CONTENTS

BRITISH INNOVATION

A springboard to global growth
Andrew Cahn, UK Trade & Investment

Innovation: the business of shaping our world
David Golding, Technology Strategy Board

Going global
Jonathan Kestenbaum, NESTA

Diversity is good for innovation
Annette Williams, UKRC for Women in SET

Promoting physics supporting physicists
Institute of Physics

The cost-saving CEO
Taylor Wessing

The BIC network
UK Trade & Investment

Innovation inspires R&D tax relief
PricewaterhouseCoopers

OPEN INNOVATION

KEY TECHNOLOGY

Addressing cross sectoral issues
Integrated Products Manufacturing KTN

Research Councils

Meeting the global challenge
Research Councils

The UK?s National Science and Innovation Campuses
Science & Technology Facilities Council

Aerospace & Defence

Enabling technology through innovative approaches
Aerospace & Defence KTN

Defence technologies for civilian applications
Ploughshare Innovations

Biometrics

Securing the future
Intellect Association for Biometrics

Biotechnology

Supporting life sciences in the capital
London First

Tackling the threat of electronic crime
Cyber Security KTN

Electronics

From invention to innovation
Electronics KTN

Grid Computing Now! KTN

Energy

A global fusion
UK Atomic Energy Authority

Design for a one planet economy
Giraffe Innovation

Managing carbon in the corporate and public sectors
Greenstone Carbon Management

Towards an energy efficient future
British Electrotechnical and Allied

Manufacturers Association (BEAMA) Home help
Energy Institute

Healthcare

Connecting people and technology
Health Technologies KTN

A centre of excellence for innovative translational research
University of Birmingham

Feeling your way to design success
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement

University-industry collaborations
Imperial College London

Lost in translation
Pearson Matthews Innovation Consultants

Location and Timing

Location and Timing KTN
Intelligent Transport Systems

Mapping the route to intelligent transport systems deployment
Innovits KTN

Drive down fleet costs and reduce carbon emissions?
Energy Saving Trust

DRIVENet and sustainable vehicle engineering
Oxford Brookes University

Manufacturing

Breaking the mould
Manufacturing Technologies Association

University of Nottingham

An innovative history
Scott Bader

Innovation for tomorrow?s built environment
Modern Built Environment KTN

MATERIALS

Innovations in materials deliver value for money
Materials KTN

Nanotechnology

Nanotechnology in the UK
Nano KTN

Linking technology push with market pull
NanoCentral

Running the risks
European Nanotechnology Trade Alliance

Nanofabrication solutions
Kelvin Nanotechnology

Innovative science for global applications
Oxford Instruments

Leading positive change for global industry
The Centre for Process Innovation

PHOTONICS

Making light work for industry
Photonics KTN

SENSORS & INSTRUMENTS

Unlocking the potential of the UK?s sensing community
Sensors & Instruments KTN

CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE

Investing in the future
Invest Northern Ireland

Ulster innovation delivering business success
University of Ulster

Focus: Northern Ireland

Belfast ? a city of creativity and innovation
Belfast City Council

A natural centre for innovation
London Development Agency

England?s East Midlands ? an innovative region
East Midlands Development Agency

Making it in Leeds
The City of Leeds

Collaboration in wireless technologies
Wireless Centre of Industrial Collaboration

Industrial Collaboration at the University of Leeds
Engineering Design CIC

Innovations
One North East

Focus: North West of England

Connectivity, Catchment, Cost
St. Helens

Focus: South West of England

Be part of the equation
West of England Partnership

All change for Hastings
Innovation Centre Hastings

ITI Scotland

UK SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PARKS

Raising the standards
UK Science Park Association

Special focus: collaboration
Edinburgh Science Triangle

Innovation: the key to economic growth
County Durham Development Company

Solutions across boundaries
Norwich Research Park

Partnership provides innovation success
Wolverhampton Science Park

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

The outsourcing advantage
Business Services Association

Fast start UK
Tenon Outsourcing

Inward investment trends
HSBC

Divine intervention
British Business Angels Association

Know your rights
Intellectual Property Office

A perfect patent
Beresford & Co

Putting IP at the centre of business strategy
Cambridge Intellectual Property

USEFUL INFORMATION

Science lessons
GovNet Communications

Useful addresses

KEY TECHNOLOGY

INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS: INnOVITS KTN

Mapping the route to
Intelligent Transport
Systems deployment

The challenges faced by transport are well known, but solutions are harder to find

Whether it is improving the efficiency and reliability of journeys, making them safer or more environmentally friendly, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are increasingly being recognised as often cost-effective options for transport improvements offering improved traffic management, decision support and demand management as well as supporting smarter choices through better travel information and personal services.

As is often the case with technology however, ITS solutions can be solutions in search of problems, or at least not directly addressing the real issues that transport users and transport authorities face. To ensure that the transport challenges are genuinely met, the development of new technologies requires a constructive and evolving dialogue between users, technology providers and procuring agencies.

In the UK this process is being supported by the Intelligent Transport Systems Knowledge Transfer Network (ITS KTN) which links government agencies and industry, local authority and academic networks to facilitate knowledge sharing and drive the development technology for sustainable transport solutions. The process is facilitated by themed workshops around specific challenges and the evolving dialogue is captured and communicated through the development of a technology roadmap describing the landscape of the issues, challenges, solutions and technologies. The roadmap, as illustrated in the diagram, aims to identify the applications and technologies that meet real challenges and also satisfy market requirements.

As a case study, the ITS KTN has run a series of workshops exploring the issues around Sustainable Freight that have included government departments and agencies, local authorities, freight operators, technology providers and academic researchers among many others. The issues and challenges in achieving a strong yet sustainable freight industry are significant. The environmental impact of freight movement in particular is often at odds with business effectiveness. At a local level for example, the movement of freight through an urban network can have major environmental impact on local emissions, noise levels and safety.

However, that movement is often a requirement for a thriving local economy, with many retailers and manufacturers relying on just-in-time deliveries to town centre sites or out-of-town business parks. Similarly, booming internet shopping is supported by increasing home deliveries, often with different small vans running to the same streets.

Through the workshops we have captured a freight operator?s perspective and here the focus is one primarily of cost. With fuel costs running at more than 50% of the total, fuel efficiency is right at the top of the list. Here ITS solutions can help significantly. One major UK operator reports BCR of 3:1 for fleet management system, mainly based on fuel savings, so the business case for investment in technology is strong. However, with most operators operating at a margin of less than 4% return on sales, there is little scope for investment and still less for engaging in development projects.

One of the key drivers for transport authorities is the reduction in local emissions, both carbon dioxide and pollutants, and a number of technology solutions are presenting themselves. London, of course, is using technology as enforcement of its Low Emission Zone. For heavy freight the ability to maintain ?way? is crucial to fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. A co-operative solution involving traffic signalling could provide a ?green wave?, perhaps to a platoon of several freight vehicles. The requirement for greater co-operation between freight operators and infrastructure providers has been a consistent theme.

Driving more smartly can reap huge fuel savings and these translate directly into reductions in CO2. At least one manufacturer has already trialled an ITS solution in which information provided to the driver of a vehicle in a heavily congested urban environment yielded significant fuel savings. In a project called SENTIENCE, currently nearing completion here in the UK, an industry consortium is investigating how map-based and traffic information can be directly used to control a vehicle to deliver similar fuel savings. By taking into account how the road ahead bends and goes up and down hill, together with the traffic conditions expected ahead, the vehicle is better able to adapt its acceleration and braking and optimise its use of ancillary systems such as air conditioning. Why accelerate when approaching a sharp bend or a traffic light that is about to switch to red? Use the air conditioning unit now when there is surplus energy available and not when about to climb a hill.

Underpinning many of these technology solutions, from real-time traffic information, fleet management, sophisticated route planning or next-generation driver assistance systems, is a requirement for sophisticated data management and modelling. As a separate theme the ITS KTN has been exploring the requirements in this area too, supported by experts in high-performance computing and mathematics. Again the focus has been to identify the user requirements and to understand how the latest methods can be applied to real problems. It emerged quickly that the prime issue for much modelling, particularly for transport planning, is one of speed, with long run-times of the conventional models a significant constraint on what can be achieved and the quality of the results. As a direct result of the workshop one of the leading consultancies has linked up with experts from Oxford University to dramatically speed up one of the main planning models used in the UK.

In the final analysis we are only going to solve the transport challenges we face by applying technology in innovative ways. This will require new solutions and may need new players to deliver effectively. We can learn from other industries in terms of business models and technology. The ITS KTN welcomes participation with any innovator with something to contribute.


innovITS
John Eccles House
Oxford Science Park
Oxford OX4 4GP
Tel: 01865 338012
Website: www.innovits.com
Website: www.its-ktn.org.uk