Membership of the Innovations Partnership Scheme (IPS)

The current IPS Assessment Panel membership is as follows:

Chair

• Dr Ziad Melhem - Oxford Instruments Ltd

Members

• Dr David Robinson - Psi-tran
• Dr J Dines - STFC UKATC
• Dr D Gupta - Black Kite Ltd
• Dr J Lapington - University of Leicester
• Dr P John - E2V
• Prof G Love - University of Durham
• Dr T Breckon - Cranfield University
• Dr C Jollifffe - Aerotech

Secretary

• Andi Kidd - Office Manager, STFC

STFC Objectives

The STFC Innovations directorate runs a number of funding schemes supporting the commercialisation of STFC funded science. The Innovations Partnership Scheme (IPS) is designed to transfer technology and expertise developed through STFC funding to the marketplace in partnership with industry and other academic disciplines. A full IPS can run over a maximum of three years. Mini-IPS also supports collaborative projects with funding available for a maximum of one year. Follow on Funding is intended to provide financial support at the very early or pre-seed stage of turning research outputs into a commercial proposition and the IPS Fellowship is a scheme designed to support a role to develop the commercial exploitation of technologies.

Constitution of the IPS panel

The IPS Assessment Panel is a peer review body comprised of nine members; five representatives from industry and four from the academic community representing the remit of the Council's science programme, and chaired by a panel member from industry. The Chair holds the casting vote and is appointed for a minimum of two years. The replacement is chosen from the existing industrial panel members by the current Chair and the STFC executive.

The membership of the panel initially will be for the duration of 3 years. If panel membership is extended, this will be for a maximum of three additional years.

Remit of the IPS panel

The IPS panel is set up to make recommendations on grant applications received against the calls for IPS, Mini-IPS, Follow-on-Funding and IPS Fellowships. It will undertake this task having regard to the overall strategy and policy of Council and the Science Committee, and to the broad financial situation as advised by the executive.

Panel responsibilities

The panel members are requested to:

• Serve on the panel initially for one term of 3 years
• Provide a summary of their expertise to facilitate allocation of Mini-IPS proposals for review
• With reference to the assessment criteria, review and make recommendations to the STFC executive on all grant applications to the above schemes
• Respond in a timely manner to review requests for Mini-IPS proposals
• Attend thrice yearly panel meetings

or...

• If unable to attend panel members should submit written comments in a form that can be circulated to other panel members prior to the meeting
• To comment on and/or make recommendations regarding any other business or partnership applications as required
• To liaise with other bodies as necessary
• To report to the Science Committee and any other overseeing body as required