The Collaboration Fund
Expression of Interest Form
Please refer to ‘The Collaboration Fund – Call for Proposals’ and ‘Expression of Interest - Guidance Notes’ documents before submitting this form.
Call Number / Call 4 closes 1 April 2010, Call 5 closes 30 July 2010, Call 6 closes 3 December 2010EoI Call Applied For: / Call 6
Applicant Details / The Research Organisation
Research Organisation: / University of Manchester
Division or Department: / School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Principal Contact Name: / Fumie Costen
Job Title: / Lecturer
Telephone Number: / 0161 306 4717
Email: /
Collaborating Partner Details / Collaborating Partners may be contacted to verify their participation in this application
Collaborating Organisation: / RSoft Design UK Ltd
Division or Department:
Principal Contact Name: / John Horgan
Job Title: / Director
Telephone Number: / 01376 528556
Email: /
Project Partner Details
(if applicable) / Additional project partner(s) making a significant direct contribution to the project but outside of the formal agreement with the primary Collaborating Organisation(s)
Project Partner:
Division or Department:
Principal Contact Name:
Job Title:
Telephone Number:
Email:
EPSRC Grant Reference Numbers (e.g. EP/Z123456/1) / Reference previous EPSRC funding; briefly indicate relevance to this application.
GR/R73805
The previous research funded by EPSRC is also the development of the algorithm and software, dealing with the wave propagation of the electromagnetic waves. The previous EPSRC funded research successfully demonstrated the FDTD method applied to smart antennas. This software is the core of our current modelling capability and has been used to demonstrate our new boundary condition. The project proposed here is the extension of one of the outcomes of the previous research funded by EPSRC.
Project Title / No longer than 150 characters
Prototype development of the novel algorithm for demonstration to commercial software companies
Project Summary / No longer than 4000 characters
Background:
A wide range of waves are used in a large range of technologies. For example, low frequency waves are used in geophysical exploration, microwaves are used in radar and wireless technologies and light waves are used in optical technologies. It is important to be able to accurately simulate how waves move through a space, in order to be able to understand and use the waves effectively.
The Finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is the most common method of modelling the propagation of waves within space. It is an iterative method which operates by dividing the space to be modelled into a grid system of magnetic and electric points. This allows continuous waves to be modelled using a vast number of smaller discrete spaces. The FDTD method is a very popular technique for wave modelling.
Key problem:
In the real world waves propagate through an infinite space. Unfortunately, it is not computationally possible using current techniques to model an infinite space and therefore the it is necessary to add boundaries to all wave simulations.
Adding boundaries can cause reflection of the wave which would not occur in the real world, given that in the real world the boundary is not present. It is therefore desirable to use absorbing boundaries that do not cause reflection.
The most popular FDTD absorbing boundary condition (ABC) is the Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) boundary condition. It has been shown to allow effective modelling of wave propagation. It is very popular and is the industrial standard.
Novel solution:
The Extended Huygens’ absorbing boundary condition (EHABC) when used in combination with a Perfect Electrical Conductor (PEC) outer boundary is less computationally expensive alternative to PML. The EHABC operation is performed on only 1 plane in the computational space, not the part of the volume as is done in PML and very easy to implement.
The signal for the exterior space next to the boundary is derived from the signal for the interior space in contact with the boundary. It is simply the opposite sign to that calculated for the interior signal next to the boundary. As no calculations are required for the exterior space and the computation is only one cell deep this method is computationally inexpensive.
Towards commercialisation of the novel solution: The primary aim of this project is to demonstrate that the US patent pending Extended Huygens’s Absorbing Boundary Condition (EHABC) is able to offer many advantages over the very popular PML boundary condition when used in FDTD wave simulations and ultimately, to secure further funding to investigate the potential of the EHABC in other wave simulation methods and negotiate license deals. The project will enable a sample code to be developed which FDTD software suppliers can evaluate and determine if they would like to work with the University of Manchester to develop it further or negotiate a license deal. It is essential that the later stages of this research are in collaboration with a FDTD software supplier (RSoft) as the technique has to be optimised for the specific frequency dependant material used by each FDTD software supplier. Although the final piece of research will be conducted in collaboration with RSoft, experts in the field, the research will yield results applicable to the majority of FDTD software suppliers. The resultant prototype has the same function as the code with PML but with significantly less computational resources required.
Added value of collaboration: EHABC speeds up the FDTD computation from the viewpoint of algorithm and Rsoft has the software implementation technique which makes their software 50 times faster than other commercial software. By merging these two skill/technique the fastest commercial software will be developed.
Aims & Objectives / No longer than 4000 characters
The aim:
The aim of the project is to enhance the application of EPSRC-funded research for economic benefit. The project supported by EPSRC has produced the insight in computational electromagnetics. The part of it is the US patent pending Extended Huygens's Absorbing Boundary Condition. The absorbing performance of EHABC is nearly the same as the PML which is applied in any commercial software which handles the computational electromagnetics. On the other hand, EHABC dramatically reduces the computational cost of PML. Thus there are many commercial software suppliers which can benefit from the EHABC. Although the EHABC introduction to a simple FDTD code with PML is supposed to be a small coding task, usually the commercial software has many optional functions in the code and the code usually is complicated. Therefore touching the core part of the FDTD computation (i.e., the boundary condition) requires the significant amount of man-power in the companies. Thus the companies would engage themselves to the novel boundary condition only when they feel that the novel boundary condition is worth investing. In order for commercial software suppliers to understand the benefit of EHABC, a demonstration software has to be developed which includes the need of the FDTD software suppliers for both the PML boundary condition case and the EHABC case. Thus the more specific aim is the development of the demonstration software working with RSoft which instructs the project by giving what RSoft would like to see in the demonstration software in a concrete manner and to secure further funding to investigate the potential of the EHABC in many other computational electromagnetics and negotiate license deals with various commercial FDTD software suppliers.
Objectives:
The project objectives are
1)Understand RSoft's practical application and the function RSoft requires in their product
2)Algorithm development to adapt EHABC to RSoft's requirement
3)Development of a prototype together with Rsoft by implementing the algorithm to RSoft
4)Undertaking an assessment of the EHABC with Rsoft from the perspective of accuracy and stability of EHABC in RSoft's application scenario
5)Undertaking the demonstration of EHABC to RSoft to validate the unique selling points and negotiation of the license deal with RSoft.
Time plan:
The main deliverable of this project is to transfer our numerical methods to commercial software in order to improve efficiency by 25%. The project plan described below will provide valuable exemplification data for the US application within the 12 month window of opportunity that exists beginning July 2010. It will also allow a sample code to be developed that will enable the power of the patent pending EHABC to be demonstrated to RSoft and other FDTD software[lorna.far1] suppliers. This will generate interest and hopefully lead to future collaborations and license deals with the FDTD software suppliers who responded positively to a non confidential flyer sent out by UMIP Ltd to help determine the commercial potential of the new boundary condition before filing the US patent application.
2 months: understand the mathematics which RSoft handles for the frequency dependent materials and also the equations for the PML part for their frequency dependent materials.
2 months: mathematical derivation of the algorithm to adapt our technique to their algorithm.
6 months: implementation of our new boundary condition and PML in the chosen particular frequency dependent materials.
2 months: code verification for the various media parameters at various frequency ranges with respect to accuracy and stability. Optimisation of the code and the data generation in collaboration with RSoft and other FDTD software suppliers.
Commercial strategy:After the completion of the project, Rsoft examines whether or not they invest their manpower to EHABC. After their positive decision, they work together with Manchester to include EHABC in their software and within 12 months of the completion of the project the product with EHABC will be on the market.
Commercial Potential
Commercial potentional of EHABC:
The new algorithm EHABC is applicable to a vast majority of the commercial software vendors which handles the computational electromagnetics. A non-confidential flyer was sent out to 30 major software vendors which handle the computational electromagnetics. 10 companies[lorna.far2] (Acceleware Inc, Agilent, CST, EM Explorer, EM photonics, Mentor Graphics (previously called Zeland) Lumerical Solutions, Photon Design, RSoft, Vector Fields ) are responded positively to the flyer. As soon as the demonstration software is developed, we can re-approach these software suppliers as well as the other companies to negotiate license deals. Therefore the commercial potential is very high and the realisation has the very low risk because the test for the stability and accuracy as well as the speed assessment have already performed in the University of Manchester.
Exploitation prospects:EHABC is combined with the current commercial FDTD software and is sold as the option of the software. This new option is also going to be announced to the current users of the software.
Product differenciation: Since none of the current commercial software use EHABC and overall performance of EHABC is better than PML, outcome of the project has a significant impact on industry.
Economic Impact / Please consider the potential areas for economic impact of this project. This may include its impact on the nation’s health, wealth and/or culture e.g. jobs created, profits generated.
Enhancing economic benefit:
This project will demonstrate the potential of the extended HABC for FDTD to RSoft and other FDTD software suppliers. This knowledge transfer hopefully lead to further development and license deals with FDTD software suppliers generating income for the inventor and the University of Manchester. The extended HABC will also benefit the software supplier as it will be able to offer the perfect computational stability giving it a competitive advantage over other FDTD software suppliers. It also reduces the cost of designing a wide range of high value products and therefore give these companies that use the Extended HABC a competitive advantage over other suppliers of these products.
Economic Benefits:
The transfer of this intellectual property to RSoft will give this UK company the leading edge over competitors and it is estimated that such an improvement could double their turnover. Such a significant improvement in computational efficiency will also lead to the solution of problems hitherto unsolvable.
Environmental impact: A wide range of companies and research institutes which uses electromagnetic software heavily. The cost to run simulations and the cost to cool down computers are very high. The outcome of the project can reduce these cost by reducing the computational requirement.
Intellectual Property / Please give details any IP including confirmation of ownership.
University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd assessed the commercial potential of the EHABC, performed all necessary due diligence and filed a US patent application, US61/363317, in July 2010. The University of Manchester has the appropriate rights to all the intellectual property that this project seeks to exploit.
Project Length / 12 / Months / Weeks
Grant Amount Requested / Provide an estimate of the funding required. Fully costed details of resources are not required at this stage.
Total Project Costs: £ 103,575
Amount Requested (80% FEC): £ 82,860
Collaborating Organisation Contribution / Provide details and value of all direct or indirect support from the project partner
RSoft gives out and explains the equations for the FDTD update and the boundary conditions which handles the frequency dependent materials. Furthermore, RSoft is going to teach the most effective way of demonstrating the merit of the new algorithm EHABC so that Manchester can develop a universal demonstration software to other commercial companies[lorna.far3].
Other Additional Funding / Provide details of any other funding that will be provided/ applied for, including the amount and the source of funds
N/A
How did you hear about the EPSRC Collaboration Fund?
From University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd
Please refer to the FSE website, for further details about the Collaboration Fund. Please ensure your completed Expression of Interest form is submitted by the closing date for the call. A schedule of calls and the timetable for each one is also available on the FSE website.
This Expression of Interest form should be returned to . You will receive email confirmation that your application has been received.
Please direct any queries to Asim Zahir at FSE via 01276 607304 or email .
Added value of collaboration: the applicant must demonstrate a commercial collaboration that offers added value to the exploitation of the innovation. If an application reaches the Full Application stage, a Heads of Terms must be submitted with 100420 V6 8
We need to cover all of these aspects. I don’t think that we have covered many of these at the moment.
the completed application form with a view to a full partnership or collaboration agreement before the project starts. A sample Heads of Terms document is available on the FSE website.
Commercial potential of the idea: the assessment will be concerned with the market size and the market need to be addressed and its growth prospects within the medium term.
Exploitation prospects: the assessment will focus strongly on the exploitation strategy which should clearly present the proposed route(s) to market, including an outline of the market channels.
Technical risk assessment: the knowledge to be transferred should be suitably developed beyond basic research and theoretical aspects. An applicant should be able to demonstrate that the grant will be focused on proving the concept of the technology for a specific industry application.
Project Viability: there should be a sound strategy in place to execute the project including realistic timeframes and project outcomes.
Product differentiation: the assessment will consider points of differentiation of the product, service or process against those of key competitors and the likely impact upon the industry or sector.
Economic impact: each applicant will be required to forecast the likely economic impact including jobs created, the number of license agreements, the value of license income, increases in profitability and revenues, and third party investment secured.
Environmental/ social impact: applicants that can demonstrate a positive impact for the environment and/or the norms of society will be considered more favourably.
Financial Additionality: evidence of funding and investment from other sources that leverages the EPSRC grant will be considered more favourably although matching funding is not a pre-requisite.
Timeframes: projects should not exceed 12 months in duration (exceptionally 18 months) and project outcomes and/ or impacts should be capable of demonstration within no more than 12 months from the end of the project (i.e. 2 years from start date of the project).
[lorna.far1]
[lorna.far2]Zeland have asked for a prototype – we haven’t got one so we need one
[lorna.far3]Needs much more detail here