Frimley, 2011-Oct-25
Today, Tuesday October 25th, Managers of Siemens Corporate Technology and Siemens Industry Sector met senior executives from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at their Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, Oxford.
The visit included tours of the Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility, and the ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source, both world-leading facilities for research in the physical and life sciences, and a final stop at the new Siemens-STFC particle accelerator test bunker in ISIS.
This will be leading to a joint Research Agreement in the future with the prospect of further collaborations in wide spectrum technologies over the next five years.
The goal to position the UK at the cutting edge of computer development and enabling a new testing facility for accelerator technology was recently confirmed with a significant investment of the UK government at the STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory. At the same occasion Professor Susan Smith, STFC Director of Accelerator Science and Technology said "Our focus now is to engage with industry to develop compact accelerators which are cheaper to build and cheaper to operate."
Particle accelerator based innovative solutions promise to address several of today’s most pressing challenges in the fields of healthcare, energy, industry and environmental sustainability. A newly created strategic partnership between the STFC and Siemens AG aims to combine together the world class scientific expertise of STFC and the business understanding and market access of Siemens.
Siemens Corporate Technology and Concept are working in collaboration with STFC using for example the facilities at ISIS at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford. A Direct Current (DC) Electrostatic Accelerator marks a breakthrough in accelerator technology. Compact size and low complexity compared to existing particle accelerator concepts promise significantly reduced costs and may lead to a broad range of potential new applications like isotope production, waste water treatment or cargo inspection.
“An integrated technology company thrives on synergies” states Dr. Reinhold Achatz, Head of Corporate Research and Technologies, Siemens’ global research organisation. "Innovations have been one of the most important factors in Siemens’ success from the very beginning. Our goal is to create pioneering achievements and be a technological trendsetter in all of our fields of business in order to safeguard competitive advantages for our customers."
Professor John Womersley, STFC Director of Science Programmes, said: “STFC depends on particle accelerator technology for our present and future science facilities, like Diamond and ISIS. But we are also committed to developing accelerators to address key societal challenges and applications. This new partnership with Siemens is an important step in strengthening that direction. The products that will result from this collaboration have the potential to have a big impact on peoples’ lives.”
-Ends-
Notes to editors:
Siemens Healthcare Technology and Concepts
The Direct Current (DC) Electrostatic Accelerator find its applications cross all sectors of Siemens e.g. isotope production, waste water treatment, cargo inspection. Siemens Healthcare Technology and Concepts (HTC) is headed by Dr. Oliver Heid and part of Siemens Corporate Research & Technologies (CT). Beyond development of a compact Direct Current (DC) Electrostatic Accelerator and other novel particle accelerators Dr. Heid and his Team are working on a variety of projects including consulting and identification of new business opportunities. The interdisciplinary team brings together knowledge and competencies from different disciplines to effectively explore new ideas. This is achieved by a collaborative, human-centered, iterative, and practical approach and is facilitated by collaborations with well-known universities, scientists and researchers worldwide. Recently Dr. Heid was appointed to a visiting professorship of Applied Sciences at the University of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England.
Siemens in the UK
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 168 years ago and now employs around 16,000 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £4.1 billion. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
Laura Bennett
PR Manager
Communications & Government Affairs
Siemens plc
Sir William Siemens Square
Frimley
Camberley
GU16 8QD
Tel: + 44 (0)1276 696374
Mobile: + 44 (0)7808 823598
Email: laura.bennett@siemens.com
STFC
The Science and Technology Facilities Council is keeping the UK at the forefront of international science and tackling some of the most significant challenges facing society such as meeting our future energy needs, monitoring and understanding climate change, and global security.
The Council has a broad science portfolio and works with the academic and industrial communities to share its expertise in materials science, space and ground-based astronomy technologies, laser science, microelectronics, wafer scale manufacturing, particle and nuclear physics, alternative energy production, radio communications and radar.
STFC operates or hosts world class experimental facilities including:
- in the UK; ISIS pulsed neutron source, the Central Laser Facility, and LOFAR. STFC is also the majority shareholder in Diamond Light Source Ltd.
- overseas; telescopes on La Palma and Hawaii
It enables UK researchers to access leading international science facilities by funding membership of international bodies including European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
STFC is one of seven publicly-funded research councils. It is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL)
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) is near Didcot in Oxfordshire. It has a global reputation for excellence and is one of the foremost laboratories of its kind. RAL was named after Lord Ernest Rutherford and Sir Edward Victor Appleton and supports research in areas including materials and structures, light sources, astronomy and particle physics.
Every year about 10,000 scientists and engineers use the Laboratory's facilities to advance their research. Many are academics and post-graduate students working on projects funded by STFC. Around 1,200 of STFC's own scientific and support staff work at RAL.
The laboratory's programme is designed to deliver trained manpower and economic growth for the UK as the result of achievements in science.
The Science Vale UK Enterprise Zone in Oxfordshire, which comprises Milton Park and Harwell Oxford, home to the world class facilities at STFC's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory as well as the Diamond Light Source, is expected to bring in around 4800 jobs to the area and generate up to £10.5m of additional business rates per year.
Visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_Appleton_Laboratory
or
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/About+STFC/51.aspx
About ISIS
The ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire is a world-leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences. It is owned and operated by the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
ISIS produces beams of neutrons and muons that allow scientists to study materials at the atomic level using a suite of instruments, often described as ‘super-microscopes’. It supports a national and international community of more than 2000 scientists who use neutrons and muons for research in physics, chemistry, materials science, geology, engineering and biology. It is the most productive research centre of its type in the world.
From the original vision over 30 years ago, ISIS has become one of the UK’s major scientific achievements. As the world’s leading pulsed neutron and muon source, ISIS has changed the way the world views neutron scattering.
