The Open University and e2v will open the e2v Centre for Electronic Imaging (CEI) at The Open University’s Milton Keynes, UK, campus. The centre will be dedicated to the research and development of advanced technologies for electronic image sensing and provide knowledge exchange between the UK technology industry and the academic world.
e2v is a world leader in the design and supply of image sensors to organisations such as NASA (e.g. for the 2009 upgrade of the Hubble Space Telescope), whilst The Open University’s Planetary and Space Science Department (PSSRI) is a world leader in the development of instrumentation for Space Science (e.g. lead the Beagle-2 lander and was lead group for the Surface Science package on ESA’s Huygens probe).
The collaboration will see the two parties investing £3 M in the UK knowledge economy over five years in new research activity through the centre. Its joint research centre will focus on the development of technology opportunities in space and terrestrial imaging, with plans to extend the scope to health and environmental applications.
Andrew Holland, professor of electro-optics with The Open University, says the collaboration will provide long-term benefits to science, training and the creation of world-leading intellectual property. “Both academic research and the development of industrial technology require highly skilled researchers with a thorough understanding of the needs of industry. The e2v Centre for Electronic Imaging will provide an avenue for doctoral students and research staff to explore routes to industrial advancements for business sustainability, and technological breakthroughs in science and medicine.”