DECEMBER 2013
This is the fourth ‘newsletter’ for the Science City Energy Efficiency project. The aim is to share
information about progress and updates on the achievements on the project and the wider Science
City Research Alliance.
Science City Research Alliance Energy Efficiency project
Science City Programme news:
The Science City Research Alliance website is now live – the address is:
www.sciencecityresearchalliance.co.uk The website covers all 6 Science City
projects across the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick and gives a much
greater external presence for the programme. A key aspect of the website is the
use of case studies to show how Science City researchers have supported regional
businesses – please contact the project manager if you have any case studies
which can be used: andrew.todd@warwick.ac.uk
Prof Chris McConville
SCRA Director
Energy Efficiency project update:
The Energy Efficiency project has now completed its financial phase and the project budget is
finished. In total, the project received £9.4million equipment funding and £1 million revenue
funding – spending 98.9% of the available budget. The project delivery will continue until March
2018 and both universities are committed to the Science City Research Alliance and building
industrial collaboration around the facilities.
Outputs:
The targets for presentations, skills and research papers now been achieved and the outputs for
jobs created is progressing well (with around 7 positions to be appointed). Most of the outputs
have now been achieved. The Senior Executive Group for the Science City programme (senior
management at the two universities) is keen that the project continues to record output
information and over achieve.
Please let me know if you have any potential outputs we may be able to claim. In particular, new
jobs in your research groups, graduates into West Midland jobs and interactions with business.
Output
Jobs Created – New jobs created
Business Creation – business created &
demonstrating growth
Business Support – business supported to improve
their performance
Business Support- business engaged in new
collaborations with the knowledge base
Skills – People assisted to improve skills
Graduates into private sector
Levered Revenue Funding
New Patents or Licence Agreements
Workshops
Peer Reviewed Publications
Presentations at Conferences
Claimed to Final Target
%
date
(by June
Complete
(Nov 2013)
2015)
39
50
78%
1
4
25%
26
50
52%
24
50
231
225
11
18
£20,711,726 £20,000,000
4
3
20
20
209
205
123
120
48%
103%
61%
104%
133%
100%
102%
103%
Please continue to acknowledge the Science City funding in grant applications, papers and by using
the logos on presentations so we can achieve these outputs.
See go.warwick.ac.uk/am2/acknowledgements to download logos and for further information.
DECEMBER 2013
Business Engagement:
The Energy Efficiency project has engaged with a wide range of industry partners:

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The business engagement activities generated through the ‘Big Idea’ competition have now been
completed and have led to 4 new business assists.
Further engagement in solar events is leading to several new opportunities.
A major SCRA-supported event - The Heating a Nation: 2014 and Beyond Conference - is being
organised at the University of Warwick on 26 & 27 February 2014 with the Energy Utilities Alliance
and Business Council for Sustainable Development and will generate business assists for the
Energy Efficiency project. Please contact Sam Hardy samuel.a.hardy@warwick.ac.uk if you know
any companies who may wish to attend.
Other project news:
The project has been very successful in winning research grants:
 The University of Birmingham has won a £6m grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council to create a new Centre for Cryogenic Energy Storage. The technology uses offpeak electricity to liquefy air. The cryogenic liquid that is formed is stored in a vessel then
vapourised into a gas during an expansion process, which drives a turbine. This could reduce the
costs of integrating intermittent generation into the electricity system and ensure power is
available when it is most needed. The project is expected to have links to Science City around the
Future Fuels and Engines group and use the thermal cameras for analysis.
 Engineering students working under Dr Stuart Hillmansen at the University of Birmingham have
designed and built the first hydrogen powered railway locomotive to operate in the UK. This may
provide an alternative to diesel on non-electrified lines. The loco uses solid state metal hydride
tank at relatively low pressure similar to the hydrogen barge at Birmingham but also features
regenerative braking to capture, store and re-use braking energy.
 Welcome to Dr Martin Herreros who has been awarded one of the Science City Research Alliance
Fellowships to work with Future Fuels and Engines research group. Martin takes over from Dr
Jakub Piaszyk who has left the project to work at JCB.
News from other SCRA projects:
 Three of the new Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) which were awarded recently are closely
aligned with Science City Research Alliance activities and themes:
o Fuel Cells and their fuels: the new centre will continue the existing collaboration between
the Universities of Birmingham, Loughborough and Nottingham under the Midlands Energy
Consortium. The CDT will be led by Prof Robert Steinberger-Wilckens in the School of
Chemical Engineering but will also include Chemistry, Physics and Metalllurgy and Materials
at Birmingham. The CDT also includes significant industrial engagement including Intelligent
Energy, Teer Coatings, Air Products and Cenex.
o Diamond Science and Technology: this CDT is led by Prof Mark Newton of the Diamond
group at the University of Warwick and includes the Warwick Electrochemistry and
Interfaces group and other University partners. The CDT will explore and develop the multifunctional properties of diamond (thermal, mechanical, electrical, optical etc) and the
opportunities for innovative technologies based on diamond which have the potential to
lead to major advances in basic science and end-application performance.
o Physical Sciences for Health (Sci-Phy-4-Health): led by Prof Mike Hannon in the School of
Chemistry at Birmingham, the CDT will combine the physical sciences, computer sciences
and biomedicine in an inter-disciplinary programme to address three of the key UK health
challenges - trauma, heart disease and ageing.
 More than £135 million has now been levered into the Science City Research Alliance. This includes
funding from the Research Councils, Technology Strategy Board, European Commission and charities.
The programme has worked with more than 200 businesses in the West Midlands alone (and many
more nationally and internationally) and created more than 300 jobs in the West Midlands.
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If you have any feedback or news you would like to share, please contact Andrew Todd, Energy Efficiency
Project Manager at andrew.todd@warwick.ac.uk