The first business plan competition at the University of Cambridge specifically for postdocs ran in 2015 as a collaboration between Cambridge Enterprise and the EPOC society (Entrepreneurial PostDocs of Cambridge). Applications were of a very high quality, and four teams made it to the … [Read more...] about i-Teams projects scoop both prizes in the first Cambridge postdoc business plan competition
Developing local production of fuels for rural communities
Contact: Dr. Erwin Reisner, Department of Chemistry Mentor: Lara Allen, Centre for Global Equality In poor rural regions in developing countries energy costs are significantly higher than in developed countries. Energy is harder to obtain, and in off grid areas as much as a third of household … [Read more...] about Developing local production of fuels for rural communities
Recycling lead from used lead-acid batteries
Contact: Dr. R Vasant Kumar, Department of Materials Science Mentor: Dr. Carlos Ludlow, EnVal Ltd. For over 1.2 billion people, the main electricity grid is unlikely to be available in the foreseeable future. Instead they must rely on innovative combinations of top-down and bottom-up solutions … [Read more...] about Recycling lead from used lead-acid batteries
Investigating cost effective methods for testing water quality in the developing world
Contact: Hajime Shinohara, Mike Coto, Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability Mentor: Keith Virgo, VillageWays Access to clean drinking water even in the 21st century is still an urgent requirement in many parts of the world, with approximately 2,000 people dying everyday due to water … [Read more...] about Investigating cost effective methods for testing water quality in the developing world
Finding the best market for protein-based microcapsules
Contact: Dr. Tuomas Knowles, Xizhou Liu, Chemistry The research team led by Dr Knowles has developed substantial expertise in understanding and controlling the structures formed by functional protein molecules, enabling them to create nanoscale filaments and complete microcapsules formed solely … [Read more...] about Finding the best market for protein-based microcapsules
Commercialising a new approach to nanoscale imaging of surfaces
Contact: Dr. David Ward, Physics Mentor: Dr. Julian White The research team at the Cavendish has collaborated closely with Dr. Paul Dastoor’s team in Newcastle, Australia over the past 10 years. As a result, working concept microscopes based on their new technique have been constructed in both … [Read more...] about Commercialising a new approach to nanoscale imaging of surfaces
Investigating the need for a compact ultra-low-temperature cooler in quantum computing and other applications
Contact: Dr. Malte Grosche, Dr. Michael Sutherland, Physics Mentor: Adrian Swinburne Access to low temperatures close to absolute zero is needed for a range of applications in sensing, for example to cool transition edge detectors in particle physics experiments or infrared detectors in … [Read more...] about Investigating the need for a compact ultra-low-temperature cooler in quantum computing and other applications
Congratulations to our £1k winners!
One of this year's i-Teams projects (from Michaelmas 2014) has been awarded a winner's prize in the annual CUE £1k competition. The "MOfs i-Teams" project team consisting of the inventors, Dr. David Fairen-Jimenez and T. Tian, along with three of the original i-Teams students, Andrew Marsden, Thomas … [Read more...] about Congratulations to our £1k winners!
i-Teams winners at the CUE £100 for 100 words competition!
Two i-Teams ideas and a past i-Teams inventor are among the winners of this year's Cambridge University Entrepreneurs £100 Challenge, successfully describing their ideas in only 100 words. The Michaelmas Term MOFs team has managed to win two separate prizes for two separate market applications of … [Read more...] about i-Teams winners at the CUE £100 for 100 words competition!
Developing the first diagnostic test for neurodegenerative diseases before the onset of clinical symptoms
Contact: Professor David Klenerman FRS, Dr. Steven F. Lee, Dr. Mathew H. Horrocks, Chemistry Diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease can only be done definitively by post-mortem analysis of the brain. Since the brain compensates for damage, … [Read more...] about Developing the first diagnostic test for neurodegenerative diseases before the onset of clinical symptoms
Using smartphones to manage ongoing health conditions
Contact: Dr. Neal Lathia, Computer Lab Ongoing health conditions are generally managed via intermittent visits to doctors, which works well for detecting gradual changes, but will not pick up rapid change. Similarly, these visits cannot detect changes to a person’s behaviour which may make them … [Read more...] about Using smartphones to manage ongoing health conditions
Investigating the market for a low-cost handheld gas chromatography system
Contact: Dr. Sohab Sarfraz & Dr. Vasant Kumar, Materials Science & Metallurgy Mentor: Marc Bax The research team has developed a new low cost micro thermal conductivity sensor that provides significant advantages compared with existing detectors. It provides means to develop highly … [Read more...] about Investigating the market for a low-cost handheld gas chromatography system
Using satellite imagery to count whales and other animals
Contact: Dr. Peter Fretwell & Dr. Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley, British Antarctic Survey Mentor: Bob Pettigrew Press coverage: National Geographic Satellite imaging is in a time of rapid change, with a satellite capable of recording details down to 50cm coming online only four years ago, and … [Read more...] about Using satellite imagery to count whales and other animals
From sensors to gas purification – investigating the best markets for porous metal-organic framework materials
Contact: Dr. David Fairen-Jimenez, Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology Mentor: Michael Katz There is a wide body of research looking at the synthesis and properties of metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) such as ZIF-8, which are generally easy to synthesize, very stable, and … [Read more...] about From sensors to gas purification – investigating the best markets for porous metal-organic framework materials
Market opportunities for colour-changing coatings
Contact: Prof. Jeremy Baumberg, NanoPhotonics Centre, Dept. of Physics Mentor: Dr. Julian White Nanostructured materials can give a brilliantly coloured appearance without any need for dyes or pigments. These 'structural colour' materials are inspired by the iridescence of butterfly wings and … [Read more...] about Market opportunities for colour-changing coatings
