Case studies
This page shows several examples of the impact of NERC science arising from NERC's funding for research, training and knowledge exchange activities. The Science Impacts Database includes more than 100 further examples of where NERC science has made, or has the potential to make, a political, economic, social or practical impact.
Commercial successes
Spin-out companies and licensed technologies derived from NERC science
- Autosub - a licensed technology
- Wallingford HydroSolutions Ltd (WHS) - a consultancy
- Land Cover Map 2007
- Baculovirus Expression Vectors - a technology for recombinant proteins
- Geotek Ltd - a sediment-core analysis spin-out
Other business applications
Examples of how scientists have used the Follow-on Fund and other KE funding schemes
- GAVA - a data-visualisation technique based on GPS/GIS
- ECOBOX - a bacterial biomarker tool
- Tracking chemicals in plants
- Cybersense - screening tools for contaminated land
- The oil and steroid detector
- Elephant seals - to measure temperature
- Entice - weather information systems
- Trident sensors - for monitoring thermohaline circulation
Cross-cutting applications from the Knowledge Transfer Call
Examples of industry- and policy-relevant outcomes from the Knowledge Transfer Call
- 40% House - for low carbon dioxide emissions
- Subsidence prediction - detecting gypsum cavities
- SASSA - support for archaeologists in soil science techniques
- NAPSTER - allowing businesses to use environmental predictions
- Climateprediction.net - linking people's everyday computers to help run climate models
- Remote sensing for forestry - promoting knowledge exchange with a translator/facilitator
- Institute for Aviation and the Environment - bringing environmental research to aviation and aerospace
- Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation - reviewing scientific evidence provided to decision makers
Science to policy
Examples of research and advice for policy development
- Foot and Mouth Disease - emergency advice
- Asian Tsunami - emergency advice
- Genetically modified crop evaluation
- Ocean acidification
- Tsunami risk to UK
- Ozone and particulates
- Value of UK marine environment
- Transferring knowledge on Domestic Tradable Quotas
Networks
Examples of networks which have been set up to exchange ideas and knowledge between the science and user communities. These networks have been funded through the Knowledge Transfer Call.
- AQUANET - a network on natural aquatic colloids
- DIAC-UKAAN - an aerosol research network
- FLUORONET - fluorescence for the water sciences
- Hyporheic network - knowledge exchange on hyporheic zone processes
- Molecular and genomic ecotoxicology - knowledge exchange for environmental chemical risk assessment
- NCAVEO - for people involved with calibrating and validating earth observation data
- Physical properties network - for people working on physical properties within the natural environment
- POPs network - dealing with persistent organic pollutants
- MESONET - developing and using high resolution air quality mesoscale models
Related links
External links
