IKC in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies for Photonics and Electronics - Exploiting Molecular and Macromolecular Materials [MMM]

随着新的低成本、柔性分子和大分子材料的引入，计算机和传感技术、显示和通信系统的大范围变革正在进行中。这些材料包括聚合物、先进的液晶和纳米结构，包括碳纳米线和硅纳米线，它们将对当前的技术产生颠覆性的影响，不仅因为它们的成本/性能优势，还因为它们可以以更灵活的方式制造，提供更多的功能，并为更广泛的应用而设计。新材料在英国有一个强大的研究基础，适用于各种各样的商业问题，无论大小，因此为英国plc提供了一个重要的机会。近年来，剑桥大学对这些材料进行了大量的研究和开发，取得了一系列世界领先的成果，这些成果已经在超过15个衍生产品中得到了利用。然而，软材料在微电子和光子学领域的市场渗透才刚刚开始，每年的市场规模估计为100亿美元，可以肯定的是，英国必须利用其在基础科学方面的优势。利用新型高分子材料体系和有效的开发模式开发先进的制造技术是迫切需要的。英国所缺乏的是一个专门的卓越中心，可以作为专业知识的储存库，发展明确和差异化的核心竞争力，同时提供知识发展和转移的作用。这方面的成功将关键取决于研究人员和商业开发人员之间的早期牵引力。它还将依赖于产品的资金，直到第一次试产，缺乏资金一直是商业化的障碍，因此在过去限制了该领域的开发。因此，该方案寻求创建一种新的分子和大分子材料（MMM） IKC。这将汇集剑桥大学该领域的主要研究活动，即电气工程部门（特别是在高级电子和光子学中心，CAPE）和卡文迪什实验室。总之，这项研究跨越了MMM领域，被认为具有世界领先的地位。然而，这一提议的IKC的关键在于，它也将允许与商业人士进行更多的互动和合作，而不是以前EPSRC资助的研究活动。因此，如果获得IKC，将允许与贾奇商学院、制造研究所（包括EPSRC创新制造研究中心）和商业研究中心联合开展紧密集中的商业化活动。这将允许创建一系列跨越商业研究、培训和特定产品开发的创新知识转移活动。最后，中心还将允许从工业界和其他大学借调研究人员到研究所，特别是为了知识转让（而不是研究），并在其后期阶段利用提供试验制造生产线来制作原型。互惠安排还将确保学者们了解其主要特点并提高其利用自身的效率。

A transformation is currently underway in a large range of computer and sensing technologies, displays and communication systems with the introduction of new low cost, flexible molecular and macromolecular materials. These materials, which encompass polymers, advanced liquid crystals, and nanostructures, including carbon and silicon nanowires, are set to have a disruptive impact on current technologies not only because of their cost/performance advantages, but also because they can be manufactured in more flexible ways, provide more functionality and be engineered for a wider range of applications. The new materials have a strong research base in the UK, are suitable for a wide range of commercial concerns, both large and small, and hence provide an important opportunity for UK plc. At Cambridge there has been considerable research and development into these materials in recent years, with a range of world leading results having been achieved, which have in turn been exploited, in more than 15 spin-outs to date. The market penetration of soft materials into microelectronics and photonics however has only just begun, and with a market estimate measured in $10's of billion per annum, it is certain that the UK must capitalise on its strength in the basic science. There is an urgent need for the development of advanced manufacturing technologies using new macromolecular material systems and valid exploitation models. What the UK lacks is a dedicated centre of excellence that can act as a repository of expertise, developing both clear and differentiated core competencies, together with providing a knowledge development and transfer role. Success here will critically depend upon early traction between those in research and those in commercial exploitation. It will also rely on funding of products right through to pilot production for the first time, the lack of which has been a barrier to commercialisation and hence has limited exploitation in this field in the past. This proposal therefore seeks to create a new molecular and macromolecular materials (MMM) IKC. This will bring together the main research activities in the field at Cambridge, namely in the Electrical Engineering Division (in particular within the Centre for Advanced Electronics and Photonics, CAPE) and in the Cavendish. Together this research spans the MMM field and is recognised as having a world-leading position. A key to this proposed IKC however is that it will also allow much greater interaction and collaboration with those in business than has previously been possible for EPSRC funded research activities. Hence the IKC, if awarded, would allow the creation of tightly focussed commercialisation activities jointly with the Judge Business School, the Institute of Manufacturing (including the EPSRC Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre) and the Centre for Business Research. These will allow the creation of a range of innovative knowledge transfer activities spanning business research, training and specific product exploitation. Finally, the Centre will also allow the secondment of researchers from industry and other universities to the IKC, specifically for knowledge transfer (as opposed to research), and in its later stages make use of the provision of pilot manufacturing lines for prototyping. Reciprocal arrangements will also ensure that academics learn the key features of and improve their effectiveness in exploitation themselves.