CENSIS Review 2013-2016

Bob Downes
CENSIS Chairman
“A great deal has been
accomplished and this
review showcases the
many ways in which we are
helping businesses with
their sensor and imaging
systems challenges.”
Bob Downes
CENSIS Chairman
Welcome
I am pleased to introduce this overview of some
of the activities that have taken place at CENSIS
since the Innovation Centre was founded in 2013
with the support of the Scottish Funding Council,
Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands
Enterprise. A great deal has been accomplished
and this review showcases the many ways in
which we are helping businesses with their
sensor and imaging systems challenges.
Mirage, our largest strategic research project to date is a £6M private-public
sector investment in the development of compound semiconductor platform
technologies that will see key skilled jobs and technologies being created
in Scotland. Other highlights include the IoT Centre, formed in response to
industry requests to support the rapid development of end-to-end sensor
systems solutions using IoT technologies. You will also read about our latest
large-scale initiative, the LoRa IoT network, developed in conjunction with
industry partners and public sector organisations across Scotland to help
generate even wider business growth.
This review features highlights of innovative projects that have been
generated with the support and knowhow of the CENSIS team. The projects
are extremely diverse, covering everything from environmental risk
monitoring and management to rail track maintenance; and from subsea
systems to pharmaceuticals. However, the common element they all share
is that CENSIS is helping to overcome the significant practical challenges
involved in taking innovation to the marketplace. One of our key strengths
is our ability to deliver Technology Readiness Level (TRL) uplift with our
collaborative projects and we work very hard to help companies and their
academic partners tackle the ‘valley of death technology gap’. At CENSIS,
I am very proud to say that the majority of projects we support bridge this
gap, with most starting at TRL 3 and finishing at TRL 6.
As an industry-led innovation hub for intelligent sensor systems, CENSIS
has at its heart the values, expertise and experience needed to support
business growth and strengthen economic development in Scotland. Our
knowledge of the technical and research landscape continues to grow
and our developing strengths have helped us to break new ground and
strengthen existing Scottish supply chains.
I want to especially thank all of our stakeholders and partners for their
support and I look forward to bringing you all further updates on our
progress in the years to come.
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