WIREDGOV

Two successful spin out companies of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have been named winners at the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Innovation Awards which took place on 3 November at a ceremony in London. The two spin out companies, Oxsensis Ltd and LiteThru Ltd, both based at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, scooped the awards for their respective categories. Both companies have grown out of fundamental research carried out at STFC which was innovatively applied into other fields.

Oxsensis Ltd, a spin out company using technology developed at STFC’s Micro-Nano Technology (MNT) Centre, won the Power/Energy Award for Wave-Phire™ optical sensors. Oxsensis has developed some of the world's most advanced engine monitoring instruments to help enable a step-change in the efficiency of cars, planes and power stations. Oxsensis’ fibre optical sensors are designed for use in extremely hostile environments which are used in ultra high temperature situations such as gas turbines for power generation, aero-engines and other industrial processes. Wave-Phire™ is a micro-machined sapphire sensor designed by Oxsensis for use in the harsh atmospheres of gas turbines and other combustion environments and can operate, measuring pressure and temperature, in extreme temperatures of more than 1000 °C, hundreds of degrees hotter than anything currently commercially available. Commenting on the award, David Gahan, Chief Executive at Oxsensis Ltd said: “This IET award is a very prestigious award and a fantastic recognition for our unique sapphire micro-engineering technology.”

LiteThru Ltd was presented with the ‘Measurement in Action’ Award for its groundbreaking technology enabling non-invasive, accurate analysis of capsules, tablets, powders and solutions in less than one second. Using a brand new form of spectroscopy developed at STFC, known as Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS), LiteThru’s technology provides a cost effective, rapid way to peer inside objects such as capsules and tablets in blister packs or bottles without opening them and to analyse their exact composition. LiteThru’s innovative approach is set to revolutionise pharmaceutical quality control and formulation development processes on an international scale. Dr Darren Andrews, Chief Executive of LiteThru Ltd said: “This award is great news. It rewards both the underlying innovation and the usefulness of the technology to pharmaceutical and chemical analysis."


The Innovation Awards span 15 categories and attracted hundreds of entries from across the world. They represent a unique opportunity for industry innovators to be recognised and provide a showcase for the brightest ideas, highlighting the importance of innovation by celebrating its application across a range of engineering disciplines.
Dr Tim Bestwick, Chief Executive of CLIK said, "STFC is totally committed to using its research facilities and scientific expertise to support and develop exciting and innovative companies like Oxsensis and LiteThru, so I am thrilled that they have won these prestigious awards. This is well deserved recognition for both companies. “ Both LiteThru Ltd and Oxsensis were jointly founded by CLIK (Central Laboratory Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Limited), the wholly-owned technology exploitation company of the Science and Technology Facilities Council as well as receiving significant investment from the Rainbow Seed Fund and other private investors.
Further information about the IET awards can be obtained at www.theiet.org.



Notes to editors

Images available:
Image 1: David Gahan, Chief Executive at Oxsensis Ltd receives his award.
Image 2: Dr Darren Andrews, Chief Executive at LiteThru Ltd receives his award.

Contacts:

Wendy Taylor MCIPR
Press Officer
Science and Technology Facilities Council Daresbury Laboratory Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus Daresbury Warrington Cheshire
WA4 4AD

Email: w.j.taylor@dl.ac.uk 
Tel Number: 01925 603232

About CLIK

 
Central Laboratory Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Limited (‘CLIK’) is the wholly-owned technology exploitation company of the Science & Technology Facilities Council. CLIK has the exclusive rights to the commercial exploitation of STFC's intellectual property at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire, the Daresbury Laboratory (DL) in Cheshire and the Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) in Edinburgh. Working closely with the technical inventors, the CLIK team progresses individual projects through various business models to the point of implementation as commercial licenses or spin-out companies.

About Oxsensis Ltd

Oxsensis is a spin-out from STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire formed in 2003. The company is backed by Venture Capital from Close Ventures, Foursome Investments, Seven Spires Investments Ltd., Rainbow Seed Fund and Strathdon plc., together with prominent individual investors.

Oxsensis’ sensor technology is based on the micromachining of super resistant materials such as single-crystal sapphire (melting point >2000°C) together with innovative fibre optic interrogation techniques which give high sensitivity and immunity from electro-magnetic interference (EMI) effects common in turbo-machinery such as gas turbines.

As part of their close ties working in the gas turbine industry, Oxsensis is one of 17 European organisations working together on HEATTOP, a gas turbine programme. Other collaborators in the three year programme include Siemens AG, Rolls-Royce plc. and Oxford and Cambridge Universities. The €8.8M ($11M) programme, backed by the Commission of the European Communities under the FP6 programme, aims to advance technologies available for gas turbine life optimisation, performance and condition monitoring through accurate high temperature engine measurements. As a result, European gas turbine manufacturers will be able to reduce emissions and increase engine efficiency; reduce product development time and cost of ownership; and improve the competitiveness of their products in global markets

David Gahan
Tel: +44 (0)1235 77 8120
Email: contact@oxsensis.com 
Website: www.oxsensis.com 

Science and Technology Facilities Council The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science; accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through effective knowledge exchange partnerships.

The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:

• The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire
• The Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire
• The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh

The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

The Council distributes public money from the Government to support scientific research. Between 2008 and 2009 we will invest approximately £787 million.

The Council is a partner in the UK space programme, coordinated by the British National Space Centre.