Royal Commission boosts UK Research & Development with Fellowships linking academia and industry

• £100,000 awarded to 15 innovators to support industrial innovation in sectors including sustainability, medicinal and wellness.
• Projects selected include recycling nuclear material for cancer treatment, improved fertiliser efficiency and circadian rhythm-friendly lighting.
• Applications for the 2024 Industrial Fellowships are now open.

Some of the UK’s brightest innovators have been awarded the prestigious Industrial Fellowships by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.

This year’s cohort reflects the adaptability of an emerging generation of scientists and engineers, touching on sectors including sustainability, medicine, and wellness, to tackle the issues impacting the world today.

Supporting research talent has remained at the heart of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 since its establishment by Prince Albert. Today, the Commission enables UK R&D to remain competitive with international efforts through Fellowships, Scholarships and Awards, with a total imbursement of almost £4m per year.

The Industrial Fellowships are a crucial bridge between academia and industry to promote impactful research. Students work alongside academic and industrial partners to develop solutions to issues currently faced by members of their field.

To support a diverse array of sectors, the Commission has chosen innovators tackling projects including the recycling of nuclear materials to advance emerging cancer treatments and the creation of circadian rhythm-compatible lighting systems designed to enhance wellness, particularly for individuals with dementia.

Industrial Fellowships provide funding of up to £100,000, covering salary contributions, university fees and costs for doctoral studies for up to 3 years of research. The output of such an investment is estimated at £2 million a year in intellectual property, developing crucial new technologies and scientific advances that advance research fields and British industrial players. During the Fellowship, students are provided with support from academic and industrial supervisors.

John Lavery, Secretary at the Royal Commission said, “Bringing industry and academia together can yield the technologies and processes to ensure the UK remains a science and engineering superpower.

This year’s Fellows are working towards solutions to global challenges in health and sustainability and the Commission is proud to be able to support them in their journey.”

The full list of 2023 Industrial Fellows is:

• Peter Doggart, PulseAI Ltd. and Ulster University
  Optimising current emergency care systems using AI.
  
• Sara Abreu, Autolus and University College London
  Developing a methodology for purification of viral vectors.
  
• Gillian Cameron, Inspire and Ulster University
  Improving workplace wellbeing through specialised digital health interventions.
  
• Mark Bell, Leonardo UK and University of St Andrews
  Development of new radar-based mapping technology to reduce disruption or damage to Network Rail systems.
  
• Samantha Ree, National Nuclear Laboratory and The University of Manchester
  Exploring the re-use of rare radionucleotides from the UK’s stock of nuclear waste, for promising cancer treatment.
  
• Anna Miller, Syngenta and University of Oxford
  Developing an agrochemical to inhibit nitrification in agriculture and improve fertiliser efficiency and environmental impact.
  
• Fabian Spoendlin, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. And University of Oxford
  Using machine-learning methods in antibody therapeutics to accelerate antibody development.
  
• Matthew Southern, Sygnature Discovery Ltd. And University of Oxford
  Building a molecule library to improve development of new medicines.
  
• Claudine Greenwood, GSK and University of Strathclyde
  Identifying chemical tools to prevent antimicrobial resistance.
  
• Rebecca Stevens, GSK and University of University of Strathclyde
  Developing platform to improve valuable drug optimisation.
  
• Kate Turley, Chroma Lighting and Ulster University
  Creating personal circadian indoor lighting to improve symptoms of depression, sleep quality and overall wellbeing.
  
• Marina Economidou, GSK and University of Strathclyde
  Investigating the extraction of residual palladium in the pharmaceutical industry
  
• Sarah Oatway, 2PD Ltd. And Teesside University
  Investigating efficacy of software to treat phantom limb pain.
  
• Paul McHard, HAL Robotics Ltd. and University of Glasgow
  Developing an AI-based solution to improve quality control of manufactured parts.
  
• Aleksy Kwiatkowski, MSD and University of Oxford
  Exploring molecule formation process to improve synthesis of valuable macrocycles.