Dr Andreia Fonseca Da Silva describes how EPSRC funds have enabled her to engage with industry partners. Dr Andreia Fonseca Da Silva, Royal Society Industry Fellow, Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership, in the School of Physics and Astronomy, gave a talk on the project ‘Optimising the flow behaviour of Ophthalmic Viscosurgical Devices (OVDs) for use during surgery’, at the 2024 Health Technologies Showcase, organised by Edinburgh Innovations.Dr Andreia Fonseca Da Silva describes how EPSRC funds have enabled her to engage with industry partners:EPSRC IAA-funded projects have really helped me to build up experience with industry collaborators. I now have a Royal Society Industry Fellowship involving a new collaboration with a former IAA partner, focusing on a novel research question with emphasis on developing new fundamental science, which can help improve their products.This Royal Society Industry Fellowship will enable Andreia to not only expand her fundamental research on complex fluids, but also to develop a strong working relationship with her industrial collaborator, Hyaltech. Hyaltech, a branch of Zeiss, is a biomedical company that produces hyaluronic acid solutions for use in ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs). OVDs are injected into the eye by surgeons during cataract surgery. OVDs need to perform a dual role of both spreading over the eye to protect the surface, whilst maintaining a volume in the eye as the lens is replaced. These two aspects require different characteristics, and current OVD technology cannot perform these functions simultaneously with only one fluid. During her fellowship, Andreia will be investigating viscoelastic fluid flows in depth, with an emphasis on understanding spread and removal through suction of complex fluids, with the aim of advancing formulation design and facilitating product innovation. EPSRC IAA Funding EPSRC IAA funding is for University of Edinburgh researchers and academics at all career stages to support activities that accelerate or amplify the impact arising from EPSRC-funded research through knowledge exchange, industry collaboration and commercialisation. The funds are managed by Edinburgh Innovations on behalf of the College of Science & Engineering. The EPSRC IAA at the University of Edinburgh has a successful legacy, having supported 250 projects with over 150 unique industry partners. During 2022-2023 the average success rate for applicants was 40%. It can be challenging to know where to start to turn your research into a real benefit for society. If you are an Early Career Researcher, the EPSRC IAA Innovation Competition can support you to validate your ideas. What are you waiting for? Get involved to accelerate and amplify the impact of your research. Contact EPSRCIAA@ei.ed.ac.uk with any questions. This article was published on 2024-11-28
