SummaryContinued improvement in the nation's health depends upon the efficient development of affordable replacement human tissue and related therapies; an acute shortage of willing organ donors and the shortcomings of conventional therapies leads to the preventable death of many patients each year. The next healthcare revolution will apply regenerative medicines, creating biological therapies or substitutes for the replacement or restoration of tissue function lost through failure or disease. However, whilst science has revealed the potential, and early products have shown the power of such therapies, there is now a need for the long term supply of people properly trained with the necessary skills to face the engineering and life science challenges before the predicted benefits in human healthcare can be realised. Because the products arising from this technology differ significantly from those made by mainstream pharmaceutical companies, training programmes currently available are poorly equipped to meet the demand for increasing numbers of appropriately trained personnel. We estimate that the number of engineers with the necessary skills to interact `on the same level' with cutting edge bioscientists and clinicians is very small, perhaps no more than 100 nationally; in such a small community 50 newly trained PhD's will have a very large impact. Here we propose a new UK based DTC in Regenerative Medicine integrated across three Universities with highly complementary expertise where students will be trained in the core skills needed to work at the life science/engineering interface and then engaged in strategic research programmes designed to address the major challenges in the field. This will ensure that the necessary people and enabling technologies are developed for the UK to lead in this rapidly growing worldwide marketplace.

There are three main drivers for the development of bioenergy and biofuels in the UK: Energy Security, Climate Change and Rural Development. Demand for oil is rising both from developed and developing countries and renewable alternatives are critical to ensure UK energy-security. Biofuels are fuels that are produced from plant material and are therefore renewable and will contribute to UK energy security. Biofuels also have the potential to deliver significant reductions in emissions provided that all stages of the supply chain are properly assessed and optimised. Lignocellulosic (plant cell wall) material is a valuable source of energy that can be derived from biomass crops and agricultural residues such as straw and spent grains. In addition this material may be derived from waste produced by industries that utilise wood and its derivatives. Harnessing the potential of lignocellulosic materials for the production of biofuels requires the deconstruction of plant cell walls using biological, chemical and physical processes to produce a fermentable feedstock. Furthermore it is essential that the processes developed limit the formation of toxic by-products (known as inhibitors) that reduce the potential for efficient fermentation. The fermentation of the liberated feedstock requires the development of appropriate strains that can use the range of sugars that comprise the cell wall whilst tolerating the process and product derived stresses. It is now vital that the UK addresses the challenge of effectively using lignocellulosic feedstocks to generate biofuels. To address this need, we will identify methods of feedstock production from plant cell wall materials that maximise sugar release but limit inhibitor formation. Furthermore we will develop super-tolerant yeast strains that can optimally ferment a range of sugars to form the biofuel ethanol. To achieve these aims Nottingham will build UK capacity in bioenergy and biofuels expertise by recruiting and training new talent and collaborating with multiple universities, institutes and companies. We will harness Nottingham's world class expertise in Fermentation, Microbiology and Biochemical Engineering, in close collaboration with Food scientists, Agricultural scientists and Social scientists. The University of Nottingham, which has international level researchers in all of these areas, will work in close collaboration with the Universities of Bath, Cambridge, Dundee, York, Newcastle and Surrey and Universities and Institutes in Africa, Europe, New Zealand and the USA. We will also work closely with Industry. We will focus on the generation of bioethanol from the lignocellulosic biomass including excess straw, spent grains and waste generated from food production. The processes used for this conversion will be optimized to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maximize energy output. Waste materials produced from the process will be harnessed by identification of potential co-products streams including the production of materials for the construction industry and to produce non-liquid fuels. We propose to: (1) increase the UK scientific expertise in lignocellulosic digestion and fermentation; (2) develop the scientific foundations of technologies by identifying robust yeast strains that can be improved to enable them to utilize lignocellulosic feedstocks (3) ensure that the processes developed maximise energy outputs and minimise greenhouse gas emissions; and (4) provide avenues for the implementation of these technologies in industry whilst actively communicating our research with the wider global community.

Regenerative medicine (RM) is a convergence of conventional pharmaceutical sciences, medical devices and surgical intervention employing novel cell and biomaterial based therapies. RM products replace or regenerate damaged or defective tissues such as skin, bone, and even more complex organs, to restore or establish normal function. They can also be used to improve drug testing and disease modelling. RM is an emerging industry with a unique opportunity to contribute to the health and wealth of the UK. It is a high value science-based manufacturing industry whose products will reduce the economic and social impact of an aging population and increasing chronic disease.The clinical and product opportunities for RM have become clear and a broad portfolio of products have now entered the translational pipeline from the science bench to commercialisation and clinical application. The primary current focus for firms introducing these products is first in man studies; however, success at this stage is followed by a requirement for a rapid expansion of delivery capability - the 'one-to-many' translation process. This demands increasing attention to regulatory pathways, product reimbursement and refinement of the business model, a point emphasised by recent regulatory decisions demanding more clarity in the criteria that define product performance, and regulator initiatives to improve control of manufacturing quality. The IMRC will reduce the attrition of businesses at this critical point in product development through an industry facing portfolio of business driven research activities focussed on these translational challenges. The IMRC will consist of a platform activity and two related research themes. The platform activity will incorporate studies designed to influence public policy, regulation and the value system; to explore highly speculative and high value ideas (particularly clinically driven studies); and manufacturing-led feasibility and pilot studies using state of the art production platforms and control. The research themes will focus on areas identified as particular bottlenecks in RM product translation. The first theme will explore the delivery, manufacturing and supply processes i.e. the end to end production of an RM product. Specifically this theme will explore using novel pharmaceutical technology to control the packaged environment of a living RM product during shipping, and the design of a modular solution for manufacturing different cell based therapies to the required quality in a clinical setting. The second research theme will apply quality by design methods to characterise the quality of highly complex RM products incorporating cells and carrier materials. In particular it will consider optical methods for non-invasive process and product quality control and physicochemical methods for process monitoring.The IMRC will be proactively managed under the direction of a Board and Liaison Group consisting of leading industrialists to ensure that the Centre delivers maximum value to the requirements of the business model and assisting the growth of this emerging industry.

Horizon will tackle the challenge of harnessing the power of ubiquitous computing for the digital economy in a way that is acceptable to our society and increases the quality of life for all. This will involve establishing a world-leading and sustainable centre of excellence for research and knowledge transfer for the ubiquitous digital economy. Horizon will conduct a five-year programme of research into the key scientific challenges involved in the widespread adoption of ubiquitous computing; collaborate with users to create, demonstrate and study next generation services; deliver a knowledge transfer programme that ensures that the results of our research are fully connected to the digital economy; train a new generation of researchers to meet the demands of industry for skilled interdisciplinary staff; engage with policy makers and the wider public in order to address societal concerns; and provide a focal point for international, national and regional research in this area.Horizon will exploit the distinctive nature of hub funding to develop a unique approach to this challenge. Our Collaborative Research Programme will be driven by the overarching concept of a lifelong contextual footprint, the idea that each of us throughout our lifetimes will lay down a digital trail that captures our patterns of interaction with digital services. Our research will explore the major infrastructural, human and business challenges associated with this concept, adopting a unique multidisciplinary approach that integrates insights from computer science, psychology, sociology, business, economics and the arts and humanities. We will collaborate with over 30 users from different sectors of the Digital Economy in order to create, deploy and study a series of next generation services 'in the wild' so as to drive our underlying research. We will initially focus on the creative industries and transportation sectors, but subsequently extend our focus to additional sectors in partnership with other hubs and major initiatives. In parallel, our Transformation Programme will drive knowledge transfer and long-term economic impact through partnership management, public engagement, international outreach, incubation of new ventures, the transfer of people, and training for 24 associated PhD students, funded by the University.Our team draws on leading groups at Nottingham spanning computer science, engineering, business, psychology and sociology, complemented by expertise at two spokes: distributed systems and communications at Cambridge, and mathematical modelling and advertising at Reading. A series of further mini-spokes will enable us to introduce other key individuals through hub fellowships.These multiple disciplines and partners will be brought together in a new centre at Nottingham where they will be able to engage with a critical-mass cohort of research staff and students to explore innovative and challenging new projects. The Hub will be directed by Professor Derek McAuley who brings extensive experience of working in academia, directing major industrial research laboratories, and also launching spin-out companies. He will be supported by Professor Tom Rodden, an EPSRC Senior Research Fellow who previously directed the Equator IRC. The net result will be a unique partnership between EPSRC, industry, the public, and the University, with the latter committing 16M of its own funds to match the 12M requested from EPSRC.

The Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre (IMCRC) will undertake a wide variety of work in the Manufacturing, Construction and product design areas. The work will be contained within 5 programmes:1. Transforming Organisations / Providing individuals, organisations, sectors and regions with the dynamic and innovative capability to thrive in a complex and uncertain future2. High Value Assets / Delivering tools, techniques and designs to maximise the through-life value of high capital cost, long life physical assets3. Healthy & Secure Future / Meeting the growing need for products & environments that promote health, safety and security4. Next Generation Technologies / The future materials, processes, production and information systems to deliver products to the customer5. Customised Products / The design and optimisation techniques to deliver customer specific products.Academics within the Loughborough IMCRC have an internationally leading track record in these areas and a history of strong collaborations to gear IMCRC capabilities with the complementary strengths of external groups.Innovative activities are increasingly distributed across the value chain. The impressive scope of the IMCRC helps us mirror this industrial reality, and enhances knowledge transfer. This advantage of the size and diversity of activities within the IMCRC compared with other smaller UK centres gives the Loughborough IMCRC a leading role in this technology and value chain integration area. Loughborough IMCRC as by far the biggest IMRC (in terms of number of academics, researchers and in funding) can take a more holistic approach and has the skills to generate, identify and integrate expertise from elsewhere as required. Therefore, a large proportion of the Centre funding (approximately 50%) will be allocated to Integration projects or Grand Challenges that cover a spectrum of expertise.The Centre covers a wide range of activities from Concept to Creation.The activities of the Centre will take place in collaboration with the world's best researchers in the UK and abroad. The academics within the Centre will be organised into 3 Research Units so that they can be co-ordinated effectively and can cooperate on Programmes.