Organisation Description

SU2P is a collaboration of 6 universities that delivers a disruptive new approach to business engagement, with facilitated, flexible interactions between UK industry and university researchers in Scotland and the US.
The Universities of Strathclyde, St Andrews, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow and Stanford together with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), are collaborating in SU2P supported by Research Councils UK (RCUK), the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise. This groundbreaking, commercially-oriented collaboration commenced in September 2009 and build’s on Scotland’s universities world-class research outputs in photonics and strong links to Stanford and Caltech.

Product/Research Description

SU2P is designed to capitalise on leading research in the photonics sector, in fields including life sciences and renewable energy, and the commercial opportunities the research offers. It will also bolster existing links betweeen universities and businesses in the UK and the US.
The three-year business venture between six institutions focuses on:

• Biophotonics, including stem cell imaging and neuroscience photonics
• Solar cell devices and characterisation
• Intergrated photonics
• Solid-state laser engineering and nonlinear optics
• Photonics sensors, including enviromental science and technology and atom and quantum optic sensors

The collaboration works hand-in-hand with industry partners to understand their needs and then identify relevant investigators motivated to provide expert advise and/or deliver felxible project solutions to company requirements.
The program also provides an effective way for industry to contribute to sustain the research and teaching of the departments and programs in thich they have long term interests.
SUP2 presents an opportunity for a more strategic and fully embedded relationship with international research leaders and investigators:
• in Scotland (www.SU2P.com/StaffProfiles.aspx
• in the US (http://photonics.stanford.edu/about/faculty)

Services Offered

SU2P specifically supports focused development projects, entrepreneurial fellowships, which give talented young researchers the opportunity to experience working in laboaratories in California, and staff exchanges which both faciliatate and are facilitated by this transformational Industrial Partnership Programme and a relevant investor network. It also enables business in the US and in the UK to share ideas and expertise with academics in both countries.

Collaboration Sought or Offered

SUP2 is looking to work in partnership with companies across the UK. Two levels of partnership have been created: partner and strategic partner.

SU2P will deliver benefits through a structured Industry Partnership Programme (IPP) open to companies across the UK. The SU2P IPP builds on the sucess of the Stanford Photonics Research Centre (SPRC) Industrial Affiliates scheme, but is tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses in Scotland and the UK that have photonics as a core or enabling technology.

The project Director will be the first point of contact for partners and responsible for linkages with researchers, contract execution and delivery of company activity. Stanford/SPRC has a dedicated CEO who will oversee activity in the US. (Specific research and consulting services will be delvered by mutual agreement with investigators and their institutions.)