Written evidence submitted by the National
Nuclear Laboratory and Dalton Nuclear Institute, University of
Manchester (TIC 13)
1. The National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and The
University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute (Dalton) are
pleased to present evidence to the Science and Technology Committee
on the topic of Technology Innovation Centres (TIC). We are submitting
a joint statement because the deep working relationship between
our institutions represents the underlying intent of the TIC concept
when applied to the global market for nuclear science and technology.
We have followed the development of this important concept from
the publication of The Current and Future Role of Technology
and Innovation Centres in the UK by Dr. Herman Hauser, through
the recent announcement by the Prime Minister and further development
by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). While we understand that
the TSB is developing the criteria and process for TIC designation,
the NNL and Dalton have been jointly developing a preliminary
concept of a Nuclear TIC. Our response to the Committee's inquiry
is focused on each of the questions posed in the inquiry's terms
of reference. As described further below, both the NNL and Dalton
declare their strong interest in pursuing TIC designation.
1. What is the Fraunhofer model and would it be
applicable to the UK?
2. Are there existing Fraunhofer-like research
centres within the UK, and if so, are they effective?
2. The Fraunhofer model, among others as described
in detail by Hauser, seems to us to be applicable to the UK primarily
in that it provides the "translational infrastructure"
to bridge the innovation spectrum between academic science and
industrial deployment. Such a bridge has emerged in the market
for nuclear innovation in the UK, and could be further developed.
Our focus in this response to the Committee's inquiry is focused
on that opportunity.
The NNL, created in July 2008, is owned by the UK
Government and operated by a consortium of Serco, Battelle and
The University of Manchester. The NNL's mission is to:
- Profitably deploy nuclear technology to a broad
range of national and international markets;
- Provide independent, authoritative advice on
nuclear issues;
- Be the employer of choice for nuclear scientists
and engineers, with a highly motivated and empowered workforce
working in state-of-the-art facilities.
Dalton, created in 2005, is the focus of the growing
nuclear research and higher learning capability at the University
of Manchester. Dalton aims to:
- Undertake leading-edge nuclear research of high
impact that is relevant and responsive to the needs of industry;
- Deliver through-life higher learning that encourages
the study of science and engineering, equips graduates for professional
employability, and enhances careers in the nuclear industry;
- Engage effectively with the regional, national
and international nuclear community through strategic partnerships
that enhance capability.
3. The NNL and Dalton have established a close working
partnership that includes joint appointments of senior staff,
managerial support to the development of the Dalton Cumbria Facility,
faculty and student access to the NNL's state-of-the art facilities,
and joint development of an evolving strategy to integrate academic,
national lab and industrial innovation in nuclear science and
technology.
4. As such, the NNL-Dalton partnership shares with
the Fraunhofer model the following key roles as defined by Hauser:
- NNL and Dalton collaborate on R&D projects
using a seamless team approach. NNL provide an industrial focus
for the basic research and Dalton provide underpinning science
and technology input to the application.
- NNL staff hold Visiting Professorships at Manchester
and Manchester academic staff hold Visiting Senior Research Fellowship
posts at NNL.
- Dalton undertakes basic nuclear research using
approved third-party access to NNL facilities and in collaboration
with several UK universities.
- The NNL serves as "translational infrastructure"
in that it carries out applied research and bridges the spectrum
between academic nuclear science and commercial technology deployment
by industry. This is being accomplished in both established and
emerging sectors of the global nuclear market.
- Jointly NNL and Dalton operate a collaboration
model working closely with other Universities, research organisations
and the nuclear industry in the UK and internationally to provide
an extended UK capability.
- The NNL and Dalton together are building capabilities
to enable SME's to innovate: knowledge management and transfer
systems, facility access and expertise, and nuclear technology
cluster development.
- The NNL and Dalton support commercialisation
by companies both by licensing internally-generated IP and by
helping externally-generated IP to scale up to commercial deployment
or adapt to the nuclear market.
- The NNL and Dalton are helping to develop a highly
skilled workforce through major educational programmes, internal
development initiatives, and participation in national skills
initiatives.
However, three key elements of the Fraunhofer model
are presently not in place at the NNL or Dalton:
- The NNL and Dalton are focused on the nuclear
sector and not on a wide variety of sectoral fields, although
we are both steadily expanding the range of technological applications
of nuclear science, for example a joint initiative to transfer
technologies among the nuclear and medical sectors.
- The NNL receive no core funding from Government,
and instead sustain our financial position by winning contracts
for public and private sector contract research, technical services,
and commercialisation of IP. Dalton's research portfolio is sustained
through funding from Research Councils, Government Departments,
industry, and international contracts.
- Since no formal network of TICs exists in the
UK, neither the NNL nor Dalton enjoy the branding benefits obtained
by the Fraunhofer network of institutes.
3. What other models are there for research centres
oriented toward applications and results?
5. Fraunhofer does not operate a nuclear technology
institute as such, which provides an opportunity for the UK to
develop a significant competitive niche in the global market,
building on its rich heritage in nuclear science and technology.
Thus both NNL and Dalton are very interested in the TIC initiative,
as it would potentially address some of the key gaps in the desired
innovation model described by Hauser.
6. It is also worth noting that several national
laboratories operated by other countries (eg., France, US) provide
a model for research oriented toward applications and results,
as those labs are clearly positioned between academic science
and industrial deployment, providing the facilities and expertise
needed to bring scientific discovery into practical application
through a time-tested process of research, development, testing
and demonstration. This process allows the needs of key stakeholders
such as regulators and venture capitalists to be addressed, providing
for more effective and timely commercialisation of innovative
research.
4. Whose role should it be to coordinate research
in a UK-wide network of innovation centres?
7. We understand that the TSB has the responsibility
to define and initiate the TIC programme. We believe that the
TSB is also the appropriate agency to coordinate TIC research
over the long term, although this would represent a significant
addition of scope to the TSB's historic role. We very much appreciated
the opportunity to serve TSB's strategic interests by preparing
A Review of the UK's Nuclear R&D Capability in 2009,
and are pleased that TSB is now funding innovation by the nuclear
sector. The TSB is focused on the role of innovation in economic
development, thus encouraging new business creation and growth,
and has an admirable track record in this regard. Unlike the Research
Councils, which are focused largely on academic science and research,
the TSB has a strong relationship to industry, on whose needs
TICs need to be oriented. The TSB may need to expand its stakeholder
networks in order to coordinate TIC activities.
5. What effect would the introduction of Fraunhofer-like
institutes have on the work of Public Sector Research Establishments
[PSREs] and other existing research centres that undertake Government
sponsored research.
8. In general, for PSREs and other research institutions
not designated as TICs, one could predict a certain amount of
initial ambiguity as the TICs are added to the overall mix and
establish their operations. However, over the longer term, it
might be expected that the TICs would reach out to a variety of
research institutions to further their collective aims, and thus
develop and adapt their respective missions, scopes and operations
accordingly. The most important factor will be for the TICs to
demonstrate a positive impact on UK innovation on a global scale.
9. We have also been evaluating this important question
from the perspective of the UK's nuclear science and technology
sector specifically. We believe that the NNL-Dalton partnership
reflects the successful attributes of the Fraunhofer and certain
other models. We have initiated discussion to explore the potential
of a Nuclear TIC. We envision a hub-and spoke approach to integrating
the nuclear research capacity of the UK to achieve TIC objectives.
The NNL would be positioned between academia and industry to provide
the translational infrastructure necessary for commercially viable
innovation. Dalton, which has developed as the UK's premier nuclear
science institution, would anchor the academic end of the nuclear
innovation spectrum. Operating generally at Technology Readiness
Levels (TRL) 1-3, the nuclear science community conducts exploratory
proof-of-principle research, generally at small scale, using low
amounts of radiation or surrogate materials, and operating from
non-licensed sites. The NNL converts science into technology,
generally at TRL 4-7, using larger quantities of higher-activity
materials in appropriately licensed facilities, and scaling up
technologies to establish commercial viability. Industry, generally
operating at TRL 8-9, develops full-scale technologies as marketable
products. We will expand our existing partnerships with leading
nuclear organisations such as the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre, Rolls-Royce, EDF Energy, Westinghouse, Serco,
the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Nuclear Installations Inspectorate,
AMEC, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to establish an
Implementation Board that will anchor the industrial deployment
end of the innovation spectrum as part of the Nuclear TIC hub,
interacting with industrial nodes in both the supply chain and
customer communities. This will establish a delivery mechanism
that networks into all aspects of the UK nuclear industry in order
to accelerate and expand innovation through to commercial deployment.
An integrated innovation approach is one means of reversing the
fragmentation of the UK nuclear industry that has taken place
over the past three decades, and regain international market leadership.
10. Designation as a TIC, reflecting the positive
global image of the Fraunhofer model, would provide immediate
network benefits, both with the global nuclear industry and with
other TICs in the UK. Innovation often occurs at the boundaries
between technology centres, and we see strong opportunity for
technology transfer between the nuclear and other sectors, such
as medicine and space. The nuclear sector is much broader than
a form of low-carbon energy, having major applications, for example,
in sensors and imaging, decommissioning and security.
11. In addition to serving the innovation needs of
the nuclear industry directly, a Nuclear TIC could act as the
focus for "nuclearising" technologies transferred from
other sectors into nuclear applications, and vice-versa, thus
creating commercial opportunities. Further, a Nuclear TIC could
assist in providing informed input to the UK on nuclear energy
options for the future as a strategy advisor. This would help
position the UK to take advantage of major international initiatives.
12. There may be some re-balancing of funding for
R&D that could impact on the capacity of the UK to undertake
traditional University research. Engagement in TICs by Universities
such as Manchester, that have invested strategically in key areas
such as nuclear, will ensure that an appropriate balance is maintained
between fundamental and applied research, and will maximise the
opportunity to commercialise the most promising research developments.
Such engagement will also open up the opportunity for academics
to engage in the development of their own research.
13. To conclude, the NNL and Dalton jointly commend
the Science and Technology Committee for examining the TIC concept.
We believe that it is a fundamentally sound approach, reflected
in the success of the Fraunhofer and other models. We will be
interacting with TSB in the next few months to evaluate a Nuclear
TIC within the UK's innovation landscape.
Mike Lawrence
Manager Director
National Nuclear Laboratory
Professor Andrew Sherry
Director
Dalton Nuclear Institute
The University of Manchester
30 November 2010
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