Organisation Name: Solar Source Ltd

Project Description: PORTABLE SOLAR PV POWER UNIT for use in Flooding and other Emergency/Disaster Relief conditions where reliable and sustainable power is needed (and where mains power has been lost). The 2 year project is as follows: 1. Consultation with Industry (Manufacturers & Plant Hire Companies), Aid Agencies Academia and other Focus Groups. 2. Product R&D taking on board feedback from stage 1. 3. Prototype production, Tooling. 4. Testing for technology performance and robustness out in the field with industry. 5. Fine tuning product following testing. 6. Marketing.

Email Address: Tymandra@solar-source.co.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: All of Wales (incl. Convergence and Competitiveness Areas), UK, Worldwide.

Organisation Core Business: Renewable Energy System R & D, Manufacture, Supply, Installation and Consultancy.

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Solar Source Ltd, Private Sector Manufacturers and Plant Hire Companies, Aid Agencies, Research Agency.

Who will be the end beneficiaries: Flood / Disaster Victims, Property Owners, Aid Agencies, SMEs, Research Agencies, Local Councils.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: All Convergence Areas of Wales and national / international relevance.

What might the outputs be (activity measures): Collaborative R&D, Enterprises assisted, Individuals assisted, Innovation, Growth of existing knowledge-based SMEs, Increased turnover and sustainability of Large and Small Organisations, Private sector investment in the Region.

What might be the results of the project: Provision of power to areas without mains electricity at times of great need, Reduction of mains / fuel dependency, Jobs created, Welsh innovation and manufacture showcasing, Renewable Energy Systems shown as part of a sustainable future for Wales.

What would its impact be: This 2 year project would produce a product that will become essential for all emergency services, Provision of power wherever it is needed even when mains power is lost, Sustainable portable power production showing its reliability and use in all areas of Wales and worldwide.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: In 2 years this project will influence not only all areas of Wales but worldwide.

Estimated Cost: £250,000 over 2 years

Where might the match funding come from: Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI), WAG, Private Sector, Aid Agencies, others.

Date: 10/7/2008

Organisation Name: PRIFYSGOL BANGOR UNIVERSITY

Project Description: The objective of the project is to create an Arts and Innovation Centre in North West Wales that will replace Theatr Gwynedd and the Students' Union building in Bangor and be a significant contributing factor to the renaissance of the City and sustainable economic development beyond the capital build phase. The Centre will provide facilities offering opportunities for engagement with local and regional participants through an extensive range of creative, artistic and educational activities in addition to activities that involve local communities and organisations and activities focussing on fostering economic regeneration through an innovative enterprise hub for engagement with businesses and social enterprises. The project will reflect the strong cultural identity of the North West Wales area. Although based in Bangor within the Menai Hub the development has the potential to have considerable impact in other parts of the North West and Central Wales areas. The Centre will enhance development opportunities for the area as a quality destination providing increased opportunities for other sectors in the region such as tourism, leisure and creative arts. It will also be a leading demonstrator of the importance of the interface between the arts, innovation and enterprise to the success of the Welsh economy. The project complements the development of a research park incorporating a health and technology campus which is linked to commercialisation in identified growth sectors

Capita Percy Thomas has been selected as the architects to produce a feasibility study into the outline Business Case and options appraisal for the development of the multi-purpose Arts and Innovation Centre in Bangor. The Centre could include not only theatre space but also performance workshops and other areas for use by professional performance artists, the local community, businesses and the University. The project also includes a new Students Union together with Teaching and Social Learning areas that will be used by both the University and the local community together with space for student support services.

The Centre may include the following: An Innovation/Science Centre providing public engagement with science and technology An Arts Centre A professional programme of performances Teaching and Learning space Music/Creative Industries provision Postgraduate Centre/provision

The Feasibility Study will determine the range and scale of all of the above activities all of which will be based on demand.

The Centre will build an international reputation for innovation and excellence, and will be an asset for Bangor and the surrounding area as in addition to benefiting local people. It will also attract visitors, tourism and more customers for local businesses. The project takes forward the objectives of the Strategic Framework for North West Wales Mon a Menai area by pursuing opportunities for physical regeneration that form a vital part of a much broader strategic agenda encompassing business and infrastructure development, technology and innovation activities etc. The project will complement economic development activities, confirmed within the Framework as important for the region, that aim to develop the creative industries, health sectors, geo-sciences and software technology clusters including visualisation.

Email Address: gwennan.jones@bangor.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: North West Wales

Organisation Core Business: Research, Education, Knowledge and Technology Transfer

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Capita Percy Thomas will consult local, regional and national stakeholders to ensure the involvement and support of all parties. Strategic partners at this point are envisaged to include: Môn a Menai partnership, the Arts Council of Wales, Cyngor Gwynedd Council and Anglesey Council.

Who will be the end beneficiaries: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in identified sectors, public sector organisations, creative industries, local, regional and national arts groups, community groups, local inhabitants, young people (including primary and secondary school pupils), undergraduate and post-graduate students.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: North West Wales and Central Wales.

What might the outputs be (activity measures): individuals assisted, innovation centres and R&D facilities developed

What might be the results of the project: enterprises created, jobs accommodated

What would its impact be: The Arts and Innovation Centre would provide an outstanding opportunity to impact on the area's distinctiveness and culture. It will catalyse growth in existing and new areas of the knowledge economy by being a magnet for international attention, achieving an enviable reputation as an outstanding proponent of the economic and social opportunities at the interface of arts, innovation, science, technology and enterprise. The Centre will add to the City's overall appeal and strengthen its role in the North West Wales area as an economic hub and catalyst for regeneration that will impact the whole of the North West Wales and Central Wales region. It will also have the potential to increase jobs linked to leisure and tourism in the area.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: The project, and the activities that will be undertaken there, will impact on the whole of the North West and Central Wales Spatial Plan areas. The building will be located in a prominent location in Bangor.

Estimated Cost: £21 million requiring £8 million from ERDF

Where might the match funding come from: The match funding for the programme will be secured from a range of sources, including Bangor University, Môn a Menai Partnership and Arts Council for Wales.

Date: 10/7/2008

Organisation Name: BANGOR UNIVERSITY

Project Description:. HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CAMPUS. The objective of the project is to create a health and technology campus at Bangor City of Learning which will include a science and technology centre. The campus will be involved in carrying out cutting edge scientific and other research, working with businesses to exploit this research commercially, and providing a strong supply of highly-skilled people for the development of the economy. A Science Policy for Wales confirms that recent studies, conducted both here and on a wider UK basis, have identified science and innovation as driving forces in economic growth. Outputs from the science base - such as new knowledge, skilled people, new methodologies and new networks - contribute to improvements in a range of key areas, which include wealth, health and wellbeing, education, environment and culture. The benefits of health related science and science related health extend well beyond health, to wealth creation, education and social justice and regeneration.

The proposed construction will develop a science and technology centre that will accommodate the delivery in curriculum areas encompassing health and technology to include a Medical School. It will also develop provision in areas to include materials and security and ICT. The provision will make a significant contribution toward meeting the needs of the North West Wales area in addition to the West Wales and the Valleys Area and the Welsh economy as a whole. The provision will house R&D, technology and knowledge transfer activities to help improve links between business and academia in addition to teaching facilities that will provide a wider range of academic opportunities for young people. The Wales Spatial Plan recognises the importance of the Menai Hub as a strong focal point for economic development. A Science Policy for Wales confirms that an extension of the science base in health R&D as one of the priority areas for development within the region and confirms that we need a sufficient cadre of people able and willing to work in research and technological development in this and other science areas in Wales. One of the beneficial side-effects of having a bigger mass of scientists is the greater probability of healthy levels of spin-offs and spin-outs of science-based innovation and enterprise in science-based high-tech companies. One Wales confirms WAG's support for projects that will build on the work done to raise the international profile of Wales, to make Wales a choice for people to work, study, visit and do business. One Wales also confirms WAG's intention of developing a higher education system which is responsive to the needs of students and employers.

The project will complement the activities undertaken in CAST providing integrated spinout and knowledge and enterprise growth for the region. The development of the SEACAMS and WISE 2 projects in addition to the development of the new Arts and Innovation Centre in Bangor and the KESS project feed into this activity.

Email Address: gwennan.jones@bangor.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: North West Wales

Organisation Core Business: Research, Education and Knowledge Transfer

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Bangor University, Gwynedd Council, private sector

Who will be the end beneficiaries: Direct beneficiaries: students, local schools. Indirect beneficiaries: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Research Institutes and R&D in large corporates

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: North West Wales Spatial Plan area with impact envisaged across Wales.

What might the outputs be (activity measures): Enterprises assisted, individuals assisted, collaborative R&D, innovation and R&D centres developed

What might be the results of the project: Jobs created, new products processes and services launched, jobs accommodated

What would its impact be: Net jobs created;

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: The capital build will be in Bangor City of Learning . However, the reach of the project, and the education and training that will be undertaken there, will have far reaching effects on the West Wales and the Valleys area.

Estimated Cost: £30 million - capital and revenue

Where might the match funding come from: Bangor University, Gwynedd Council, WAG

Date: 7/7/2008

Organisation Name: Aberystwyth University

Project Description: The biorefining centre of excellence is an initiative which will focus on deriving commercially relevant products exclusively from renewable feedstocks. Target areas will include biofuels, platform chemicals, therapeutics and biocomposites.

This initiative is tightly focused on using renewable feedstock's which can be cultivated in the Welsh climate. The main thrust of the project will however, be scientific and technological developments which allow these feedstock's to be utilised in new and innovative ways.

Environmental drivers will also be key as the proposal encapsulates second generation lingo-cellulose feedstocks. Such activities will not only focus on the production of transport fuels, but can potentially have a significant impact on carbon mitigation and therefore climate change.

The hub of the activities will be located in Central Wales at Aberystwyth University, which has a long standing reputation for research in the areas of: plant breeding and genetics; silage and rumen microbiology. Added to this is biocomposites and chemistry expertise from North Wales and yeast biotechnology/ process engineering solutions from South Wales.

The technologies and intellectual property developed as part of this project will have a broad appeal because of the industries which have a commercial interest. These will range from enterprises such as farmers, engineering companies, the construction industry, producers of cosmetics, the chemicals industry and the bioscience sector.

Email Address: stf@aber.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: Convergence areas of Wales with international activities

Organisation Core Business: Research, development and Technology Transfer

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Aberystwyth, Bangor, Swansea and Glamorgan Universities and Pembroke Technium

Who will be the end beneficiaries: SME's in the bioscience sector, enterprises such as farmers, larger chemical producers, the petrochemical industry, SME's in the construction industries, producers of cosmetics and nutraceuticals and engineering companies and academic organisations.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: Convergence areas in Wales i.e. Waterfront and Western Valleys, Pembrokeshire, Central and North Wales

What might the outputs be (activity measures): Collaborative R&D; enterprises assisted; individuals assisted; innovation centres and R&D facilities developed

What might be the results of the project: Enterprises accomodated and created; jobs created; investment induced; new products, processes or services launched or registered

What would its impact be: World class science resulting in highly trained staff with skills pertinent to the private sector. Intellectual property assets, business growth in environmental technologies sector, new companies in high technology sector as well as knowledge services

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: This would be a 5-6 year project conducted at laboratory and intermediate/ pilot scale which would be necessary to demonstrate technologies at a commercially relevant scale. Technologies would include mechanical, chemical and bio-processing on defined feedstocks.

Estimated Cost: Up to £32 million over 5 years.

Where might the match funding come from: University and research council, private sector and local authority.

Date: 24/6/2008

Organisation Name: Swansea University

Project Description: Recent developments in high brightness semiconductor light emitting sources are having a profound impact on the worldwide lighting and illumination markets in the consumer, industrial, medical and healthcare sectors. Large investment in the research and development of semiconductor light emitting diodes (LEDs) has now meant that these sources are viable alternatives to current incandescent and fluorescent lighting. LED lighting is considerably more efficient than current lighting solutions and with continued research this will only improve further.

The US Department of Energy has estimated that the move to solid state (LED) lighting could by 2025 reduce the global requirement for lighting by 50% and for the US alone, eliminate 258M tonnes of carbon emission, alleviate the need for 133 - 1GW power stations and make cumulative financial savings of $115Bn.

The fabrication of LED lighting is also far more environmentally friendly and the devices more suitable to recycling with no harmful chemicals. LED lighting is also considerably more reliable (currently with a lifetime in excess of 10X and improving) than conventional incandescent and fluorescent lighting. This alone makes this an attractive lighting solution from the reduced cost of repair and replacement savings. It is also the case that with technology improvements, the efficiency of LEDs is set to improve for several more years. Universities within Wales have a strong research track record in LED lighting, from the fabrication of the devices, through to the design and production of lighting units. Previous collaboration between Cardiff and Swansea University have produced an office luminaire using LEDs, which is more energy efficient, longer lasting and comparable in price with the current fluorescent versions. A key component to the success of this project was the involvement of several local companies with interests in LED lighting and the design of rooms and buildings best suited to implement this type of lighting solution.

The overall objective of this project is to implement low cost, energy efficient LED lighting in a wide range of buildings in Wales. These will include buildings within the Education, Health, Government and Business sector. This will enable us to develop lighting solutions for a wide range of applications such as offices, lecture rooms, operating theatres, reading and architectural lighting.

A detailed study of the current lighting in each location will be undertaken including light level measurements and detailed computer simulations of the lighting profile within that environment. These will be used to inform the suitable solutions that the LED replacement will take. Lighting modules or luminaires will then be designed to give comparable light levels (or better if required) than the current lighting. The lighting units will be designed and fabricated and retro fitted to suit the required location. The light levels will be measured to ensure the specifications are met and any design iterations will be carried out.

Before fitting of the LED lighting the current lighting will have been monitored for power usage over a suitable period of time. The same monitoring over the same time scale will be carried out for the LED replacement lighting in order to assess the energy savings. This light monitoring will also allow us to assess light usage and incorporate any control hardware that would reduce energy consumption. These could include light sensors which dim lighting when the environment receives strong natural light or motion sensors which only switch lights on when the room is occupied. LED lights have the added advantage of no turn on delay (fluorescent tubes require several minutes to reach their operating light level) which makes them ideal for this kind of control system.

Trials of these environments would be carried out to assess if the LED replacements would be suitable for that particular application and again these results will be used to inform any modifications to the lighting modules. Finally a full cost analysis for each lighting replacement solution will be undertaken including the cost of the LED lighting module, the expected energy savings and the reduced maintenance expense.

The work undertaken in this project will not only provide significant energy savings for current buildings but will allow us in Wales to develop an expertise in designing future buildings to best incorporate this new and energy efficient lighting.

Email Address: p.rees@swansea.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: Convergence Region

Organisation Core Business: Education and research

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Cardiff University / Swansea University

Who will be the end beneficiaries: he main benefit will be the significant reduction in energy and maintenance costs for lighting that people in these sectors are currently paying.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: Convergence Region

What might the outputs be (activity measures): The success of the project can be measured by the energy reduction observed by each participant for their particular lighting requirement. We will endeavour to ensure a wide range of lighting applications from all sectors will be studied to make the outcomes of this project relevant to as many users as possible. Developments will be reported at the relevant conferences and in peer-reviewed journals and also through suitable press releases.

What might be the results of the project: The result of the project will be the development of an expertise in Wales for designing and implementing energy saving LED lighting for applications across all sectors throughout Wales and worldwide. The possibility for a spin out company to provide this service would be very high.

What would its impact be: The impact would be considerable savings in the energy consumption required to light buildings from a wide range of sectors. Expertise from this project will inform UK and worldwide projects for the replacement of the current highly inefficient lighting solutions.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: The project will run over 6 years.

Estimated Cost: £4 million over 6 years

Where might the match funding come from: Low Carbon Research Institute (LCRI), Carbon Trust, LED manufacturers, Luminaire manufacturers, Universities, Hospitals, WAG, Local Councils, Consumer Companies

Date: 16/6/2008

Organisation Name: The Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University

Project Description: The work will extend energy modelling techniques, developed in the existing VIRVIL virtual village project, to other application areas. The VIRVIL project has run for just over a year and this time we have developed a methodology for the detailed time-varying energy modelling of a community of dwellings (the virtual village), and a three dimensional software visualisation interface to that virtual village. The results of this work have been shown to stakeholders and industrial partners; their feedback has identified areas for further development

These areas of interest have been developed into the following work packages; 1. Master Planning Tool: The master planning of sustainable developments would be aided by simple tools with which the developer can explore the potential for renewable and zero carbon techniques as they develop the layout and planning of the development. The 3D visualisation methods developed for VIRVIL have proved very attractive to the stakeholders and partners, and could form the basis for such a tool. We propose in this work package to develop the 3D interface for VIRVIL in order to provide a system that will allow the interactive design of layout and the exploration of renewable energy options, using only early design stage information, and to display and manipulate them in an interactive 3D virtual environment. Energy modelling will be limited to simple, existing methods, such as the current building regulation compliance tools; for example SBEM / SAP. Parameters that will be included in the initial capabilities for assessment and visualisation will include the availability of solar radiation for PV, solar thermal or passive solar technologies and urban breezeway modelling. Partners for this component will include local government, architects and consultants. This work will take 3 years to complete.

2. Promotion Tool: Manufacturers of renewable and low energy technologies and low energy designers could use the 3D virtual reality interface to create a virtual interactive catalogue or portfolio. We propose, in this work package, a simplified version of the VIRVIL system, so that a client could use it to promote there specific products. This would allow these industries to showcase their outputs in an interactive way, showing the potential clients the energy performance advantages that could be accrued, in an interactive and attractive modelling system. This system could be configured to operate in real time, allowing the user to "plug in" new items or alter specifications, and so to form comparisons in performance. Such a tool could provide a competitive edge for suppliers and developers of low energy technology and low energy designs, and so help speed uptake. Partners for this component will include low energy system manufacturers and architects. This work will take 2 years to complete

3. Power monitoring and demand control modelling: Advances in embedded microprocessing and control technologies mean that future (and potentially existing) appliances can monitor their performance and that of the grid supply. Inessential or low priority equipment may be configured to decrease power requirements during periods of high energy demand, and enable a building to "present" a smoother and more predictable demand from the electric grid. This may make the building energy supply more efficient and also potentially allow the building owner to negotiate a preferential tariff from their supplier. This work package will produce a modelling based assessment of the impact of such systems, made using the VIRVIL system, which will need to be extended to include the simulation of very short timescale events crucial to this application. Partners for this component will include electronic systems manufacturers, power electronic engineers, and the power supply industry. This work will take 2 years to complete

4. Energy storage system modelling: The use of renewable technologies can cause problems with the demand supply mismatch. The use of energy storage as part of a micro-grid is an area of current concern and research interest throughout the world as well as in the UK. We propose to use the modelling techniques enabled by the VIRVIL model, enhanced with new techniques required for the modelling of energy storage systems, to evaluate the applicability of such methods on scales from single buildings to communities, including energy storage systems based on electrical systems, water, ground coupling or latent exchanges. Partners for this component will include energy system manufacturers and consultants, low energy designers, property developers and local authorities. This work will take 3 years to complete

Email Address: smithA25@cardiff.ac.uk and Lannon@cardiff.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: All of Wales

Organisation Core Business: R&D, Education and Knowledge Transfer

Who will be involved in delivering the project: The Welsh School of Architecture

Who will be the end beneficiaries: New and existing enterprises in Wales, design firms, manufacturers and developers of low carbon / low energy technologies, property developers, higher education institutions, local authorities, and the economy of Wales.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: All of Wales

What might the outputs be (activity measures): Collaborative R&D projects and journal papers, marketable computer software. The activities of the project will be aimed at aiding the development of buildings and their surroundings to reach the zero carbon benchmark, which is the target set by the government for new buildings in Wales for 2011.

What might be the results of the project: The project will widen the partners knowledge of low carbon impact buildings, and of advanced modelling methods. The software products may be transferable to a larger audience, providing tools and information systems for the rest of the UK, and many other countries. The project may achieve the following results: Energy saved, gross jobs created, jobs accommodated, enterprises assisted, new or improved products, processes or services launched, reduction in green house emissions.

What would its impact be: Reduction of the carbon footprint for built environments and local amenities, aid in achieving the zero carbon benchmark for 2011. Impacts include: Net jobs created, net reduction in greenhouse emissions, sales of products, processes or services.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: 3 years

Estimated Cost: £900,000 over 3 years

Where might the match funding come from: Industrial partners, academic partners

Date: 2/6/2008

Organisation Name: Swansea Metropolitan University

Project Description: The Institute of Sustainable Design (ISD) will be an international centre for research and design in a number of key sectors, catalysing the growth of knowledge-based clusters across the Convergence region. The proposal is integrated into the Spatial Plan for the Knowledge Economy for Swansea: The Waterfront and Western Valleys The proposal is consistent with W:AVE, the Cox Review of Higher Education and the objectives of the Frascati manual.

With over 15 years experience in delivering sustained support for the creative and manufacturing sectors through its Automotive Research Centre (ARC) and Ideas Centre, Non-Destructive Testing Centre (NDTC), Architectural Glass Centre (AGC) and Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre (CIRIC), the University plays a key role in encouraging the integration of sustainable design practice in wide areas of the Welsh economy. ISD will focus on those areas of design which impact upon the sustainability of our physical environment and provide the greatest scope for economic growth and social cohesion. The core objective is to advance intellectual, creative and scientific understanding of innovative sustainability as it acts upon the physical and material world.

ISD will support the development of products and services in a way that reduces use of non-renewable resources, minimizes environmental impact, and relates people with the natural environment. By facilitating creative interdisciplinary collaborations among individuals from HEIs, the public sector and industry, ISD will foster the development of new creative 'tools' for sustainable design while advocating innovative design approaches and restorative action. ISD researchers and clients will employ tools such as life cycle assessment and life cycle energy analysis to judge the environmental impact of various design choices.

ISD will significantly increase Wales' capacity to meet the Assembly's strategy of building an economy based upon knowledge transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship. By facilitating collaborative interdisciplinary working amongst research and design teams, private industry and NGOs, ISD will contribute to the growth of the nation's knowledge economy and generation of intellectual property.

These aims will be achieved by:

embedding a culture of design innovation and reflective improvement in firms and demonstrating the benefits of integrating design, innovation and science;

supporting businesses to invest in sustainable R&D and develop new market led processes, products, technologies and services, particularly those with high growth potential in the creative industries;

developing design management capacity to better equip enterprises to develop product and process improvements;

strengthening and maximising the capabilities of HE and regional FE institutions to support creative enterprises through knowledge transfer and commercialisation of research, and encouraging the sustainable development and implementation of innovative technologies.

A number of case studies illustrate the proposed nature of ISD and exemplify its existing and potential impact on the knowledge economy of the region.

Wales has one of the largest automotive manufacturing sectors in the UK but lacks significant automotive design capacity or infrastructure. ISD will draw upon the University's unique position as the only provider of Vehicle Design in Wales by creating a dedicated national centre for automotive design. ISD will provide the necessary research and design capacity required to attract inward investment and support the growth of a sustainable transportation design sector. This would be distinct from, but complementary to, existing investments in the sector, such as Technium Performance Engineering and the Manufacturing Engineering Centre at Cardiff. The University has a record of supporting the automotive sector as seen recently in its work with the New Vehicles Cluster, International Business Wales and the Narrow Car Company.

For over 10 years SMU has been the leading UK university in the field of automotive glass research through its close and growing partnership with Belron plc, the World's largest vehicle glass repair and replacement company. This expertise in automotive glass is synergistic with its longstanding international reputation in architectural glass. Swansea Bay has the largest cluster of independent architectural glass practitioners in Europe. Despite its tradition and expertise the sector lacks the research capacity and industrial scale facilities to enable it to compete for major commissions, thereby constraining the potential for growth of individual businesses and the cluster as a whole. Recent collaborations with Belron and The Gwalia Housing Association indicate the positive impact of its applied research to developing sustainable applications for materials across a range of sectors.

In 2005, SMU launched the Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre (CIRIC). The aim of CIRIC is to encourage research and development, innovation and business success within the creative industries sector. Sustainability is one of the major themes cutting across the work of CIRIC and a number of recent successful projects exemplify this. SISU, a spin-out company from SMU, was supported in creating new fashion ranges from recycled textiles. A project with Oxfam, and appearance on BBC's Working lunch reflects the growth of this successful creative business. CIRIC supported an iterative process of design and prototyping with Swansea based AIR Architecture and Lamas to create a proposal for a low-impact settlement to be built in West Wales.

ISD would build upon the University's established strength in design and the creative industries to establish a strategic and specialist resource to facilitate knowledge transfer and develop a design research base to support the creative and manufacturing sectors. A key strand of the proposal is support for SMEs and inward investors to develop sustainable purchasing strategies to introduce new digital technologies across disciplines (including textile printing, fabric construction, glass, ceramics and 3D modelling) to reduce waste and the need for consumables (e.g. chemicals). These strategies and technologies have been applied across over 120 research projects in the past three years.

ISD will be a progressive and inclusive development, integrating the applied arts and sciences to create a dynamic design exchange to encourage knowledge creation and knowledge transfer to stimulate inward investors, indigenous entrepreneurs and graduate spin-outs.

Email Address: kathryn.david@smu.ac.uk

Geographical Area of Operation: All Wales (including convergence and competitiveness areas)

Organisation Core Business: Higher Education, Research & Knowledge Transfer

Who will be involved in delivering the project: The project will be led by the Faculty of Applied Design and Engineering's School of Industrial Design and Welsh School of Architectural Glass in partnership with the Faculty of Art and Design at Swansea Metropolitan University. The project is supported by the Institute of Innovation at Swansea University and the City & County of Swansea. Strategic partners include Eco Design Wales, the New Vehicle Cluster at the Welsh Assembly Government; Belron plc and a range of large, medium and small companies (including Connaught Motor Company Ltd, The Narrow Car Company and Jaguar/Land Rover).

Who will be the end beneficiaries: Beneficiaries will include indigenous companies, large and small, aspiring to develop sustainable design practice; knowledge based enterprises seeking to become active in sustainable design; entrepreneurs in the sector and a range of large and small companies who will benefit from multiplier effects accrued from the development of a vibrant integrated design cluster.

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: All Convergence areas

What might the outputs be (activity measures): Outputs will include the growth of existing knowledge-based SMEs; creation of new knowledge-based SMEs; inward investment; development of national centres for sustainable design; university spinouts; generation of IP; new products and services; increased turnover and sustainability of large and small organisations; private sector investment in the region; and links between HE, FE and commerce; creation of a regional and national knowledge base to sustain future growth in the sector.

What might be the results of the project: The result of the project will be sustainable knowledge-based design clusters delivering increased capacity to the sectors concerned and enhanced competitiveness of the regional economy. ISD will be an open access infrastructure centre facilitating the exchange of innovation capital between industry and academia.

What would its impact be ts impact will be to stimulate the innovativeness of the sector and its ability to sustain long term economic growth and carbon reduction through the provision of employment opportunities for a range of qualified and skilled individuals.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: The project will deliver an international centre for sustainable design for the creative and manufacturing sectors with the necessary capital equipment and personnel to deliver sustained growth in the regional design led economy.

Estimated Cost: Approx £20million over the Convergence funding period

Where might the match funding come from: The match funding would come from the University, local authority and private sector partners

Date:14/04/08

Organisation Name:  Cardiff University  +  Calsonic Kansei Ltd

Project Description: The aim of this project is to recover waste heat from a vehicle exhaust in the from of electricity. this would be available to power ancillary vehicle devices such as coolant water pump, thus reducing the effective load on the engine. It is envisaged that this would lead to an improvement in fuel use of up to 10% compared to today's systems.

Email Address: john.smith@ckeurope.com

Geographical Area of Operation: Worldwide

Organisation Core Business:  CU - Electronic devices , CK - Automotive heat exchangers and systems

Who will be involved in delivering the project: Cardiff University & Calsonic Kansei

Who will be the end beneficiaries: All future vehicle users

Spatial area/s to be covered by the project: Pan Wales

What might the outputs(activity measures Research papers and actual models for presentation to potential Customers

What might be the results of the project: Improvmenet in vehicle efficiency.

What would its impact be Reduction in vehicle fuel usage.

Roughly what might be the scale of the project: Preliminary research - 1 year followed by 2 years product development.

Estimated Cost: Not yet established - being evaluated at the moment.

Where might the match funding come from: Welsh Assembly Government - Calsonic Kansei Ltd

More project Ideas on Page 2