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KTP Case Study: CSols Ltd and University of Liverpool
Through a KTP project, CSols has – alongside academics from the University of Liverpool – built entities it now calls nDrites.
What is it about?
A team of researchers at the University of Liverpool, led by Professors Katie Atkinson and Frans Coenen, teamed up with laboratory informatics software and services company CSols Ltd. through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by Innovate UK to build entities known as nDrites.
nDrites act as software wrappers for a range of analytical instruments and laboratory resources like robots and data systems. nDrite technology dramatically improves the cost of developing lab software applications by performing two important functions for lab instruments: extracting data from lab resources and facilitating any required control instructions.
Why is it important?
High tech laboratory equipment frequently operates without connectivity and interoperability, which is hugely damaging to overall efficiency. The global lab market is huge – generating $1 trillion a year in data outputs – but the data it produces is generated inefficiently and value is extracted from it poorly. This is because of a lack of appropriate lab software applications, which are traditionally too costly to produce at the required level of functionality. Recognising the importance of this problem, Liverpool academics and CSols stepped in with a solution: nDrites.
nDrites allow CSols’ laboratory software applications to interact with lab resources, regardless of their manufacturer or type. CSols’ existing and new laboratory apps have been greatly improved, increasing the market for them. In the bigger picture, the development of nDrites will encourage other companies to follow suit, facilitating a cycle of improvement across the lab instrument industry.
nDrites have already been widely used across the lab instrument manufacturing industry. The technology has been implemented by major instrument manufacturers who have experienced reduced development costs, time to market, and instrument installation times.
In turn, the users of analytical instruments have made gains. From sustainable technologies companies to the packaging industry, as well as a range of UK water supply companies, nDrite technology sees widespread use to enable more efficient work practices, to avoid cases of human error, and to provide comprehensive audit trails to meet the requirements of accreditation services and regulators.
Perspectives
The CSols KTP has been great for the company, helping it expand its product line and business; great for the University, where our applied work has made a huge contribution to our REF impact – and great for our Associate, who has gained first class experience of transferring knowledge from academia into a business.
