Presentation given to the ESP KTN, EPSRC and Institute of Physics-sponsored conference on Plastic Electronics, in December 2013.

1. Electronic Systems Research
Supporting excellent research and impactful ideas
Dr. Derek Gillespie
Senior Portfolio Manager
@DAGillespie

2. The Transistor and the Integrated Circuit
• First transistor invented in 1947.
• Miniaturization of the technology, in line with Moore’s Law, is
astounding – fast approaching the point whereby quantum
considerations need to be taken into account.
• Complexity of integrated circuits has increased more than a billionfold since the 1960s.
• The price of an individual transistor is now less than one millionth
of the cost in the late 1960s.
o Had the cost of automobiles fallen at the same rate, a new car
today would cost less than one pence.

3. Societal Trends for the Future
In 2012, there
were over 4 billion
YouTube
videos
streamed daily.
There are more mobile phone
connections than there are people on
the Earth.
Mobile data traffic is growing at 92%
(CAGR).
By 2010, the number of text messages
sent in one day exceeded the global
population.
In one second on the
internet, there are:
• 463 photos uploaded to
Instragram.
• 1024 calls made using
Skype.
• 3935 tweets posted on
Twitter.
• 11,574 files uploaded to
Dropbox.
• 33,330 Google searches
carried out.
• 46,330 videos watched
on YouTube.
• 52,083 posts ‘Liked’ on
Facebook.

4. W(h)ither UK Electronics?
Overcoming negative perceptions
All UK electronic companies have failed.
All electronic innovation is American.
All electronic manufacture is Chinese.
As the UK has lost every aspect of
opportunity in electronics, investing UK
taxpayer money in the field is a waste.
The ESCO report sought to refute these
misconceptions, with quantitative evidence
drawn from the UK electronic systems
community.

5. The UK Electronic Systems Community
850,000
People working on electronic
systems in UK industry
£80Bn
Contribution to the UK
economy, or 5.4% UK GDP
“At the heart of many societal
advancements are the enabling
technologies of electronic systems”
Warren East
ESCO Executive Steering Group

6. k

7. Plastic Electronics in the UK
http://www.softmachines.org/wordpress/?p=1276

8. UK Universities: Excellence in Research
Excellence
1%
5%
World population
World research spending
Worldwide
UK
9%
12%
14%
World research publications
World citations
World most-cited papers

9. Societal
Drivers
The Research System
System
Requirements
System Integration
Enabling
Technology
Technology Base
Fundamental
Knowledge
Societal Requirement
Knowledge Base

10. Gaps in the UK Innovation System?
‘Pure’ basic research
User-inspired basic research
Applied research
Experimental development
Science, Engineering & Technology Indicators
BIS (2009)
Stokes (1997)
Dasgupta and David (1994)

11. Gaps in the UK Innovation System?
Business R&D/%GDP
Value of R&D performed in the business sector
The UK trend runs contrary to our international peers or competitors.

12. The UK Innovation System
Discover
Understand
Integrate
Validate
EPSRC
Technology Strategy Board
Charities or Intermediate Bodies
Overseas Bodies
Industrial Companies
Universities
Deploy

13. The UK Innovation System
Discover
Understand
Integrate
Validate
Deploy
5
Knowledge & Technology ‘Push’
Challenge & Application ‘Pull’
EPSRC
Technology Strategy Board
Industrial Companies

14. Productive steps in our current system
Academia, industry and the public sector working together
Academia
Public Bodies
Industry
Knowledge, people &
technological capability
Facilitating knowledge,
impact & skills
Innovation, market
perspective & new products
Pathways to Impact
Targeted Support
 Public engagement
 Appropriate models
 Long-term plans
 KT secondments
 Strategic discussion
 Increased commitment
 Staff training
 Realistic IP
 Consolidated evidence
Strategic R&D
 People support
 Realistic IP!

15. What Can We Do Together?
There are challenges to be tackled
Where does the UK electronic systems research community ‘want to go’?
What are the technologies of the future that need electronics at their
heart?
Who needs to be engaged outside of the (plastic) electronics
community for the UK to take a lead?
Support the work of the Plastic Electronics Leadership Group.
Work in partnership with the ESCO team to make the importance of
electronic systems in the UK clear to government.
Partner with EPSRC – planning for the future starts now.

16. www.epsrc.ac.uk
: 01793 44 4301
: derek.gillespie@epsrc.ac.uk
@DAGillespie
@EPSRC
EPSRC ICT Theme

17. Grant Funding: Pathways to Impact
Funding to Facilitate Potential Impacts
Since 2009, applicants can ask for project-specific, impact-related costs as
part of a grant proposal.
Applicants can ask for funding at the point of application, in order to
provide the opportunities or required skills that allow the team to promote
the potential impacts of their research.
To make use of this, applicants have to consider which impact activities or
training they might require when planning the research proposal.
All costs must be outlined and justified, as with other requests for funding.

18. Grant Funding: Pathways to Impact
Funding to Facilitate Potential Impacts
Some specific examples of activities that could be requested are:
Secondments
Increased investigator time
Training activities
Employment of specialist staff
Marketing and publicity
Workshops, seminars and networking
Public engagement
Early-stage commercialisation exploration
Evidence shows that these resources are heavily under-used by applicants!

19. Institutions: Impact Acceleration Accounts
Accessible funding for tailored impact activities
Account-based funding given to universities on the
basis of a peer-reviewed submission.
Allows institutions the flexibility to operate
tailored schemes that facilitate increased
likelihood of impact from research.
95%
Retain key benefits of KTA & KTS Schemes:
Secondments
Proofs of Concept
Follow-On Funding
Percentage of EPSRC
portfolio, by value,
covered by Impact
Acceleration Accounts.