The University of Sheffield
Research & Innovation Services

Proof of Concept Projects

Proof of Concept funding and Matched Proof of Concept funding supported academic staff with the development of commercial ideas to the point at which they can engage with external collaborators and gain further investment. Below are brief summaries on the projects that the KTA funded:

Faculty of Engineering

Fibreglass insulation manufacture: Recycling of waste into a high-value product - Dr Russell Hand

Improved productivity in aerospace materials machining - Dr Neil Sims

Sub cellular resolution in OCT ("The 200nm SLD") - Professor Richard Hogg

LIMA – forensic imaging systems - Professor Nigel Allinson

Novel technology to fabricate ultrahigh efficient green emitters in white LED application - Professor Tao Wang

Field trials of microbubble flotation actuated by fluidic oscillation - Professor Will Zimmerman

Recombinant protein expression enhancer - Professor David James

High temperature multilayer actuators for diesel fuel injection systems - Professor Ian Reaney

Scaling WSD for the Life Sciences - Dr Mark Stevenson

A high contrast emission diagnostic tool for early non-invasive cancer detection - Prof John Haycock, Prof Sheila MacNeil & Dr Julia Weinstein

The development of direct manufacturing process for low cost titanium coil springs - Dr Martin Jackson

Evaluation of a novel biocompatible polypyrole nanoparticle optical contrast agent for OCT imaging – Dr Stephen Matcher

3D antenna - Dr Luke Seed & Dr Alan Tennant

Faculty of Science

Nanoparticles - Professor Steve Armes

Novel device measures viscosity of fluids - Dr Rees, Dr Fairclough, Professor Zimmerman

Novel bone binding MRI contrast agents - Dr Simon Jones and Dr Nigel Hoggard

Liquid drive cell for atomic force microscopy - Dr Jamie Hobbs

Novel nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents - Dr Simon Jones

A concise synthesis of aromatic boronic esters - Professor Joe Harrity

Development of novel anti-inflammatory inhibitors - Professor Iain Coldham

Worm-like nanoparticles - Professor Steve Armes

Real time active filter for tip enhanced spectroscopy - Dr Ashley Cadby

A wearable active sensing device using tactile displays - Professor Tony Prescott & Dr Tom Stafford

A luminescent transition metal-based tagging system for pharmaceutical drug discovery - Professor Carl Smythe & Dr James Thomas

Towards the commercialisation of online rheometric sensor – Dr Julia Rees

Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health

Glass compositions for regenerative bone cements: exemplification of patent application - Professor Paul Hatton & Dr Cheryl Miller

Detection of urinary tract infection (UTI) from home activity data - Professor Mark Hawley

Development of conjugated aptamers for diagnosis and therapy - Professor Tim Skerry