AMCET

A company set up by the University and external partners - AMCET Ltd - was hailed by Scotland’s First Minister as a model for commercialisation of university research. AMCET, with investment of £5.5 million, will exploit the commercial potential of the advanced materials research of Professor James Cairns and Dr James Thomson. The company, based on campus, will enable further development of the application of organometallic compounds whose unique characteristics enable interconnecting features within silicon chips to be dramatically reduced in size. The new technology could revolutionise the next generation of microelectronic devices.

Extending Sell-by Dates
Dr Ray Quinlan, Biochemistry, is working on the commercial application of his team’s discovery of tiny ‘nano’ machines in the body for repairing damaged proteins. By developing this example of natural biotechnology it should be possible to keep processed food and drink fresher for longer.

Medipark

The creation of a Medipark within the grounds of Ninewells Hospital owes much to the quality of research emanating from the Medical School.

Entrepreneurial Spirit
Dundee has joined with other leading research universities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heriot-Watt, Strathclyde) and business partners to establish the Scottish Institute for Enterprise with £4 million funding. Dundee will be the location for an Enterprise Management Centre, led by Professor Malcolm Horner, to develop a programme of enterprise training courses for senior students and businesses.

Drugs Research

A consortium of major pharmaceutical companies is collaborating in the University’s research into signal transduction - the process by which cells respond to hormones, growth factors, infection and other stimuli. The research, directed by Professor Sir Philip Cohen and Professor Peter Downes, aims to create drugs to combat cancer, heart disease, diabetes and chronic inflammatory diseases.