University awarded £1.6m to accelerate bright ideas into global opportunities

The funding, which comes from The Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), supports critical early-stage translation of research to real impacts such as transforming public services, creating new jobs, attracting private investment to the area and forging news partnerships with businesses and charities.

Role of the IAA

UKRI is investing £118 million in the latest round of IAAs across 64 universities and research organisations.

The funding allows our researchers to unlock the value of their work enabling early-stage commercialisation of new technologies, advancing changes to public policy and services such as NHS clinical practice.

Innovating research

IAAs have been vital in turning the bright ideas of our researchers into reality. Building on the success of previous programmes, we are delivering a range of IAAs focused on supporting businesses of all shapes and sizes with their research and development.

• A sensor to detect acetone in the breath. When the liver breaks down stored fat, it makes chemicals called ketones, which includes acetone. Detecting acetone on the breath can be used to monitor the performance of elite athletes as well as acting as an indicator in the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes by detecting ketoacidosis.
• Developing prototype software which can apply risk analysis techniques to the problems that the offshore wind industry face. This is in partnership with Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.
• Harnessing bio-techniques to create a new generation of smart electroceutical substrates that can be combined with bandages and surfaces to detect bacteria activity and destroy bacterial biofilms. This could reduce the use of antibiotics by improving their efficacy.

Further information

Watch more of our case studies 

Get in touch business.gateway@durham.ac.uk