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Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus
In the 2006 budget speech Gordon Brown announced the establishment of two national science and innovation campuses at Daresbury and Harwell. The development of the Daresbury site has continued throughout the last year with the building of the NWDA-owned Daresbury International Science and Technology Park (DISTP) across the lane from the laboratory and comprising Daresbury Innovation Centre (accommodation for small and start-up technology businesses) and The Cockcroft Institute (the national centre for accelerator science).
The budget announcement formalises the relationship between the lab and the DISTP under the joint venture auspices of CCLRC, NWDA, Halton Borough Council and the three NW research intensive universities. DARTS is already active in promoting its capabilities to the campus tenants.
SuperClean is the supply chain collaboration between the UHV cleaning facility at Daresbury and Longworth Process Technology. The company offers an exceedingly high level of plant and equipment cleaning to manufacturers of components for use in high performance applications. SuperClean took their exhibition stand to the European Particle Accelerator Conference (EPAC) held in Edinburgh 26/30 June and made a number of new (and old) contacts.
The Daresbury synchrotron suffered a water leak in March which seriously hindered the work of DARTS and its customers and which has taken four months to re-build. However, customers with urgent requirements have still been supplied by DARTS working closely with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) based in Grenoble. In one case we were able to turn a request round in under a week.
DARTS has excellent relationships with several other synchrotron sites around the world including Australia, Canada, Japan and the USA in addition to France and Germany.
DARTS has just published its latest case study, Pollution Solution, on fuel cell catalyst analysis. This case study covers the characterisation of the structure of the Pt/Ru alloy using the EXAFS technique. You can find this case study together with many more on the DARTS web site under case studies.
The SRS was taken off the air following a water to vacuum leak in March 2006. One sector of the synchrotron had to be completely dismantled, dried out, cleaned to UHV standard and reassembled to accurately surveyed positions. We are happy to announce that the recovery has proceeded according to plan and the SRS is now being conditioned ready for first users in mid-July, with DARTS customers being among the first to complete urgent studies.
We reported last year through a joint press release that Intertek Caleb Brett had been engaged to undertake independent market research on behalf of CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory. This has now been completed and, armed with this greater appreciation of the requirements of both existing and potential customers, DARTS is in a position to act upon the fully evaluated options. Customers will be reassured to learn that our intention is to ensure continuity beyond the phased reduction in academic access to the SRS, to provide an even more responsive service and over a wider range of techniques and facilities in the future. Further announcements will be made in due course.
DARTS in European Pharmaceutical Review
Synchrotron Radiation: Current Status and Future Landscape published in European Pharmaceutical Review provides an overview and several case studies that illustrate the pivotal role that the pharmaceutical industry derives from synchrotron radiation.
Come and join our DARTS staff at events in 2006
Professor J R Helliwell will attend ECM23 in Leuven, Belgium, on 6th to 11th August.
Dr C J Pickles will attend ChemSpec Europe, Geneva, on 14th-15th June.
Dr C J Pickles will attend the offical opening of the Daresbury Innovation Centre on 9th June.
Dr G Bushnell-Wye will attend the BCA XRF Meeting in Nottingham on 10th May.
Professor J R Helliwell and Dr Graham Bushnell-Wye will attend the BCA Spring Meeting in Lancaster on 4th-6th April.
Dr C J Pickles will attend the Chemistry Innovation KTN Launch at the IMAX Cinema, London, on 22nd March.