in space technology and underpinning economic growth.
The partnership’s science priorities will include developing: ‘low cost’ space and terrestrial deployable technologies and strategies to enable guaranteed delivery of Quality Assured data; techniques to fuse multiple data sources for greater impact; and methods for assigning robust and understandable quality metrics to derived information. This work continues a fruitful relationship between two leading scientific establishments, facilitated by their close proximity, extensive facilities ,complementary research and shared goals.
Healthcare collaboration for NPL and ISIS
This partnership will seek to make closer connections between the two laboratories, to enhance the application of neutron scattering research by industry and to solve end-user problems in real-world environments.
Andrew Taylor, Executive Director for National
Laboratories at STFC
NPL and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, have agreed to develop closer business and research links to collaborate on commercial offerings for the healthcare industry. NPL’s healthcareresearch covers diagnostics, medical physics and general health and wellbeing,where measurements are required for detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease. ISIS produces beams of neutrons, allowing scientists to studymaterials at the atomic and molecular level. This technique has proved particularly useful for the healthcare sector, providing pioneering insight intodrug research, cell and membrane interactions and surgical implants. The partnership will forge closer connections between the two laboratories,to enhance the application of neutron scattering research by industry and to provide new insight into medical technologies.
Measurement know‑how for small businesses
In partnership with the University of Bath’s Laboratory for Innovative Metrology in Manufacturing (LIMA), NPL staff gave direct technical and management support to the formation of the high‑profile Business Technology Centre. This Centre was created to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) gain a better understanding of measurement and to implement this in their manufacturing processes. To date over 150 companies from the South West of England have benefited, and the partnership is building the foundation of a new national network for product verification.
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Creating an Ecoisland
The Centre for Carbon Measurement at NPL is collaborating on a project led by ITM Power to make the Isle of Wight a test‑bed for hydrogen fuel. The project partners include Toshiba, the University of Nottingham, IBM and others. The ‘Ecoisland’ project aims to create two grid‑connected hydrogen fuel stations to provide for a fleet of hydrogen vehicles. NPL will be providing essential information about the hydrogen’s purity. The project will have a wide impact with the roll‑out of infrastructure under the UK H2Mobility plan, which aims to ensure the UK is ready for commercial use of hydrogen fuel for vehicles by 2014/15.
NPL helps Naneum win Innovation Award
NPL’s facilities and expertise were critical to the success of a new device that measures airborne nanoparticles. UK‑based instrument manufacturer Naneum developed the Nanoparticle Size Spectrometer, a portable ‘scanning mobility particle sizer’ that has great potential in markets such as industrial hygiene, environmental monitoring and toxicology. However, the device needed to be tested before it could be sold, to ensure it performed correctly. The company used NPL’s Airborne Nanoparticle Laboratory to generate a range of aerosolised nanoparticles for a measurement comparison exercise and NPL scientists helped analyse the results. Since this work was carried out, Naneum has won an Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics and sales for the product have been forecast at £1.5 million over the next two years.
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For more stories from 2012, please download our Annual Review (1.17 MB - PDF)