Memorandum 129
Submission from the Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC) currently invests £68.2 million in research,
training and knowledge transfer of direct relevance to the area
of plastic electronics:
- 42% of this investment is provided to universities
through investigator-led research.
- £2.6 million of this investment goes
towards training of PhD students.
- 38% of all research and training grants
are collaborative with industrial partners and other stakeholders;
this represents a total of over £12 million of in cash and
in kind contribution from industry and other collaborators.
EPSRC, and previously the Science and Engineering
Research Council (SERC), has a long history of supporting this
area of growing value to the UK economy; continuous support for
fundamental conducting polymer research in the 1980s and 1990s
has led not only to outstanding scientific development in the
field but also to successful exploitation of the research with
direct benefits to the UK economy.
EPSRC, via the implementation of its recently
published delivery plan, aims to further strengthen the UK research
base and to demonstrate effectively the economic impact of the
research it funds. Plastic Electronics, an area predicted to reap
huge benefits for the UK economy in the next 10-15 years, benefits
from a solid and internationally competitive science and industrial
base. UK universities working in the field, in collaboration with
industry, stand to benefit further from future EPSRC funding opportunities.
INTRODUCTION
2. EPSRC is the main UK government agency
for funding research and training in engineering and the physical
sciences, investing around £740 million a year in a broad
range of subjects-from mathematics to materials science, and from
information technology to structural engineering. We operate to
meet the needs of industry and society by working in partnership
with universities to invest in people and scientific discovery
and innovation. The knowledge and expertise gained maintains a
technological leading edge, builds a strong economy and improves
people's quality of life.
3. Our work is complementary to other research
investors including other research councils, government agencies,
industry and the European Union. We actively engage in and encourage
partnerships and collaborations across disciplines, boundaries
and the world. We also actively promote public engagement in science,
engineering and technology.
4. Plastic electronics covers any aspect
of the fabrication of electronic devices (eg thin film transistors)
using semiconductor polymer materials, which can be deposited
from solutions thus allowing the device to be printed. The primary
reason for using polymer materials is the inherent flexibility
that it can provide to the resulting devices; this has already
led to a broad range of applications such as flexible panel displays
and electronic paper. The field of "plastic electronics"
is also often referred to as "organic electronics" or
"printed electronics".
BACKGROUND
5. Plastic electronics evolved from fundamental
work carried out in the field of molecular electronics, principally
in the US, in the 1960s and `70s. In 2000, American researchers
Alan Heeger and Alan MacDiarmid, along with Hideki Shirakawa,
were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their contribution
to the field.
6. EPSRC's investment in plastic electronics
can be traced back to the late 1980s when SERC/EPSRC-funded researchers
at the University of Cambridge's Cavendish laboratory began to
harness the potential of different types of light-emitting polymeric
materials for flexible display applications. Earlier industry
R&D funding, such as that of BP (electronic materials) and
BT (electronic devices), had allowed for the UK to become internationally
competitive in the field, especially through successful collaborations
with the science base eg with the Universities of Cambridge, Durham
and Sussex. Industry funding dried up in the late 1980s as more
fundamental problems needed to be resolved before real exploitation
could be envisaged. SERC/EPSRC continuous support for fundamental
work in the field helped taking plastic electronics to the next
stage of its development: the key to success was in the natural
evolution of apparently unrelated ideas developed through EPSRC
funding.
7. Since then, EPSRC's support for plastic
electronics has been significant and has largely contributed in
placing the UK at the forefront of not only discovery but also
knowledge transfer and exploitation for the area (more information
on this is available in a recent RCUK study of the economic impact
of basic research in polymer science[18]).
Plastic electronics is a field inherently trans-disciplinary;
it has developed as a result of successful collaborations between
university researchers in materials science, chemistry, physics
as well as engineering. EPSRC funding for the area over the past
20 years, jointly with other stakeholders such as the Department
of Trade and Industry and more recently the Technology Strategy
Board (TSB), has enabled successful UK universities and businesses
to work closely together to ensure that the UK is highly competitive
on the world stage and that it can bring potentially significant
returns for the UK economy.
8. EPSRC has a key role in supporting the
fundamental science, technology and engineering that underpins
research into plastic electronics, and pre-competitive research
that will position the UK to most effectively develop and exploit
technology advances in the area. Applied business-driven research,
development and demonstration are supported by the TSB, the Department
of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and by Regional
Development Agencies (RDAs). EPSRC works closely with the TSB
and BERR to develop joint programmes in areas of common strategic
importance. For example, EPSRC has partnered with TSB for their
recent call for applications in the areas of advanced displays,
lighting and lasers, for which plastic electronics is likely to
feature strongly.
9. Current EPSRC funding with direct relevance
to the field of plastic electronics is £68.2 million. EPSRC
funding is provided, for the major part, directly to universities
as research or training grants, a significant proportion of which
are collaborative with industrial partners and other relevant
stakeholders. This case study outlines the areas of EPSRC support
for plastic electronics; those are described below either as research,
training or knowledge transfer activities.
RESEARCH (FUNDAMENTAL,
STRATEGIC AND
APPLIED)
10. EPSRC currently supports research projects
in two ways: via responsive and via targeted mode:
- In responsive mode-also referred to as
investigator-led-university researchers can submit applications
for projects at any time; these are assessed via a high quality
competitive peer-review process (ISO 9000 standard). This mode
of funding allows researchers to pursue their own research interests
whilst ensuring that only the best projects are supported; research
quality is the primary criteria in the assessment process and
all projects get reviewed by elected members of the EPSRC College,
which is made up of over 4,000 UK and international and academic
experts in their respective fields.
- Current responsive mode funding for plastic
electronics related research projects is £28.4 million, which
represents 42% of the current EPSRC investment in the field. Investigator-led
research funded addresses a broad range of sub-areas of plastic
electronics, from research into understanding the physics of materials
and devices, via synthesis, processing and characterisation of
novel materials and devices, all the way through to direct applications
into, for example, flat panel displays for mobile phones and other
consumer electronics, solar cells, RFID and sensor technologies.
- In targeted mode, EPSRC will actively seek
to promote either specific types of support for research (eg platform,
fellowship) or whole areas of research by releasing specific calls
for research or training grants (eg EPSRC carbon-based electronics
initiative, TSB-EPSRC plastic electronics initiatives). EPSRC
has, in the past five years, increased its support to the most
successful academic researchers (individuals or groups) via its
platform grant and fellowships schemes; these aim not only to
provide baseline funding for the best groups (platform) to prevent
the loss of key staff but also to support the best individuals
at up to 100% of their time to concentrate on challenging research
problems (fellowship).
- EPSRC funding for plastic electronics under
responsive and targeted mode is displayed in Table 1.
Table 1
EPSRC FUNDING FOR RESEARCH IN PLASTIC ELECTRONICS
|
| Responsive
mode
| Targeted Mode
|
| Standard
grants
| Platform
grants
| IKC/IMRC | Fellowships
| All other
grants
|
|
| Value of grants (£M) | 28.4
| 1.8 | 12.5
| 3.3 | 26.7
|
| Total (£M) | 28.4
| | 38.3
| |
|
11. One of the large investments that EPSRC has made
in targeted mode is for the electronics innovative manufacturing
research centre (e-IMRC). With a total budget of £5.4 million
for five years, this new centre of expertise has been established
to enable UK industry to access and influence research into electronics
manufacturing. The centre invites bids from researchers across
the UK under its remit; it already counts over 50 industry collaborators,
contributing over £1.6 million towards the projects funded
by the IMRC. One project funded by the consortium is led by researchers
at the University of Surrey, in collaboration with Qinetiq, BAE
systems and Hydrogen Solar; the research focuses on developing
and optimising new materials and manufacturing techniques for
making 3D-compliant transparent electrically conductive plastics
for solar cell applications. EPSRC will be carrying out a review
of the e-IMRC in spring 2008.
12. A good example of successful investigator-led research
is a large grant awarded by EPSRC to Professors Sir Richard Friend
and Henning Sirringhaus at the University of Cambridge. With a
total funding of £3 million, the two investigators and their
research groups have been working towards building a greater understanding
of conducting polymer nanostructures so as to develop better printing
techniques that can in turn be used to produce nano-scale devices
with suitable characteristics for plastic electronics applications.
13. Another illustration of effective investigator-led
research is that of Professors Martin Bryce and Andy Monkman at
the University of Durham. With £500,000 of EPSRC funding,
they are developing new types of polymeric materials that can
emit white light, thus bringing forth new potential applications
such as in solid-state lighting and in many types of display applications.
14. It is worth noting that in the area of plastic electronics
38% of all EPSRC-supported research projects have received tangible
support from relevant industry partners; this represents over
£12 million worth of in cash or kind across the totality
of the relevant EPSRC grant portfolio.
SKILLS AND
TRAINING
15. Skills and training are mainly addressed in three
ways: project studentships on grants, Doctoral Training Accounts
(DTAs) and Collaborative Training Accounts (CTAs). There are also
other training activities such as industrial CASE awards that
support a small number of industrially-relevant studentships.
- DTAs are four-year grants, awarded annually, which are
directly allocated to universities to fund PhD studentships; DTAs
offer recipient universities the freedom to deploy the funds according
to their strategic needs.
- CTAs allow a single flexible mechanism for universities
to fund all EPSRC schemes that link postgraduate training with
the workplace, such as Masters Training Packages, Engineering
Doctorate, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, secondments for Research
Assistants into Industry, Industrial CASE and CASE for New Academics.
They provide a responsive approach to training allowing universities
the flexibility to deploy funds in response to emerging themes
and industry needs.
16. Current EPSRC support for training and skills for
plastic electronics is £2.6 million, and is concentrated
either in funding of PhD students on grants (30 in total) or in
the funding of PhD students via DTAs and CTAs (39 in total), including
industrial CASE studentships (6) and CASE for new academics (2).
There are currently no directly relevant masters courses, funded
via CTAs, run by Universities in plastic electronics. However,
there are a number of MSc and MRes courses, covering areas such
as polymer materials and opto-electronics that do incorporate
significant elements of teaching for the area.
17. There are no directly relevant knowledge transfer
partnerships in this area, which is surprising considering the
level of engagement between the science base and industry; the
same is also true for Engineering Doctorate Centres.
18. Considering the nature of PhD courses and the grounding
of plastic electronics in traditional subject areas such as physics,
chemistry, materials and engineering, it is therefore not surprising
that the majority of the research and development carried out
in this area is pursued for the main part by more experienced
research assistants. There are currently a total of 139 research
associates employed on EPSRC-funded plastic electronic grants.
However, as the field of plastic electronics develops further
and leads to significant job creation in the UK, the skills gap
is likely to increase accordingly; more industry-relevant training
is therefore likely to be needed in the next 5-10 years. Both
the Council for Science and Technology (CST) and the TSB have
recently identified plastic electronics as a key priority area
with significant potential for returns on the UK economy.
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
AND EXPLOITATION
19. As EPSRC funds both fundamental and applied science,
technology and engineering it is important that strong partnerships
and increased engagement with users of the research is made in
order to improve, and increase, knowledge transfer and economic
impact. Knowledge transfer and exploitation are embedded into
all of EPSRC strategies and processes. Currently, 38% of plastic
electronics relevant research and training grants are collaborative
with industry. Examples of industrial collaborators on grants
relevant to plastic electronics include some of the most successful
businesses in the field eg Cambridge Display Technology, Plastic
Logic, Kodak, Merck, Dupont Teijin and Alps Electric.
20. Although EPSRC does not fund industry directly, it
partners regularly with TSB to co-develop and co-fund R&D
programmes and projects. The current target for EPSRC collaborating
with TSB is £45 million over the next three years, including
funding for the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI). EPSRC currently
partners with TSB in two initiatives of immediate relevance to
plastic electronics; £2 million has been earmarked by EPSRC
to complement a TSB £10 million investment in the new "Materials
for Energy" initiative, where new technologies for advances
in photovoltaics will feature strongly. EPSRC also aims to support
successful applications for the TSB "Advanced displays, lasers
and lighting technologies" R&D call, on a case by case
basis. EPSRC has a long history of successful collaboration with
the DTI Technology programme across its remit, having joint-funded
over £27 million of support for academic groups involved
in a number of business-science base grants since 2004. EPSRC
currently has £1 million worth of investment in projects
joint-funded with TSB in plastic electronics.
21. One successful example of science to business collaboration,
funded jointly by TSB and EPSRC in 2006, is a project led by Professor
Bill Eccleston at the University of Liverpool. With £200,000
support, Prof Eccleston and his group, in collaboration with Mentor
Graphics and a number of SMEs, are developing a rudimentary RFID
tag which can be implemented in prototype organic electronics
on low cost flexible substrates. If successful, such research
could have an immediate impact on RFID applications for retail
outlets.
22. To further facilitate the exploitation of the research
it funds, EPSRC has recently invested in the Cambridge Integrated
Knowledge Centre (C-IKC). The £7 million centre, funded in
2006 for 5 years, aims to create innovative knowledge exchange
spanning basic research, training and specific exploitation. The
work of C-IKC centres around developing advanced manufacturing
technologies using new material systems, such as polymers and
liquid crystals, for applications in computing and sensing technologies,
displays and communication systems, and to create valid routes
of exploitation for these innovation. Building on the success
of the centre, EPSRC, in partnership with TSB and the Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has just launched
a new call for IKC bids, with a specific focus on emerging technologies.
23. Past SERC/EPSRC funding for research carried out
in the 1980s and 1990s at the Cavendish Laboratory has also led
to the creation of two very successful spin-out companies, Cambridge
Display Technology and Plastic Logic. Plastic Logic was recently
the focus of wide media coverage when they secured over £50
million of venture capital funding in Germany for setting up a
manufacturing plant. Plastic Logic was also recently backed to
become the first University spin-out to reach the £100 million
profit margin, which would make it one of the world's most successful
spin-out companies.
24. EPSRC, via its electronics sector team, has recently
partnered with the TSB-funded UK Displays and Lighting Knowledge
Transfer Network (UK D&L KTN), a network whose mission is
to serve the needs of the business and academic communities working
in the areas of plastic electronics, flat panel displays and solid
state lighting. EPSRC supports the network both by information
provision and by releasing small amounts of funding for academic
researchers to participate in UK D&L KTN events to develop
suitable collaborations with business partners.
CONCLUSION AND
FORWARD OUTLOOK
25. EPSRC currently invests £68.2 million in research,
training and knowledge transfer of direct relevance to the area
of plastic electronics. 42% of this investment is provided to
universities through investigator-led research and 38% of this
is in collaboration with industrial partners and other stakeholders.
£2.6 million of this investment goes towards training of
PhD students; this apparent low figure-EPSRC spends 25% of its
total budget for training across its remit-can be explained by
the highly trans-disciplinary nature of the field, which results
in the most relevant research being carried out by highly trained
research associates and fellows.
26. EPSRC, through a variety of funding models, enables
not only the fundamental research in science, technology and engineering
necessary for the health of "plastic electronics" as
a new and emerging discipline but also the training of the next
generation of researchers, grounded in the traditional disciplines
of physics, materials science, chemistry and engineering. EPSRC
has also developed new funding models, such as the IMRC and the
IKC, to ensure that the research it funds serves the needs of
users but that it is also exploited appropriately to maximise
economic and societal impact.
27. In its recently published delivery plan[19],
EPSRC outlines its action plan for the next three years. Several
of the delivery plan themes will impact on future funding for
plastic electronics.
- Under the "Essential Platform to the Knowledge
Economy" theme, EPSRC aims to focus funding towards the most
successful academic research groups, eg by providing baseline
funding to retain key staff, by ensuring early career support,
by encouraging ambitious longer and larger programmes of research
and by signposting key areas of need for targeted funding. EPSRC
plans to achieve this in a variety of ways, including via the
use of bottom-up and top-down grand challenges. Plastic electronics
should feature strongly here as the field relies on an already
successful science base.
- Under the "Securing the Future" theme, EPSRC
will support the best individuals for both research and training
via its DTA, Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTA)-to replace the
current CTA-and fellowship schemes, focussing particularly in
areas of shortage for the UK. The area of plastic electronics
would certainly benefit from further support for training for
new cohorts of students, either via engineering doctorate centres
or CASE funding. EPSRC expects the relevant academic and business
communities to take full advantage of the current call for Engineering
Doctorate Centres and Doctoral Training Centres, the outcome of
which will be known in 2008-9.
- Under its "Better Exploitation" theme, EPSRC
will increase its partnership with TSB, RDAs and appropriate industrial
stakeholders, particularly for the development of new IKCs. EPSRC
also aims to build on its current portfolio of strategic partnerships
with industry and other users, hence maximising the potential
economic impact of the research it funds. Plastic electronics
will most certainly benefit as funding opportunities develop,
especially as a result of the ongoing partnership TSB-EPSRC.
- Out of the four remaining thematic areas-"Digital
Economy", "Towards Next Generation Healthcare",
"Energy" and "Nanoscience through Engineering to
Application"-the latter is likely to incorporate R&D
of relevance to plastic electronics. One of the grand challenges,
selected post-consultation with the science base and industry,
will focus on new technologies for enhanced solar energy conversion;
research underpinning the plastic electronics area also stands
to benefit from future investment in this area.
March 2008
18
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/cmsweb/downloads/rcuk/economicimpact/ei2.pdf Back
19
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/Publications/Corporate/DeliveryPlan2008-11.htm Back
|
