plastic electronic systems research & epsrc

Electronic Systems ResearchSupporting excellent research and impactful ideas

Dr. Derek GillespieSenior Portfolio Manager

@DAGillespie

The Transistor and the Integrated Circuit

• First transistor invented in 1947.• Miniaturization of the technology, in line with Moore’s Law, is

astounding – fast approaching the point whereby quantum considerations need to be taken into account.

• Complexity of integrated circuits has increased more than a billion-fold since the 1960s.

• The price of an individual transistor is now less than one millionth of the cost in the late 1960s.o Had the cost of automobiles fallen at the same rate, a new car

today would cost less than one pence.

Societal Trends for the Future

There are more mobile phone connections than there are people on the Earth.

Mobile data traffic is growing at 92% (CAGR).

By 2010, the number of text messages sent in one day exceeded the global population.

In 2012, there were over 4 billion YouTube videos streamed daily.

In one second on the internet, there are:• 463 photos uploaded to

Instragram.• 1024 calls made using

Skype.• 3935 tweets posted on

Twitter.• 11,574 files uploaded to

Dropbox.• 33,330 Google searches

carried out.• 46,330 videos watched

on YouTube.• 52,083 posts ‘Liked’ on

Facebook.

W(h)ither UK Electronics?

Overcoming negative perceptions

All UK electronic companies have failed.

All electronic innovation is American.

All electronic manufacture is Chinese.

As the UK has lost every aspect of opportunity in electronics, investing UK taxpayer money in the field is a waste.

The ESCO report sought to refute these misconceptions, with quantitative evidence drawn from the UK electronic systems community.

The UK Electronic Systems Community

850,000

“At the heart of many societal advancements are the enabling technologies of electronic systems”

Warren EastESCO Executive Steering Group

People working on electronic systems in UK industry

£80Bn

Contribution to the UK economy, or 5.4% UK GDP

k

Plastic Electronics in the UK

http://www.softmachines.org/wordpress/?p=1276

UK Universities: Excellence in Research

Excellence

Worldwide

UK

1%World population

5%World research spending

9%World research publications

12%World citations

14%World most-cited papers

Knowledge Base

Technology Base

System Integration

Societal Requirement

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The Research System

Gaps in the UK Innovation System?

‘Pure’ basic research

User-inspired basic research

Applied research

Experimental development

Stokes (1997)Dasgupta and David (1994)

Science, Engineering & Technology IndicatorsBIS (2009)

Gaps in the UK Innovation System?

Bu

sin

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s R

&D

/%G

DP

Value of R&D performed in the business sector

The UK trend runs contrary to our international peers or competitors.

Discover DeployValidateIntegrateUnderstand

EPSRC

Technology Strategy Board

Universities

Industrial Companies

The UK Innovation System

Charities or Intermediate Bodies

Overseas Bodies

Discover DeployValidateIntegrateUnderstand

EPSRC

Technology Strategy Board

Industrial Companies

The UK Innovation System

5

Challenge & Application ‘Pull’

Knowledge & Technology ‘Push’

Productive steps in our current system

Academia, industry and the public sector working together

Pathways to Impact

Public engagement

KT secondments

Staff training

Realistic IP

AcademiaKnowledge, people &

technological capability

IndustryInnovation, market

perspective & new products

Strategic R&D

Long-term plans

Increased commitment

People support

Realistic IP!

Public BodiesFacilitating knowledge,

impact & skills

Targeted Support

Appropriate models

Strategic discussion

Consolidated evidence

What Can We Do Together?

There are challenges to be tackled

Where does the UK electronic systems research community ‘want to go’?

What are the technologies of the future that need electronics at their heart?

Who needs to be engaged outside of the (plastic) electronics community for the UK to take a lead?

Support the work of the Plastic Electronics Leadership Group.

Work in partnership with the ESCO team to make the importance of electronic systems in the UK clear to government.

Partner with EPSRC – planning for the future starts now.

www.epsrc.ac.uk: 01793 44 4301

: derek.gillespie@epsrc.ac.uk

@DAGillespie

@EPSRC

EPSRC ICT Theme

Grant Funding: Pathways to Impact

Funding to Facilitate Potential Impacts

Since 2009, applicants can ask for project-specific, impact-related costs as part of a grant proposal.

Applicants can ask for funding at the point of application, in order to provide the opportunities or required skills that allow the team to promote the potential impacts of their research.

To make use of this, applicants have to consider which impact activities or training they might require when planning the research proposal.

All costs must be outlined and justified, as with other requests for funding.

Grant Funding: Pathways to Impact

Funding to Facilitate Potential Impacts

Some specific examples of activities that could be requested are:

Secondments

Increased investigator time

Training activities

Employment of specialist staff

Marketing and publicity

Workshops, seminars and networking

Public engagement

Early-stage commercialisation exploration

Evidence shows that these resources are heavily under-used by applicants!

Institutions: Impact Acceleration Accounts

Accessible funding for tailored impact activities

Account-based funding given to universities on the basis of a peer-reviewed submission.

Allows institutions the flexibility to operate tailored schemes that facilitate increased likelihood of impact from research.

Retain key benefits of KTA & KTS Schemes:

Secondments

Proofs of Concept

Follow-On Funding

95%

Percentage of EPSRC portfolio, by value, covered by Impact Acceleration Accounts.