Curventa and Siemens
Nano-scale car
The ceremony touched on last year's projects, which included the creation of a 3D printed nano-scale Land Speed Record-making car.The government's Department for Business Innovation and Skills (Bis) has awarded £750,000 in prize money for innovative ideas that have been turned into a reality.
The 2013 Fast Forward Competition saw some 77 entries from universities and other institutions put forward their proposals for ground-breaking projects that could transform the country's business and services sector.
At total of 12 entries for the competition were awarded prizes of between £12,000 and £90,000 coming from areas including healthcare, design, clean technology, social enterprise, construction, engineering and aerospace.
Lord Younger, Minister for Intellectual Property (IP), commented: "It is vital for universities and industry to find new ways of working with different partners in new areas and supporting growth. These projects embody that mindset and I congratulate them on their success."
Bournemouth University's intriguing "3D printing and intellectual property implications for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)" entry caused a stir, but failed to walk away with a cash prize.
The project identified the fact that additive manufacturing - or 3D printing - is shifting into the consumer marketplace, raising numerous challenges for SMEs regarding IP.
The entry builds on the university's prior research into IP and 3D printing led by principal investigator and coordinator of the centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management Dr Dinusha Mendis. It invited SMEs to make use of the institution's 3D printing suite and collectively generate knowledge about the opportunities and obstacles to IP innovation and exploration relating to the technology.
The research the project yielded will be showcased at a special 3D printing workshop held at Bournemouth University, which will form the basis for the establishing of a "cross-sector Expert Working Group in 3D printing".
Last year, Bournemouth University walked away with a £75,000 prize for its work with the Universities of Portsmouth and Southampton, which saw the institutions create a cross-organisational innovation and knowledge exchange campus. The initiative - which focused on digital technologies, marine industries and advanced manufacturing - aimed to significantly develop the impact of IP in the southern part of the UK.
The 2013 event also included 2012 case studies, which also featured 3D printing. The University of the West of England's Bloodhound@University project aimed to design, build and run a Mach 1.4 (1,000mph) world land speed record car and worked to raise engagement with STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects at all levels.
The £80,000 Fast Forward Funding proved to be a catalyst for engaging with universities and student projects, including Bristol University's Centre for Functional Nano Materials.
One of the outcomes of this led to the creation of the world's smallest Land Speed Record Car using nano technology thanks to the involvement of 3D printing expert an Bloodhound@University Director Dan Johns' collaboration with academics to produce the world's first 3D printed nano-scale Land Speed Car using 2 Photon laser printing.
