Title: Annual Conference 2005
1Annual Conference 2005
2Professor Dame Julia Higgins
- Chair, Engineering Physical Sciences Research
Council
3Programme
- 10am - Part 1 EPSRC Showcase
- 11am - Part 2 EPSRC Focus
- 11.30am Open Forum QA
- 12.45pm Lunch
- 2.30pm Part 3 the EPSRC Debate
- 4.30pm Afternoon tea and close
4Showcase Interdisciplinary Research
Collaborations in ICT
- Special action taken in 1999
- Importance of Information and Communications
Technologies (ITC) to the UK economy - Actively encourage interdisciplinary working
- Stretch research boundaries
- Encourage critical mass
5Showcase
- Call for outline proposals to establish
Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations in ICT - 101 submissions received
- 12 were selected and invited to submit full
proposals - In February 2000, five were selected to receive
funding totalling 50 million over six years
6Advanced Knowledge Technologies
- The Open University
- University of Aberdeen
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Sheffield
- University of Southampton
- Area information and knowledge management.
7Dependability of Computer-based Systems (DIRC)
- City University
- Lancaster University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Newcastle upon Tyne
- University of York
- Area Dependability of computer-based systems
8Equator
- Royal College of Art
- University College London
- University of Bristol
- University of Glasgow
- University of Lancaster
- University of Nottingham
- University of Southampton
- University of Sussex
- Area Interweaving physical and digital
interaction
9Medical Images and Signals to Clinical
Information (MIAS)
- Imperial College London
- Kings College London
- University College London
- University of Manchester
- University of Oxford
- Area Medical imaging systems
10Ultra-fast Photonics (UPC)
- Heriot-Watt University
- Imperial College London
- University of Bristol
- University of Cambridge
- University of Essex
- University of Glasgow
- University of St Andrews
- Area data communications
11ICT Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations
- 5 Collaborations
- Research groups from 23 Universities
- Diverse disciplines
- Diverse research areas
- Diverse aspirations
- 50 million funding
- What has been achieved so far?
12Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations An
Industry Assessment
- Andrew Herbert
- Managing Director
- Microsoft Research, Cambridge
13IRC a New Model for Research
Social sciences
EQUATOR
Information sciences
Organisational sciences systems sciences
Core Computer Science
DIRC
AKT
e-Sciences
UFP
MIAS
Materials, physical sciences
Applications
Medical sciences
14The Value of Interdisciplinary Research
- Enables challenging problems to be solved
- link teams complementary objectives, insights,
technologies - Innovation increasingly is located at boundaries
between disciplines - Enables end-to-end research linking theory,
technology and applications - stepping past traditional barriers
- push and pull 1 1 3
- ability to take on big problems
15Example Dependability IRC
- Dependability requires an understanding of themes
like risk (actual vs. perceived) - Dependability failures often arise from
mismatched mental models between system users and
the state of the system - Links computer scientists, sociologists,
statisticians and psychologists to understand
such issues - Influencing how others will develop systems
16One Example of a DIRC Study
- Advisory systems widely used, e.g. air traffic
control - Medical advisory systems also widespread
- DIRC sociologists studied reading of mammograms
- two humans (diversity if done properly) vs.
Computer Aided Detection (CAD) - prompt human to consider more closely
- One dependability study showed impact over all
readers, DIRC statisticians studied impact on
differentiated readers (and cases)
17Effect of CAD on Probability of Detecting Cancer
(all cases)
The more sensitive readers hindered
Maximum improvement
0.85
0.80
Fraction of cases recalled by the reader without
CAD (sensitivity)
0.75
0.70
The less sensitive readers benefit
0.65
Maximum hindrance
0.60
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
More of the difficult cases missed
More of the easy cases detected
Fraction of readers missing the case without CAD
(case difficulty)
18Taking on Big Problems
- Six year time scale allows for risk taking and
building infrastructure - Example MIAS grand challenges
- multi-scale modelling - e.g., cerebral
circulation - structure function e.g., combine brain models
and feature recognition to register group brain
images - intelligent acquisition e.g., removing motion
effects from MRI images, attenuation correction
for in vivo ultrasound scan
19Tilt testing at the Oxford Falls Clinic
As the tilt, and rate of tilt, are changed the
subjects blood pressure and heart rate vary
markedly. Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow
is a complex process (as the control model on the
next slide indicates). We have discovered that a
parameter called Tissue Oxygenation Index is key
to controlling autoregulation.
20Some model control paths
21Cerebral Circulationbiophysics biochemistry
signal processing milliseconds to hours
Syncope (fainting) patient data in the Oxford
Falls Clinic, remains constant for most of a
Tilt Test, though blood pressure decreases
markedly as the test proceeds. This patient does
not show any impairment of the auto-regulation
process
The left-hand side above shows a novel model
developed in the IRC predicting that the Tissue
Oxygenation Index (TOI) will remain constant as
blood pressure changes within 40 of its mean
value, demonstrating the phenomenon of cerebral
auto-regulation.
22Achieving End-to-End Research
- Example Ultrafast Photonics
- femtosecond lasers advanced sources of
ultrashort pulses - photonic bandgaps miniaturization of optical
circuitry - inorganic semiconductors quantum dots
- organic materials plastics for data
communication - advanced systems and networks e.g., coding
schemes, theory and modelling
23Femtosecond lasers for datacomms
Step 1 The development of a novel ultrafast
laser designed to meet stringent system
requirements
24fs-Lasers for data communications
Step 2 Implementation in systems
25fs-Lasers for data communications
Step 3 World beating results!
1.36 Tb/s
Step 4 A new generation!
26Benefits of Collaborative Research
- Multi-site projects with lightweight management
structure - Bringing together the best in the UK
- IRCs extended existing bi-lateral relationships
- Resources harness critical mass, retain local
autonomy - 40-60 researchers in each IRC
- Break free of institutional limits
- Greater responsiveness in interdisciplinary areas
-already exploiting synergies between IRCs,
especially for e-Science programme
27Internationally Competitive Research
Prix Ars Electronica Golden Nica, ACM DIS design
award
28IRCs Have Broader Impact
- AKT
- 20 representations to standards bodies (W2C)
- AKTive Space, first prize in Semantic Web Grand
Challenge - Tim Berners-Lee visiting Professor
- Equator
- UK and international press and TV
- Strong links to international industry research
(Microsoft, Intel, PARC, HP, BT Exact) - Both formative role in UK Grand Challenges and
e-Science programme, EU Framework Programme
29IRCs and Industry Engagement
- Challenges
- Industry cant commit to long time scales
- Impact of MA on partners and markets
- Yet each IRC has good industry engagement
- Bandwagons more successful than arranged
marriages - Entrepreneurial partnerships between academics
and start-ups and established industry for
example Oxford Biosignals
30Example AKTORs Club
- Abbey National, Adiuri Systems, Aerosystems
International, Airbus UK, Active Navigation,
Applied Knowledge Management, Applied
Intelligence, BAE Systems, Baker Hughes, BG
Technology, Boeing, British Airways, British
Maritime Technology, BP Sunbury, BP Amoco,
British Telecom, Cacheon, Cancer Research UK, The
Cape Alliance, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton
Laboratory, Cedar Group, Clifford Chance, CQR
Data Limited, Dstl, East of England Development
Agency, Electronic Publishing Service, Emorphia,
Empolis, Epistemics, European Office of Aerospace
Research Development, Factiva, Fujitsu,
Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions,
IBM, Logica UK Limited, Magnetical, McKinsey
Company, Mitre, Napp Pharmaceuticals, Nature,
Open Knowledge Network, Parametric Technology
Corporation, PJR Consultants, PriceWaterhouseCoope
rs, QinetiQ, Reuters, Rolls-Royce, Royal
Institute of International Affairs, Solcara,
Stilo Technology, Sun Microsystems, TFPL Ltd,
Unilever, Vivas Limited, WebSymposia
31Human Capital and Training
- IRC directors experienced, entrepreneurial
research leaders - long term funding enables risk
taking - Career development for young researchers
- A new breed of PhD students
- working on challenging problems
- breadth as well as depth in research
- skilled in team work
- between groups at home institution
- between partner institutions
- MIAS Doctoral Training Scheme
- large numbers e.g., Equator has 40 PhD students
- proving attractive to UK graduates
32Issues Going Forward
- Building an effective IRC takes time
- people need to learn to listen, build trust
- Balance between core computer science and
applications - IRCs depend on ongoing research in
core computer science - Cant do everything where to focus?
- Bigger asks from IRC follow-on projects
1-1.5M project costs before FEC - Referees and review process for these and future
IRCs
33In Summary
- The experiment worked!
- EPSRC has the opportunity to sustain world
beating research - tackling big challenges
- harnessing critical mass research resources
- being more responsive in interdisciplinary areas
- Collaboration is effective, thanks to modern
communications technology - Sustain the momentum
- exploit synergies between IRCs
- boundaries and topics can change over time
34EPSRC Showcase