The introduction of innovative manufacturing techniques is steadily revolutionising the way we live in the UK and globally. Specifically, the possibility of printing materials and devices (including flexible printed electronics) herald a new era with unparalleled solutions to tackle many global economic and societal challenges, such as personalised healthcare, energy harvesting, information processing and sustainability. Organic semiconductors are a class of lightweight and flexible organic molecules with unprecedented potential for printing electronic devices, such as wearable sensors for personalised health monitoring. The electronic performance of thin films of these molecules critically depends on the degree of their molecular alignment in the deposited patterns. Nonetheless, current printing techniques (e.g., inkjet printing) are limited in the level of alignment that can be realistically achieved while patterning OSC films, thus ultimately hindering the integration of organic semiconductors in devices. In this project, we propose to develop a novel non-contact printing technique capable of improving molecular alignment in thin polymer films and, thus, of boosting the electronic performance of printed organic semiconducting films. Our approach will be based on the contactless transport of tiny droplets containing dissolved organic semiconductor molecules. While moving, these droplets can deposit material on a substrate with a preferential direction, thus enhancing processes of molecular alignment and self-assembly. We envisage that our novel approach to printing organic semiconductors will not only generate fundamental understanding about phenomena of molecular deposition, alignment and self-assembly, but it will also enable us to improve the performance of flexible printed electronics for the development of flexible electronic devices based on organic semiconductors.

The vision for our CDT in Optical Medical Imaging is to train the next generation of entrepreneurs with a "Heart for Science and a Brain for Business". The CDT will focus on a major priority area in applied physical sciences, optical imaging. Optical imaging /sensing is a major technological platform that is now ubiquitous in biomedicine and is rapidly emerging as an efficacious 'point of care' sensing and imaging modality in clinical medicine exemplified by its rapid, economic and high-throughput applicability. The future expansion and dissemination of physical sciences in optical imaging will depend on scientists with both academic and commercial acumen. Therefore alongside excellence of training and supervision in world-leading scientific environments our training program features a bespoke masters course in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship delivered by the University of Edinburgh Business School and the Hunter Centre (at University of Strathclyde) with the expectation that this unique and formal entrepreneurial training will breed a new generation of physical scientists trained within a clinically focused setting with the ability to fully exploit the UKs research potential in healthcare technologies. Key elements of our CDT are: (i). From outset we will engender 'cohort' cohesiveness. This will be achieved through initial weekend team building activities (including supervisors) at outdoor centres. Specific scientific training will be delivered 'en-bloc' in summer and winter schools and the establishment of 2 virtually-linked physical 'hubs' will allow activities such as a weekly journal club. Furthermore, twice monthly meetings of the entire CDT will ensure efficient communication/networking/collaboration. We will also explore the use of portable communication tools that allow all CDT members immediate communication and sharing of papers and information between the hubs. (ii). PhD in Optical Medical Imaging: "CDT Scholars" will be assigned a supervisory committee comprising at least two supervisors originating from different schools (e.g. physical and medical/clinical), a pastoral mentor and a clinical mentor with the aim of enhancing the level of collaboration and the multi-disciplinary nature of the training. The PhD will encompass taught scientific components alongside week long intensive summer and winter schools to consolidate subject specific training. Scientific excellence is an absolute prerequisite. (iii). CDT Scholars will gain an MSc in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A key aim of our training program is to produce business-ready graduates who are equipped with the skills required to translate their advanced knowledge of physical and clinical sciences into commercial and clinical reality. The cohort of CDT scholars will participate in MSc training encompassing business and entrepreneurship skills; ethical innovation and new idea generation; venture financing; corporate partnering. CDT Scholars will also participate in comprehensive problem-based learning modules and 3-month secondments including placements with regulators, patent attorneys, innovation/incubator centres and companies. (iv). Clinically focused training: "CDT Scholars" will receive generic and bespoke training. Generic training will include comprehensive problem-based learning modules in: Ethics; Regulatory governance; GLP/GMP processes; First-in-man clinical study development delivered by regulatory consultants and active clinicians. Bespoke training/exposure will be provided by clinician mentors aligned to the individual CDT projects who will provide bedside teaching within the adjoining Royal Infirmary. In Summary, this CDT in Optical Medical Imaging will train the 'next generation' of healthcare scientists who will be empowered to gain the maximum impact from their research, commercial ventures, industrial applications and social engagements.

The digitalisation of manufacturing is a key enabler in the UK Government drive to raise the level of industrial productivity to match and exceed leading competitors. Whilst basic digital technology applications in manufacturing are not new, there are two key trends that predicate the timeliness of the proposed research: (1) manufacturing organisations are increasingly seeing information as a key strategic addition to their product offerings; (2) major innovations in computer science, control and informatics have created new opportunities for major breakthroughs in manufacturing. One of the critical challenges is how to support the digital manufacturing transformation of SMEs and introduce new methods of production that take into account the latest control, communication and AI technologies in a sector characterised by limited capital investment and research potential. Whilst there is significant body of knowledge in this area it is mostly focused on relatively expensive solutions which are often unaffordable to SMEs? This project will therefore address a common concern that recent developments in digital manufacturing are unlikely to accessible by SMEs owing to the associated capital cost of upgrading industrial computing and communication environments. The project proposes a radically different approach to the digital evolution of a manufacturing operation by focussing predominantly on non industrial solutions to industrial automation and information challenges. It will seek to exploit very low cost commercially available technologies for mobile computing, sensing, AI and tackle the challenges associated with integrating these safely and securely into a small scale manufacturing environment. As well as conventional research activities, the project will more radically involve student hackathons as a means of stimulating low cost software development, will use an in-house technology transfer organisation to access SME organisations, and engage directly with the High Value Manufacturing catapult demonstration network as a means of reaching the maximum number of potential users. Stretch targets for the programme include the introduction of low cost product tracking, exploiting emerging industrial IoT platforms and AI-based flexible control using commercially available AI and voice recognition development environments. The project will supplement the traditional research and development approaches with some innovative implementation development activities in which (i) undergraduate and graduate students in both engineering and computer science and integrated via a series of hackathons and software and hardware development competitions (ii) a series of workshops will be targeted at local start up and SME IT communities to engage them directly in the development of applications and products (iii) by working directly with technology transfer organisations to ensure that not only the final message but also the starting rationale for the work fully engages the SME manufacturing community.

The Centre's themes align with the 'Towards A Data Driven Future' and 'Enabling Intelligence' priority areas, meeting the needs identified by UKRI to provide a highly skilled - and in demand - workforce focused on ensuring positive, human-centred benefits accrued from innovations in data driven and intelligence-based systems. The Centre has a distinct and methodologically challenging "people-first" perspective: unlike an application-orientated approach (where techniques are applied to neatly or simplistically defined problems, sometimes called "solutionism"), this lens will ensure that intense, multi-faceted and iterative explorations of the needs, capabilities and values of people, and wider societal views, challenge and disrupt computational science. In a world of big data and artificial intelligence, the precious smallness of real individuals with their values and aspirations are easily overlooked. Even though the impact of data-driven approaches and intelligence are only beginning to be felt at a human scale, there are already signs of concern over what these will mean for life, with governments and others worldwide addressing implications for education, jobs, safety and indeed even what is unique in being human. Sociologists, economists and policy makers of course have a role in ensuring positive outcomes for people and society of data-driven and intelligence systems; but, computational scientists have a pivotal duty too. Our viewpoint, then, will always see the human as a first-class citizen in the future physical-digital world, not perceiving themselves as outwitted, devalued or marginalised by the expanding capabilities of machine computation, automation and communication. Swansea and the wider region of Wales is a place and community where new understandings of data science and machine intelligence are being formed within four challenging contexts defined in the Internet Coast City Deal: Life Science and Well-being; Smart Manufacturing; Smart and Sustainable Energy; and Economic Acceleration. Studies commissioned by the City Deal and BEIS evidence the science and innovation strengths in Swansea and region in these areas and indicate how transformational investments in these areas will be for the region and the UK. Our Centre will, then, immerse cohorts in these contexts to challenge them methodologically and scientifically. The use of data-driven and intelligence systems in each of the four contexts gives rise to security, privacy and wider ethical, legal, governance and regulatory issues and our Centre also has a cross-cutting theme to train students to understand, accommodate and shape current and future developments in these regards. Cohort members will work to consider how the Centre's challenge themes direct and drive their thinking about data and intelligence, benefitting from both the multidisciplinary team that have built strong research agendas and connections with each of the contexts and the rich set of stakeholders that are our Centre has assembled. Importantly, a process of pivoting between challenge themes will be applied: insights, methods and challenges from one theme and its research projects will be tested and extended in others with the aim of enriching all. These, along with several other mechanisms (such as intra- and inter-cohort sandpits and side projects) are designed to develop a powerful bonding and shaping "cohort effect". The need for and value of our Centre is evidenced by substantial external industrial investment we have have secured: £1,750,000 of cash and £4,136,050 in-kind (total:£5,886,050). These partners and stakeholders have helped create the vision and detail of the proposal and include: Vint Cerf ("father of the internet" and Vice President of Google); NHS; Pfizer; Tata Steel; Ford; QinetiQ; McAfee; Ordnance Survey; Facebook; IBM; Microsoft; Fujitsu; Worshipful Company of IT Spiritual and Ethical Panel; and, Vicki Hanson (CEO, Association of Computing Machinery).