Sussex IP Newsletter #3 - 17 December 2003 Welcome to the second newsletter from Sussex IP. Sussex IP is a University of Sussex owned business dedicated to the development, commercialisation and licensing of intellectual property. You can also view this Newsletter online - please visit our website at http://www.sussexip.com and click on 'Newsletter'. GREEN COLLABORATION CLEANS UP DIRTY SITES ___________________________________________________ Two researchers at the University of Sussex and the University of Brighton are working together on a technology solution, which offers a new means of protecting groundwater and soil from contamination. The solution also cleans up contaminated sites. Dr. Andrew Cundy of the Centre for Environmental Research at the University of Sussex and Dr. Laurence Hopkinson of the School of the Environment at the University of Brighton are working with Sussex IP and the Business Services Office at the University of Brighton to commercialise FIRS (Ferric Iron Remediation and Stabilisation) technology. FIRS technology places an iron rich barrier electrochemically at working sites to protect subsurface groundwater and soil from chemical contamination. “This forms an impermeable barrier,” said Dr. Andy Cundy. “It also draws contaminants, such as arsenic and plutonium, to the barrier and locks them inside.” The technology can be applied at small sites or larger areas of contaminated land. Already, soil from a contaminated Swedish industrial site has been cleaned up. FIRS can be used as an alternative to traditional clean-up techniques or alongside them. FIRS does not require toxic conditioning solutions normally used and uses low voltage and current, so power requirements are low. It is lower in cost, sustainable over the long term, suitable for use in developing and developed nations alike. A larger-scale field demonstration site is being planned with CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: applications in Real Environments). CL:AIRE is an environmental sector organisation which evaluates and supports the best innovative environmental technologies. This will lead to licensing and commercialisation opportunities. NOVASCAN LTD ATTENDS THE WORLD'S LARGEST MEDICAL EXHIBITION ___________ Novascan Ltd recently exhibited at the world's largest medical exhibition, Medica 2003, held in Dussledorf. Novascan Ltd was formed to commercialise a radically new - indeed paradigm shifting - sensor technology which has been developed at The Centre for Physical Electronics and Quantum Technology at the University of Sussex. Many existing sensor technologies are reliant on skin contacts, but this contact distorts the electrical measurements because it drains the current slightly resulting in smaller and distorted signals. Novascan’s Electric Potential Sensor (EPS) enables the measurement of electrophysiological signals from the human body in both remote (non-contact) or contact (though electrically isolated) modes. The commercial possibilities for Novascan’s EPS are immense, ranging from clinical human body electrophysiology and veterinary monitoring to diagnostics in health and fitness activities. "We now have the means to access and detect non-invasively any electrical signal ranging from foetal heart signals through to EEGs of brain function," says Prof. Clark. Novascan Ltd has exclusive ownership of this intellectual property and the rights of exploitation for this technology. Prof. Terry Clark and Dr. Chris Harland, two of the founding members of Novascan Ltd attended Medica 2003, the exhibition that devotes itself to the “transfer from theory into practice”. The congress is particular of value to Novascan because of the opportunity to make contacts with potential client companies and investors. Sussex IP: 01273 873000, email: r.e.tammar@sussex.ac.uk WHAT MAKES A GOOD IDEA FOR COMMERCIALISATION? _____________________________________________ Before you come to us with your idea, ask yourself the following questions: * Does it have an Industrial Application? * Is it genuinely new? * Does it address a need? * Could anything stop it being successful? * How big is the market - Will it make enough money and be commercially viable? SOME USEFUL CONTACT DETAILS ___________________________ Sussex Innovation Centre: 01273 704400 Sussex IP: 01273 873000 SPONSORS ________ Sigmer: http://www.sigmer.com Genetix: http://www.genetix.co.uk Protenix: http://www.protenix.com SOME USEFUL LINKS _________________ The UK Patent Office: http://www.patent.gov.uk UNICO: The University Companies Association: http://www.unico.org.uk AURIL: The Association for University Research & Industry Links: http://www.auril.org.uk Sussex University Research Services Division: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Units/research/index.shtml Sussex IP: http://www.sussexip.com This is the third Sussex IP newsletter. We welcome your comments and feedback to mailto:r.e.tammar@sussex.ac.uk.