UK invests £10m in energy efficient light sources

04 Jan 2008

Collaborative research that aims to develop more energy efficient lighting, lasers and displays will benefit from a new £10m fund.

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB), a public body charged by the UK Government to stimulate technologies that will generate new business opportunities for British firms, is investing £10m in the development of energy efficient light sources such as lasers, high-brightness LEDs and displays.

The TSB will offer partial funding of up to 50% to projects in which businesses work collaboratively with other companies and/or research organizations. Individual awards are expected to range between £0.5m and £2m, with most projects running over the next two to three years.

The TSB believes that the "Advanced Lighting, Lasers and Displays" competition will motivate UK companies to develop technologies that will reduce energy consumption through improved device efficiency, or that will integrate new and existing component technologies to provide a practical demonstration of improved system-level efficiency.

"Advanced light sources are an area where the UK has both an excellent reputation for world-class research activity and a healthy industrial base with the capability to exploit the results globally," said Iain Gray, the TSB’s chief executive. "As we move towards a lower carbon economy, and recognize the need for more efficient energy use, developing advanced light sources becomes increasingly important."

The TSB plans to fund projects that will improve the overall efficiency of light generation in applications ranging from solid-state lighting to brighter displays and laser systems. Of particular interest will be projects that demonstrate system-level improvements in light generation and/or extraction in the following areas:

• Electronic, packaging and optical coupling techniques to improve the performance of both organic and inorganic lighting systems.

• Research, development and design of advanced diode and non-diode laser systems such as solid-state and fiber lasers, and their innovative use in healthcare, manufacturing and other applications.

• Integration of component technologies to provide physical proofs of principle and demonstrations of practicality. Proposals could involve advances in thermal/power management, packaging technologies, improved optical extraction technologies, driver integration or other techniques.

Companies wishing to apply for funding must submit an outline of their proposal by 22 February 2008, and the final closing date for applications is 27 March 2008. Further information is available at www.technologyprogramme.org.uk.

About the TSB

The TSB's R&D program invests directly in new and emerging technologies, and has been designed to help businesses work with each other or with academic partners to develop technologies that will underpin products and services of the future. Since 2004 the program has supported about 700 projects across 40 technology areas, with a combined business and government investment of over £1 billion.