Seminar on Commercialisation of Sensor and Detector Technologies, Sevastopol, Ukraine, October 7-8, 2009

CNCP regularly organises seminars on technologies with commercialization potential for nuclear institutes. Previous seminars have focused on energy saving (Moscow 2007), radioisotope production (Almaty 2008), and commercial opportunities for irradiation technologies (Lvov 2009). Between 7 and 9 October 2009, a seminar was organised in Sevastopol with the Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT) on "Commercialising Sensor and Detector Inventions"

The event brought together leaders of commercial enterprises from Rosatom Closed Cities in Russia involved in CNCP projects, as well as project leaders from nuclear institutes in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, and British specialists. Two members of the staff of the British company Qi3, which specialises in commercialising technology-based innovations and in bringing them to market, also took part. The Qi3 specialists described the world market for sensor technologies and spoke about their various commercial applications. The systematic British approach to supporting the process of commercialising new technologies, including sensor technologies, was explained. This approach involves both the private sector and government. Bringing scientific inventions to the market is itself a kind of science, and British companies have built up a lot of experience which can be of assistance to many organisations which are interested in commercialising their products. The approach includes:

• partnerships which can help raise product competitiveness;
• a wide choice of sources of finance;
• access to the World Market.

Questions relating to intellectual property management and the removal of barriers to achieving commercial activities on an industrial scale were discussed in presentations by Gerald Mcanally (DSTL) and Steve Sugden (HTSPE).

A series of practical examples of projects being implemented with support from CNCP involving the commercialisation of sensor technologies were presented by companies from Rosatom Closed Cities and from nuclear centres in other countries taking part in the CNCP Programme, these included:

• x-ray and gamma semiconductor radiation detectors using CdZnTe (KIPT, Kharkov);
• electrochemical express analysis and identification of chemicals in solution ("Ekoscan", Snezhinsk);
• detectors for vibration control and measurement ("Measurement Technologies", Sarov);
• radiation resistant detectors (SIPT, Tbilisi);
• radioisotope level measurement devices (INP, Tashkent).

The guest specialists gave their opinions on the possibilities for market entry for each technology and on opportunities for developing commercial partnerships. Particular interest was shown in already existing partnerships, such as those between different institutes involved in the CNCP Programme, and collaboration with British organisations.

Among other presentations, the audience showed great interest in talks describing two current projects: the production of thin vacuum tight beryllium foils for detector windows (Konstantin Kovtun, KIPT, Kharkov) and of metal micro strip detectors (Valery Pugatch, Kiev). The technology for preparing beryllium foils, developed by KIPT and brought to the point of commercialisation with the help of a grant from CNCP, had reached a stage where it was ready to be launched on the European market. This issue was discussed with the Qi3 representatives in the course of the Seminar. Work on identifying a route to commercialisation for micro-strip detectors developed by scientists from Kiev, provided a good example of partnership between CNCP, institutes taking part in the Programme and British companies. Work on evaluating and introducing the technology and exploring the potential market had been carried out through a contract between HTSPE Ltd and Qi3. The resulting research had defined two areas particularly suitable for the application of these detectors, proposed a strategy for intellectual property protection and identified a possible source of additional funding (through the European Framework Programme).

The representative of the BINAR holding (Sarov), Benyamin Agureev, described his team's attempts to access the international market for their rolling metal flatness measurement technology (which was supported by a CNCP project). These had led to a partnership with the German company Folmer and the conclusion of an agreement providing exclusive rights to the distribution of the system on the world market.

Representatives of private companies based in Minsk and Kiev and staff of the laboratory of magnetic sensors of the Polytechnic Institute of the City of Lvov (Ukraine) described their experience in developing, producing and commercialising sensors and detectors.

An agreement on collaboration between the Sevastopol University of Nuclear Energy and Research and the Tbilisi-based Andronikashvili Institute of Physics was officially signed during the seminar.

In summary, key features of the seminar were:

• participation of highly qualified British experts, who combined practical experience and the ability to link marketing, sales and scientific and technical inventions;
• analysis and discussion of possible routes to market for the technologies presented at the seminar;
• attention to partnerships which had already been established and interest in possible new partnership arrangements which would open the way to commercialising and promoting high technology products.