Business News - December 2016
These business newsletters
are produced by a member of the Growth & Enterprise team at Exeter City
Council. They cover different subject areas such as local business
initiatives, new developments and topical business issues.
This month we look
particularly at the importance of science in the city. We feature recent medical initiatives that have resulted from collaborations between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust. The Met Office is also in the news due to recent announcements about the Met Office's High Performance Computer (HPC). News of a South West Cyber Security Cluster event, a new public sector energy company and the recognition that the SW is one of the most vibrant regions in the UK in the areas of advanced engineering and digital innovation also feature.
Keep informed by following @InvestInExeter
 The Met Office is already reaping the benefits of its new £97 million High Performance Computer (HPC), also known as a ‘supercomputer’. The HPC is partly housed in a new IT Hall at the Exeter Science Park. The rest of the hardware is located at the Met Office HQ in Fitzroy Road.
When fully operational, it will provide a massive increase in computing power for the Met Office. The IT Hall and neighbouring collaboration centre have been completed and handed over to the Met Office for fitting out.
Dave Underwood, deputy director of the Met Office's High Performance Computing Programme, said the latest phase of the new supercomputer had led to "a major enhancement in our global modelling capability". The final phase of the supercomputer is due to become operational by 31 March 2017, but there is a distinct possibility that it could be online much sooner than that.
When fully operational, the HPC will be able to do more than 20,000,000,000,000,000 calculations per second (20 thousand billion). It will then be in the top 10 supercomputers in the world. This is a huge opportunity for the Met Office, the SW region and the UK.
The facility aims to attract businesses keen to collaborate with the Met Office in developing commercial applications using huge datasets produced by its huge processing power. Because of the vast amounts of data involved and the bandwidth needed to send them electronically, it makes sense for those wishing to access it to be based nearby.
The Collaboration Centre next door to the IT Hall could become a hive of activity once it opens. This should be a very dynamic space. The Met Office are in discussion with a number of organisations about how they can exploit environmental information to the benefit of communities both here in the SW and globally.
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The NIHR Exeter Clinical Research Facility (CRF) (a partnership between the University of Exeter and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This organisation has just confirmed £5.7 million for the next wave of funding, praising the centre’s patient-centred approach.
The Exeter facility supports high-quality research by bringing together members of the public with researchers who are working to find solutions to some of the greatest health challenges facing society, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and dementia.
The NIHR Exeter CRF has almost reached its target of recruiting 10,000 people who live around the Exeter area to the Exeter 10,000 project, to provide data and samples of blood and urine which are used anonymously for medical research. Many of the participants agree to be contacted again if their physical or lifestyle profiles fit in with the recruitment needs of an academic researching a particular field. This means studies can swiftly progress from the point of identifying a need in clinic to meaningful research with impact.
The Exeter CRF is based at the Research, Innovation, Learning and Development (RILD) building, and was designed with the input of patients. As well as providing training across a wide range of health disciplines, the building brings together researchers and clinicians and academics with patients to ensure that research is focussed on answering today’s healthcare needs.
Members from Devon and Cornwall Police, Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez and the South West’s business community came together at an event at the Exeter Science Park on Tuesday 6 December, as the region takes a major step forward in the fight against cyber-crime.
Organised by the newly-formed South West Cyber Security Cluster (SWCSC) alongside Devon and Cornwall Police, the event saw a range of business people and representatives gather together to discuss prevention techniques and cyber security regulations.
Recent high profile hacking attacks experienced by TalkTalk, Yahoo and Tesco have brought cyber security to people's minds. However, businesses are often not aware of the steps that they can take to improve security or where they can find help.
There are a number of highly qualified and experienced cyber security specialists in the South West. The launch of SWCSC is the first step in gathering the region's experts and setting the SW as a leading location in cyber security awareness, practice and expertise.
To find out more go to: www.southwestcsc.org
Image: copyright Express & Echo
A pioneering new energy company, designed to deliver more
efficient heat and power in Devon, was announced on 13 December. The innovative company,
called Dextco, will develop ground-breaking sustainable projects to provide
environmentally-friendly energy to homes and businesses across the city and its
surrounding area.
The company's
founder members and shareholders comprise The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E), the University of Exeter,
Devon County Council, Exeter City Council and Teignbridge District Council.
Building on recent success of Cranbrook and Skypark’s
award-winning district heating scheme, plans are already in place to undertake
the first Exeter project. A revolutionary
new network will be designed to transport heat generated at
the RD&E’s Wonford Hospital to consumers across the city. Feasibility
studies for the project, which would increase energy efficiency and reduce
costs, show that the scheme is achievable.
Future projects already earmarked include a high-level
involvement in distributing heat from the Marsh Barton Energy Recovery Facility,
in the south-west of the city.
Dextco will lead the procurement of a
private sector partner. If this process is successful,
building work at the RD&E could start in 2018.
The Hospital and the University value both the cost savings
and carbon dioxide emission savings which will be achieved by connecting to the
heat network.
A consortium of major businesses, Local Enterprise Partnerships
and higher education institutions found that the South West England and South
East Wales region can lead the UK and compete with the world in the areas of
advanced engineering and digital innovation.
The consortium welcomed the government’s announcement at the end
of November to establish an Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to support
collaborations between business and the UK’s science base.
The Autumn Statement confirmed an additional £4.7 billion
by 2020-21 in R&D funding to help boost UK productivity. The consortium is
ready to use the findings of this audit to launch effective initiatives that take
up these new opportunities.
The Government invited the SWW-IA audit, which was led by 6
universities working with key organisations, including Airbus, the Met Office,
Rolls Royce and Johnson Matthey, and Local Enterprise Partnerships across the
region.
It identified that South West England and South East Wales is
home to the largest aerospace sector in the UK and pioneering automotive,
nuclear, marine and marine renewables and microelectronics industries.
The region also has strengths in digital innovation: it is home to
the largest silicon design cluster outside of the USA; there’s more climate
expertise here than any other area worldwide; it’s a global powerhouse for
microelectronics industry and a national exemplar for smart cities.
The full report and summary document are available through these links.
Image: Copyright Nick Caville/BDP
The newly refurbished Guildhall Shopping Centre in Exeter won a prestigious REVO (BCSC) Gold Award at a recent ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel. The award for Catering and Leisure was presented to architect director Neil Sansum and the client team at Aviva Investors.
The renovation of the original 1970s shopping centre includes the replacement of several buildings and the refurbishment of the Higher Market and neo-classical ambulatory, designed by Charles Fowler in 1830. This is now branded as Queen Street Dining, a new food quarter with 6 new restaurants and 2 rooftop bars which consolidates the centre’s food and beverage offering with an eclectic mix of non-generic brands. The judges were impressed by the ‘superb example of a partnership approach to produce a unique catering destination in the centre of historic Exeter’.
Extensive public realm improvements were also carried out to improve the setting for the small 13th century St Pancras Church, located at the heart of the centre. A new lighting scheme also enhances the area.
More information: www.guildhallshoppingexeter.co.uk
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Why yo-yo dieting makes you fat ...?
Repeated dieting may lead to weight gain because the brain interprets the diets as short famines and urges the dieter to store more fat for future shortages, new research by the Universities of Exeter and Bristol suggests. More information here: http://bit.ly/2gCA3DX
Pig farmers have traditionally fattened pigs by temporarily reducing their food intake ...
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