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The Industrial CASE Awards are allocated by UK Research Councils and are a unique way of linking academic research with industrial need. Industrial CASE studentships are supported by companies that offer funding to students, in addition to their already secured EPSRC funding. The company takes the lead in defining a student project and selects a university to work with, who then recruits a suitable candidate to carry out the project, jointly supervised by the academic and industrial partners.



The awards are available to students with a relevant connection in the UK, usually established by residence and an upper second class honours degree or a combination of qualifications and experience equivalent to that level.



The successful applicants will receive EPSRC funding of £66,838 over the course of the intended project, three and a half years. . To be an Industrial CASE sponsor, companies must have research or production facilities in the UK and it is normally expected that the student will spend time at these facilities. In addition to hosting the student for a minimum of three months, the company must provide an additional cash top-up of at least 1/3 (£22,419). The NanoKTN is inviting proposals by Thursday 4th March 2010.



“The NanoKTN is pleased to be involved with the EPSRC Industrial CASE Awards again this year. The awards are a great opportunity to join together ideas from academia and industry and we encourage research organisations to submit project proposals,” says Dr Alec Reader.



Reader continues, “Identifying and making the best productive use of the UK’s academic strengths is vital to ensure we stay at the forefront of developments in current and emerging technology sectors.”



The NanoKTN has identified its priority areas as Healthcare & Life Sciences, ICT-Hardware, Engineering Applications, Chemical Products and Metrology, Instrumentation and Standards. Project proposals should align with one of these key areas.



To apply for a 2010 Industrial CASE Award, applicants must submit a general description covering the proposed scope of work, the NanoKTN technical priority area to which the work best aligns, the objective of the research and the scientific challenge and brief outline of the innovative aspects of the work.



Last year the NanoKTN announced the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Nottingham as winners for work incorporating nanoformulations into gel-forming polymers, and the use of porous nano-hydroxyapatite for the manufacture of complex multifunctional nanocomposites.