REVOLUTIONARY RADIO WAVE RESEARCH

Lancaster University is leading the way in a high tech radio wave research partnership which has been set up with more than 1.6 million of Government funding.

Science Minister Lord Sainsbury has announced the funding of the new Faraday Partnership in the important field of High Power Radio Frequency engineering. The partnership involves Lancaster University, Strathclyde University and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

The Central Laboratory of the Research Councils - CLRC - will manage the partnership through its Rutherford Appleton and Daresbury Laboratories and the research laboratories of The Welding Institute and Capenhurst.tech Ltd will also participate.

The DTI will provide more than 600k over three years to run the partnership, and 1 million of funding for research will come from the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC)

The funding will be used to exploit the commercial and industrial applications of radio wave research. Potential benefits could be the development of equipment to be used for:

- Improved X-ray, electron and Ion therapy

- Examining the contents of ships, lorries and cargo containers for security purposes

- Breaking down waste more quickly and in an environmentally friendly way

- Providing more services in the information, communications and media world.

The potential value to the UK economy could be as much as 1bn.

Professor Richard Carter from Lancaster University's Engineering Department said:

'This will be a real boost to British research in a field that has been neglected in recent years. It will enable the internationally recognised work already being carried out by research groups at Lancaster, Strathclyde, Oxford and Cambridge Universities to be built into a world-class partnership for the benefit of British Industry.'

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For more information contact Professor Richard Carter 01524 593086 or Vicky Tyrrell 01524 594120