NPL launches three new Innovation Nodes to develop time-critical technologies

This initiative has been collaboratively developed by NPL and its partner institutions: the University of Strathclyde, the University of Surrey, and Cranfield University.

The innovation nodes are integral to the National Timing Centre (NTC) programme, the UK's premier nationally distributed time infrastructure project designed to offer secure, dependable, resilient, and highly accurate time and frequency data. The NTC is set to boost the development of time-sensitive technologies including 5G and 6G applications, futuristic automated factories, and connected autonomous vehicles.

The University of Strathclyde's innovation node's official launch was carried out by Dr Peter Thompson, CEO at NPL, and Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde. This event is part of a larger two-day programme highlighting NPL's extensive work and facilitating Scottish industry's access to NPL's quantum and timing expertise, celebrating NPL's longstanding collaborative relationship with the University of Strathclyde.

Throughout their establishment, the three node sites have hosted a series of feasibility and demonstrator projects backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, supporting a total of 26 projects with technical consultancy and access to precise timing signals for new product and service development.

Among the initiatives benefiting from the innovation nodes' traceable signals was a project aimed at creating a foundational evidence base for redistributing Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) data to both aerial and terrestrial autonomous systems within a smart city infrastructure. This project also sought to showcase the necessary technologies for ensuring autonomous transport is safe, reliable, and secure. Other projects focused on developing products and services for accurately assessing electricity grid performance, dependent on a robust timing reference.

Dr Leon Lobo, Head of the National Timing Centre (NTC) Programme, emphasised the foundational role of time in our digital infrastructure: “Time is an invisible utility that underpins our digital infrastructure, from synchronising the energy grid and telecom networks to timestamping financial trades. The close collaboration with Strathclyde will offer industry and academia access to reference timing signals to stimulate the development of new products and services, necessary to enable resilient time for the future.”

Professor Paul Griffin from Strathclyde’s Department of Physics outlined the challenges with current GPS-based timing systems and the NTC's objective: “GPS and its equivalent systems provide timing signals which are used around the world to provide accurate time. Unfortunately, GPS and similar signals are very weak and can easily be jammed or spoofed. The goal of the NTC is to provide robust timing for the UK that does not depend on GPS."

He detailed the strategic placement of atomic clocks and their application: “There are atomic clocks installed at Anthorn in Cumbria, where there is a powerful eLoran (Enhanced Long Range Navigation) transmitter which is very difficult, but not impossible, to jam. Chronos Technology, a UK-based global provider of advanced timing, synchronisation, and smart technology solutions, will utilise our clock to align the clocks at Anthorn to UTC within the NTOL project (NPL Time Over eLoran)."

He further explained the practical implementation of this technology: “Chronos will demonstrate the broadcast of the NPL timebase via the eLORAN, which will be received and decoded by Strathclyde's Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC)."

NPL welcomes partnerships with industry and academic circles to utilise the innovation nodes for accessing traceable and highly accurate timing signals, fostering advancements in various technological fields.