Her Majesty the Queen was shown around a joint project between the University of Exeter and QinetiQ on a recent visit to the University.
The research project has looked at the best ways of developing Intellectual Property (IP) through to commercial exploitation, specifically looking at improving the accuracy of Radio-Frequency IDentification (RFID) systems when tracking goods through the supply chain.
The Queen was introduced to Dr Andrew Treen, Matt Biginton and Professor Roy Sambles, who are all part of the Knowledge Transfer Account (KTA) project, which is known as Arkiris.
The project between Exeter University’s academics and the Applied Technologies Division of QinetiQ is part of an initiative funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and is a good example of industry working with academia and a model that can be successfully replicated elsewhere.
Arkiris’s goal is to develop new opportunities in the field of functional materials, specifically in the area of tailored electromagnetic solutions.
The Queen was also given a demonstration of how RFID can be used to track blood samples as they travel from the hospital or surgery, through testing in the clinical laboratory, before returning the results to the patient. The new system has the ability to improve accuracy and minimise issues within the current system, significantly simplifying how such services are currently provided.
Andrew Treen, who is seconded from QinetiQ to lead the Arkiris project said it was an honour to be able to tell Her Majesty what the team has been doing.
‘We have formed a close collaboration with the University over the last few years and we are hopeful that in the near future we will be able to make the underlying research and development a commercial reality through a spin-off company,’ he said.
