News Feed From Occupiers

Serco Group plc (Serco), the international services company, announces that it has signed an agreement to purchase the remaining 50% equity stake in DMS Maritime Pty Ltd from its joint venture partner...

There were 2,016 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in 2012, which is the highest annual total since 1994.

Scotland is this week celebrating its vital role in the Large Hadron Collider, which explores the science of the Big Bang. From the scientists and engineers who have worked on the creation of the LHC to the man who gave his name to the Higgs Boson particle, Scotland has a lot to be proud of.

STFC Highlights 2012 is out now! The brochure showcases some of the science and innovation successes and achievements in STFC in 2012.

Over 120 delegates from industry and research institutions came together on 29 and 30 January at STFC's Hartree Centre to explore how high performance computing (HPC) enhances product and service innovation

A major step forward in our understanding of the structure and behaviour of some of the most elusive atomic nuclei in existence, some of which occur only briefly on the surface of exploding stars, is now taking place thanks to the first experiments to come from the new Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA).

Serco Group plc (Serco) is pleased to announce that it has been re-selected to provide waste, recycling and street cleansing services on behalf of Canterbury City Council following a competitive...

Serco, the international service company, today announced that its global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) business has been positioned as a 'Major Contender' in a leading industry index, Everest...

Serco Group plc (Serco), the international service company, announces today that it has signed a contract for an outsourcing partnership that will provide customer contact and support services for...

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon George Osborne, has visted STFC's Daresbury Laboratory to announce a major new investment.

The Scottish contribution to the creation and operation of the Large Hadron Collider (the LHC) will be showcased at the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh from Saturday 2nd February for one week. Visitors will be able to walk through a full-size replica of a section of the LHC tunnel, as well as having the chance to meet Scottish physicists involved in this year's Higgs boson discovery.

There were 9,741* confirmed cases of whooping cough reported in England and Wales in 2012, according to figures published today by the Health Protection Agency (HPA). The total figure for 2012 is almost 10 times higher than the number of cases reported in 2011 (1,119) and in 2008 (902) – the last peak year before this current outbreak.

Latest figures from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) up to 31 January 2013 show that flu activity remains at a similar level compared to the previous week based on a number of indicators, including GP consultation rates in England and the proportion of calls to NHS direct.

STFC are hosting a workshop on The Square Kilometre Array to discuss current developments and future R&D needs in the key areas of SKA.

Research on the electronic properties of the super-material graphene could bring us one step closer to taking it from the laboratory to developing it for use in commercial products.

UK leaders in micro and nano-technology will provide businesses with unrivalled access to expertise and facilities through a new business alliance announced today.

Serco, the leading UK healthcare service provider, has been selected by Healthbox as one of four strategic partners for Europe's first start-up scheme for health entrepreneurs that has just kicked off...

Donations to the memorial fund set up in the wake of the death of our colleague Piotr Mikiewicz, who was fatally injured in August when he tried to prevent a burglary in Rylett Road, Hammersmith, have...

The National Industrial Symbiosis Programme, which is funded by government, drives resource efficiency by identifying commercial opportunities between organisations whereby under utilised resources (including waste materials, energy, water, assets, expertise, logistics etc) of one company can be recovered and used by another for mutual benefit.

The programme, membership of which is free, is supported by teams of regional practitioners who work closely with businesses to drive genuine business opportunities.

Further information on the benefits of NISP membership is available on our website www.nisp.org.uk .

Enquires should be directed to NISP South-East: 0845 094 9521, southeast@nisp.org.uk

In his keynote presentation, Professor Sir Christopher Llewellyn-Smith FRS (Oxford University) set the context for an Energy event at Culham Science Centre last week organised by Science Vale UK. The world needs to develop new sources of energy, notably nuclear fusion and solar, as well as new ways of storing that energy and using it efficiently. Research organisations and technology companies in Science Vale UK are at the leading edge of much of this work. A wide range of these organisations shared their knowledge, expertise and views at what proved to be a lively mini-conference.
Science, research and industry experts led thematic sessions covering fusion technology, renewable energy technology and energy in buildings  - giving real insight into how businesses are collaborating with research organisations to bring new technologies to market, the contribution and commercial opportunities of emerging energy-related technologies and the benefits of the Science Vale UK and wider Oxfordshire ‘cluster’ of [energy-related] organisations. 
Early feedback on the event has been very positive particularly in relation to new connections. Professor Nic Harrison (STFC/Imperial College), who led the Renewable Energy Technologies session, commented that his was “an enthusiastic session considering renewable energy technologies and the global challenges of energy supply and climate change. A number of interesting opportunities for Science Vale UK emerged from general discussions of wind, marine and solar energy technologies.”. Dr Derek Stork (CCFE) said “the message of our [Fusion Technology and Industry] session was that, irrespective of the size of firm, everyone in the high tech design, R&D and manufacturing sector can benefit from the immediate business opportunities ... and success would drive business capability improvement”.
Exhibitors ranged from world-leading science and research organisations, such as the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy and Diamond Light Source Ltd, to specialist developers and producers of energy- related products, including Oxis Energy (with their Lithium battery expertise).
 After the event, Professor Steve Cowley, Chief Executive of the UK Atomic Energy Authority and Chair of the Science Vale UK Partnership commented that “The meeting was just excellent. The goals of Science Vale UK clearly resonate with the local business community.”. 
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Notes
1. For further information on Science Vale UK please see www.sciencevale.com or contact Steven Moss via steven.moss@sciencevale.com
2. Culham Science Centre is one of the UK’s premier science and business locations in Science Vale UK as well as being home to the UK and European fusion energy research programmes. For further information, please see www.culham.org.uk and www.ccfe.ac.uk
3. Organisations involved in leading and facilitating the event included Oxford University (www.ox.ac.uk), CCFE (www.ccfe.ac.uk), STFC (www.stfc.ac.uk), OIGT (www.innovationgrowth.co.uk), the UK Energy Research Centre (www.ukerc.ac.uk), Oxford Instruments (www.oxinst.com), Tessella (www.tessella.com), P3eco Ltd (www.p3eco.com), Lime Technology (www.limetechnology.co.uk) and ZETA (www.thezetagroup.com).