Science and Enterprise

Tag: U.K.

  • Unilever Launches Open Innovation Initiative

    The consumer goods manufacturer Unilever unveiled today its open innovation program seeking ideas for new products and technologies from the public at large. The initiative is managed by the online intellectual property marketplace yet2.com. Unilever’s program is structured around a set of issues or problems for which it seeks collaborators to find solutions. The opening…

  • Challenge-Funded Research Studies Animal Testing Alternative

    Research at University of Southampton in the U.K. will study in-vitro alternatives for testing the toxicity of drug candidates on animals. The U.K.’s National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) awarded £500,000 ($US 800,400) for the study from its 2011 CRACK IT challenge seeking alternatives to tests with lab…

  • No-Engine Commercial Aircraft Taxiing Deemed Feasible

    Research conducted at University of Lincoln in the U.K. indicates airliners can power their taxiing after landing by harnessing energy in the wheel rotation of their landing gear to generate electricity. The study was funded by a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the U.K. government’s main funding agency for studies…

  • Pharmacist/Tech Initiative Found to Cut Medication Errors

    An initiative led by pharmacists, using information technology was found to reduce more prescription errors by general practitioners than simple automated feedback among patients at risk for these errors. The findings by a team led by University of Nottingham medical professor Tony Avery, himself a practicing G.P. , appear online in the journal The Lancet…

  • GE, Carbon Trust to Partner on Clean Tech Start-Up Support

    General Electric and the U.K. environmental organization Carbon Trust will collaborate on backing start-up companies in Europe focusing on clean technologies. The partnership comes as the share of European investment in clean energy has declined over the past five years. During the first 18 months of the partnership, the Carbon Trust and GE will identify…

  • Pharma Companies to Partner on Cough and Cold Drugs

    Vernalis plc in Winnersh, U.K. and Tris Pharma Inc. in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey have agreed to develop and market prescription cough and cold drugs in the U.S. Financial terms and timetable of the deal were not disclosed. Under the agreement, Tris will use its drug delivery technology to develop, on behalf of Vernalis, up…

  • Student Devises Lithium Battery for Solar Energy Storage

    A joint research project between a graduate student at University of Southampton in the U.K. and the company REAPSystems, also in Southampton, has resulted in a battery that can help improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar power. REAPSystems was founded by Dennis Doerffel, himself a former Southampton researcher and now the company’s…

  • InnoCentive Acquires London-Based OmniComplete

    InnoCentive Inc. in Waltham, Massachusetts, a provider of open-innovation and crowdsourcing competitions, says it has acquired OmniCompete Limited based  in London, U.K. that also conducts challenge contests. No financial terms were disclosed. InnoCentive says it plans to adds OmniComplete’s experience in big-ticket competitions to InnoCentive’s so-called Grand Challenges, contests with larger payouts. Among the larger…

  • Grants for Orphan Disease Academic-Industry Partnerships

    The Wellcome Trust in the U.K. has unveiled new funding for academic-industry partnerships in early-stage research and development projects targeting orphan and neglected diseases. The Pathfinder Awards aim to encourage pilot research projects with potential for developing new products that address diseases affecting a small percentage of the population (orphan diseases) or conditions that that…

  • Manchester to Host U.K. Graphene Research Institute

    The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the U.K. confirmed today that University of Manchester will host the U.K.’s national graphene institute, a facility for graphene research and commercialization activities planned for use by both scientists and businesses. University of Manchester is the home of Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, who…