CENSIS set to spark Scottish sensor research

A groundbreaking, collaborative research and development (R&D) project will place Scotland at the forefront of the £7 billion global sensors and imaging market, delivering significant economic growth and on-shoring 41 highly-skilled research and manufacturing jobs from Asia.

Backed by Scottish Enterprise and CENSIS, the Scottish Innovation Centre for Sensors and Imaging Systems, this project represents a first for Scotland’s collaborative R&D.

Four companies – Cascade Technologies, Compound Semiconductor Technologies Global (CSTG), Gas Sensing Solutions Ltd (GSS) and Amethyst Research Ltd – alongside the Research Division of Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering at the University of Glasgow – will collaborate on different aspects of manufacturing next-generation sensing technologies, producing a wide range of products for different end markets.

Amethyst Research Ltd, high performance III-V detector specialists, will continue to locate their operations in Scotland to gain access to Europe.

A first for Scottish innovation

Expected to deliver over £56 million to the Scottish economy over the next ten years, the project aims to cumulatively boost turnover for the businesses by £135 million, cutting their production costs by up to 50% and providing a critical competitive edge in the marketplace.

According to Dr Lena Wilson, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, “This ground breaking project is further evidence of Scotland’s global competitiveness. The companies involved are great examples of the innovative supply chain in Scotland, highlighting why we continue to be an attractive location for technology manufacturing investment.”

Collaborative opportunities

Providing access to III-V semiconductors2, the project will enable participant companies to create cutting-edge, high-quality mid-IR sensors in high volumes.

Produced with higher sensitivity, lower cost and reduced energy use – they will also have a longer lifespan than existing products and can be used in a wealth of applications, from gas analysers to methane sensors, distributed feedback lasers and a vast array of industrial processes.

Working across central Scotland, each company will bring their respective expertise in the process of material growth and take on a collaborative role in the supply chain.

The businesses will then take the materials to produce a variety of different products relevant to their specific end markets. The key objective is in collaboration, not competition.

Boosting Scotland's technical capabilities

By bringing significant production capability back to Scotland, alongside access to materials and the technology used to produce them, the project will help to develop Scotland’s growing skills in producing cutting-edge sensors and imaging systems.

This will allow for further innovations through on-going collaborative research and the sharing of expertise.

Set against the backdrop of Glasgow’s vibrant academic community, the facility will help present an exciting, globally unique proposition for manufacturing mid-IR sensor devices – whilst providing a venue for home-grown companies to conduct their own R&D projects.

Game-changing collaborative R&D

Supported by almost £6 million in funding over the next few years, comprising £2.8 million from the participating companies, £2.6 million from our collaborative R&D support and £241,000 plus £1.5 million of capital equipment provided by CENSIS, the project is set to maximise the potential of Scotland’s sensor capabilities.

Ian Reid, chief executive of CENSIS, believes the project will have a "momentous impact" on Scottish industry and is a game-changer for collaborative R&D.

“Not only will it underpin the development of Scotland’s sensors and imaging sector, which already accounts for £2.6 billion in annual revenues, but it will also provide the academic community with access to cutting edge technology; allowing further innovation and collaboration” he says.

The potential to lead

“Scotland has the potential to be at the forefront of the global sensors and imaging systems sector, and this project could make that a reality. We have the opportunity to innovate continually from the design and growth of the materials, right through to the wide variety of products which can be manufactured and their extensive applications.

“Collaboration between these companies and the academic community will put both of these groups at the forefront of global trends and in a unique position to access new markets, ultimately creating a globally competitive supply chain of businesses.”