News in brief
NEWS IN BRIEF
Entrepreneurs from Aura Vision Labs, a current Southampton web startup
Z21 INNOVATION FUND TO ACCELERATE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON WEB STARTUPS The Z21 Innovation Fund will support startups capitalising on the growing potential of the Web in a new collaboration between the University of Southampton and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
The University’s Web Science Institute (WSI) will deliver expert advice to entrepreneurs in the programme while Future Worlds, the on-campus incubator, will provide acceleration through mentoring and investor introductions.
The fund is inviting applications from anyone in the University aiming to launch a Web startup and will support them towards success by offering expertise, facilities and early-stage grants, followed by pre-seed investment.
If you would like further information, please contact Z21 Coordination Manager Susan Davies at sdd1@soton.ac.uk
Solent LEP support of £500,000 toward the initiative is being matched in-kind by the University, with a view to the Innovation Fund supporting at least 16 potential ventures by March 2019 and generating 40 new direct jobs in the Solent region by March 2021.
SOUTHAMPTON RESEARCHERS JOIN ROSALIND FRANKLIN INSTITUTE Leading Life Sciences researchers at the University of Southampton will play a major role in a new national institute that aims to create a UK centre of excellence in technology development and innovation. The Rosalind Franklin Institute, which is being funded by a £100 million investment from the Government, will bring together the UK’s strengths in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering. Theme areas are proposed to develop disruptive technologies in multilevel and correlative imaging, drug development and delivery, spectroscopy and data integration. By working with clinicians and biomedical investigators the outputs will benefit people across the globe. 16
Alongside Southampton, other academic partners include Imperial College London and the universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Leeds, Oxford, Manchester, King’s College London and University College London. It will be managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and based at Harwell. Professor Peter Smith, Director, Institute for Life Sciences, said: “We are very proud to be a partner in this new initiative that looks set to push the boundaries of scientific discoveries even further.”
Rosalind Franklin. Image by Jewish Chronicle Archive/Heritage-Images