''Model'' Spin Out Company To Exploit ''Ground-Breaking Science''.Business Editors EDINBURGH, Scotland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2000 A cluster of radical new technologies which could revolutionise the international microelectronics industry forms the core of a major new spin out company announced today (18 May 2000) by the University of Dundee As the above opinion represents, there was a significant movement with the intention of decanting the entire university to Dundee, which the Royal Commission observed was now a "large and increasing town" - or indeed the establishment of a college along very similar lines to the present in partnership with the Scottish Enterprise Scottish Enterprise is the main national[1] economic development agency of Scotland, the other being Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) carries out similar functions of economic development in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Network. Scotland's Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. , Henry McLeish Henry McLeish (b. June 15 1948, Methil, Fife, Scotland) is a Scottish politician. He served as the second First Minister of Scotland from 2000 to November 8 2001, following the sudden death of Donald Dewar. , will launch AMCET Ltd as a model for the commercialisation of university research and a boost for Scotland's new knowledge economy, at a ceremony at the University of Dundee. AMCET will exploit the commercial potential of advanced materials Advanced Materials is a leading peer-reviewed materials science journal published every two weeks. Advanced Materials includes Communications, Reviews, and Feature Articles from the cutting edge of materials science, including topics in chemistry, physics, research by Professor James Cairns Cairns, city (1991 pop. 64,463), Queensland, NE Australia, on Trinity Bay. It is a principal sugar port of Australia; lumber and other agricultural products are also exported. The city's proximity to the Great Barrier Reef has made it a tourist center. and Dr. James Thomson James Thomson may be
The company, which pools university intellectual property and Scottish Enterprise funding of 2.4 million Pounds Sterling, will be based on the Dundee University campus and an additional ten staff will be attracted to the project initially. Further spin out companies are expected to be generated from AMCET to exploit particular aspects of the technology. AMCET, which represents an investment of 5.5 million Pounds Sterling in total, is the culmination of a long term project involving the University of Dundee and Scottish Enterprise Tayside to maximise the benefits of this groundbreaking science for the university, Dundee and Scotland. A major theme of AMCET is the further development and application of a new range of materials known as organometallic organometallic /or·ga·no·me·tal·lic/ (-me-tal´ik) consisting of a metal combined with an organic radical, used particularly for a compound in which the metal is linked directly to a carbon atom. compounds whose unique characteristics allow them to dramatically shrink interconnect features within silicon chips. These compounds have the ability to be converted to high definition metal structures by irradiation using electron beams or ultra-violet light. This opens up new opportunities for miniaturisation n. 1. miniaturization. Noun 1. miniaturisation - act of making on a greatly reduced scale miniaturization shrinking - the act of becoming less of electronic devices and for improving their potential. The new technology is expected to form the basis of the manufacture of the next generation of electronic devices. The special properties of organometallic compounds result from their reaction to electron beam or other irradiation. This causes the metals to "drop out" forming very high definition metal lines making the technique particularly suitable for microelectronic applications. The flexibility of the technology opens up a range of new applications and has implications for applications from silicon chips to sensors and interconnects to flat panel display A thin display screen for computer and TV usage. The first flat panels appeared on laptop computers in the mid-1980s, and the LCD technology became the standard. Stand-alone LCD screens became available for desktop computers in the mid-1990s and exceeded sales of CRTs for the first time systems. A licence agreement exists between AMCET and speciality chemicals company Laporte plc for the manufacture of the new range of organometallic compounds. The licence gives Laporte, who own Compugraphics International in Glenrothes, the exclusive right to manufacture and sell the compounds which are protected by patents owned by the University of Dundee. "This is ground-breaking science," commented University Principal Dr. Ian Graham-Bryce. "It represents a quantum leap quantum leap n. An abrupt change or step, especially in method, information, or knowledge: "War was going to take a quantum leap; it would never be the same" Garry Wills. into a tiny world. AMCET is creating the building blocks of next generation microelectronic technology. Its potential is so far reaching that the horizons can only be guessed." Sir Ian Wood, Chairman of Scottish Enterprise said: "In Scotland, we are building on the research excellence in our universities by establishing an infrastructure which will support the microelectronics industry well into the future. Innovative ways of commercialising the technology from our universities are being developed. The partnership approach which has led to the development of AMCET as a company, is an excellent example of this strategy in action." SET Chief Executive Graham McKee said: "This new approach to commercialisation is based, not just on a single scientific idea, but on a whole range of applications which will spin out to a wide range of businesses and financial opportunities. We hope AMCET will bring in royalties from new product licensing and seed spin out companies to start up in the area." The University of Dundee owns 74% of shares in the new private company, with the remaining 26% owned by Scottish Enterprise Tayside. A board of eight directors has been formed comprising five from the University and three from Scottish Enterprise. Notes for editors (1) Biographical/research notes available (2) Websites: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/elecengphysics/mcrores.htm http://www.dundee.ac.uk/chemistry/thomson.htm www.microelectronics.org.uk |
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