A wide variety of projects, which include developing new laser sources, materials, and processes, several medical projects, and refined measurement of fundamental physical properties, have benefitted from awards from our second round of funding, Call 2.
Eleven projects share in over £500,000 pounds of impact acceleration funding from the PQA.
Dr Theodosia Stratoudaki’s project at University of Strathclyde is a proof of concept for using a robotically enabled laser ultrasound system for in-process inspection during welding and Wire-based Direct Energy Deposition (DED), which offers significant economic and environmental benefits to UK-based companies, and to wider society.
Dr Iliyana Samardzhieva and Prof Antonio Badolato, both at the University of Glasgow, are looking at refining fabrication techniques in Lithium Niobate and Silicon Carbide respectively, to reduce the costs of manufacturing photonic and quantum devices which will lead to further innovation and new products and services in these sectors.
A number of medical projects were funded. Dr Caroline Muellenbroich at the University of Glasgow is working on a prototype Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging system to better understand the dynamics of the heart, particularly observing how it responds to new drugs, improving safety and reducing time to market, partnering with Clyde Biosciences Ltd. Dr Mike Tanner at Heriot Watt University is developing widefield fluorescent imaging techniques to inform a cobot inspection system to assist decontamination of surgical instruments in association with Tiny Air Ltd. Dr Ralf Bauer at the University of Strathclyde is collaborating with Northern Lights Microscopy Ltd to create a new module for their advanced microscopy platform that will offer their customers optimal specimen imaging over multi-day imaging sessions, increasing biodiscovery as well as commercial impact and growth. Dr Yu Chen at the University of Strathclyde is developing an advanced cancer diagnostic system that utilises a non-invasive liquid biopsy where biomarkers can be detected with higher sensitivity, speed, specificity and reliability.
Two of our projects are investigating more refined measurement processes of physical properties. Dr Andrea Di Falco at the University of St Andrews is building a demonstrator for a new pH sensing technology based on holographic metasurfaces, usable in low-volume solutions, transforming small and industrial-scale research laboratories, speeding up tests and delivery of new drugs. Prof Stephen Sweeney at the University of Glasgow is revolutionising temperature measurement by developing a chip-scale approach with embedded primary references in semiconductor chips incorporating nano-scale photonic resonators, promising a step-change in temperature measurement impacting many applications and supporting progress towards net zero, in collaboration with NPL.
Prof Derryck Reid of Heriot-Watt University is producing a novel ultrafast Ti-Sapphire laser combining an ultra-simple, directly-diode-pumped architecture with an innovative optical assembly concept, preparing a practical pathway to end-user evaluation and future commercialisation.
Dr Carlos Garcia Nunez of the University of Glasgow is investigating the use of electro-optically active materials in photonic circuits, enabling high-speed, energy-efficient, and miniaturised size, facilitating the development of new emerging technologies such as quantum photonic circuits with precise control over quantum states of light and laser systems, useful in LiDAR for autonomous vehicles and advanced imaging.