The world-renowned Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge has received an £85 million gift from the estate of Dolby Laboratories founder Ray Dolby to underpin the cost of a new building at the West Cambridge site and the establishment of a new, as yet unspecified, research group there.

The benefactor founded Dolby Noise Reduction, Dolby Surround, and successor audio signal processing technologies, which have revolutionised the audio quality of music, motion pictures, and television worldwide.

The Dolby family gift is the largest philanthropic donation ever made to UK science and will support Ray Dolby’s alma mater; he gained his PhD there in 1961.

Some £75m of the donation is for the new Cavendish building which is expected to open in 2022. It will be named the Ray Dolby Centre. The £10m balance will go to set up up the new research group there, further details about which are awaited.

The group, which will be led by a new endowed Ray Dolby Professorship, will build on and further strengthen the Cavendish Laboratory’s status and impact as one of the greatest centres of physics research in the world.

Ray Dolby (pictured above), who died in 2013 at the age of 80, came to Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar in 1957. Besides doing his PhD at the Cavendish he was a student and later a Fellow of Pembroke College.

He founded Dolby Laboratories in London in 1965 and invented the Dolby System, an analogue audio encoding system that forever improved the quality of recorded sound. He moved the company in 1976 to San Francisco, where it has been headquartered ever since.

The new Cavendish Laboratory will be its third home since its founding in 1874 and was first announced by the UK Government in its 2015 Spending Review. It promised a £75 million investment in the Cavendish, which has been confirmed this week, helping maintain Britain’s position at the forefront of physical sciences research. 

The funding will be delivered by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Work on the new facility is expected to begin in 2019.
Thanks to this exceptional gift from the Dolby estate, the university has now surpassed the £1 billion milestone in its current £2bn fundraising campaign.

This is the second generous gift to Cambridge from the Dolby family, who donated £35 million to Pembroke College in 2015. The Dolby family is now the largest donor to the fundraising campaign and the second-largest donor to the university in its 808-year history.

Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said: “This unparalleled gift is a fitting tribute to Ray Dolby’s legacy, who changed the way the world listened; his research paved the way for an entire industry.

“A century from now, we can only speculate on which discoveries will alter the way we live our lives and which new industries will have been born in the Cavendish Laboratory – in large part thanks to this extraordinarily generous gift.”

Professor Andy Parker, head of the Cavendish Laboratory, added: “The Ray Dolby Centre will complete the development of the new Cavendish Laboratory. 

“In addition to serving as a home for physics research at Cambridge, it will be a top-class facility for the nation. This extremely generous gift from the Dolby family is the most significant investment in physics research in generations and a truly transformational gift in Cambridge’s history.”

There are a few tell-tale signs that Christmas is on its way; the big Christmas lights switch on, hearing the first Christmas songs on the radio, and mince pies on the supermarket shelves.

And now it seems that the yuletide John Lewis TV ad has also become something of a national event, marking the unofficial launch of Christmas in the UK, writes Sarah Brereton, director at brand and communications agency, Limewash.

Storytelling – not selling
This year’s ad tells the story of a boy named Joe, who is kept awake by an imaginary, 7ft monster (Moz the Monster) who lives under his bed. The two-minute clip focusses on telling a story to engage viewers, rather than showcasing its products, which is in line with their previously successful Christmas campaigns.

As well as TV, the £7m cross-channel campaign includes digital promotion and social media activity as well as more traditional print and storefront advertising. Yet, the eagerly anticipated commercial received mixed reactions and has fallen short of last year’s figures in terms of online engagement, perhaps because expectations for its ads are so high, they are almost impossible to meet.

When ads become news
The big retailers’ Christmas ads are hotly anticipated, highly competitive and big business. Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association. 

Christmas campaigns are starting earlier every year and being teased online prior to the main event, using social media and hashtags to generate pre-launch excitement. The ads themselves have now become ‘news’, with scores of media outlets offering a round-up and giving their verdicts on this year’s concepts. 

A different approach 
In contrast to John Lewis, Sainsbury’s produced a stripped-down ad, which simply shows colleagues and shoppers singing along to a festive song; TalkTalk plumped for a ‘real-life’ ad representing Christmas as it really is; and Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi’s offering, this time with a love interest.

And it’s not just supermarkets and high street stores catching on to the brand engagement and hype resulting from this seasonal mass marketing. Other brands such as Barbour (continuing the story of the Snowman and Snowdog) and Greggs have also attempted to make their mark – with varying success. 

Judgement day
Although the success of a Christmas campaign can add millions to a company’s bottom line, the backlash from the public can also do some serious damage to a brand.

While Barbour’s ad received a mainly positive response, Greggs was forced to apologise after publicity shots for its new ad campaign included a nativity scene in which baby Jesus is replaced by a sausage roll, showing how a misjudged idea can spectacularly backfire in such a high-profile arena.

And Greggs wasn’t alone. Threats to boycott Tesco were made after its ad featured a Muslim family; Amazon has been accused of spoiling the magic of Christmas for children and even the John Lewis ad has been accused of plagiarism by a former Children’s Laureate over similarities to his book ‘Mr Underbed’.

So, while brands are making greater efforts on the level of creativity around the Christmas period, they also need to be prepared for some potentially damaging judgments. 

Companies have to consider all eventualities and have a crisis plan in place should the worst happen to avoid reputational damage and a negative impact on Christmas sales. 

The smaller-scale approach 
If you haven’t got the budget for a multi-million-pound ad, there are some simple ways to apply the big retailer’s basic campaign principles. An integrated, multi-channel approach using the storytelling technique, rather than just ‘selling stuff’ can work in any sector.
 
Creating content that your target audiences can engage with, and want to share, is the first step to creating a successful campaign. Then make sure they can easily access the story by using the channels and media outlets you know they read. 

For example, a print ad in a relevant magazine or local newspaper can start the customer on the journey, but once they come to your site or social media platform, video can bring your story to life. Remember to make the content different on each channel, but the message consistent.

And the winner is…
So, which brand hit the top of the charts with their Christmas campaign? In a recent poll of 1,000 UK consumers on behalf of Marketing Week, it’s Amazon’s ad that came out on top when consumers were asked which ad they enjoyed the most. 

Some 44 per cent of those polled said they ‘loved it’ – more than double the 21 per cent who said the same for the John Lewis ad. And with reports of M & S starting its Christmas campaign planning 15 months in advance, it looks like Christmas 2018 really is coming early for some!

www.limewash.co.uk

There are a few tell-tale signs that Christmas is on its way; the big Christmas lights switch on, hearing the first Christmas songs on the radio, and mince pies on the supermarket shelves.

And now it seems that the yuletide John Lewis TV ad has also become something of a national event, marking the unofficial launch of Christmas in the UK, writes Sarah Brereton, director at brand and communications agency, Limewash.

Storytelling – not selling
This year’s ad tells the story of a boy named Joe, who is kept awake by an imaginary, 7ft monster (Moz the Monster) who lives under his bed. The two-minute clip focusses on telling a story to engage viewers, rather than showcasing its products, which is in line with their previously successful Christmas campaigns.

As well as TV, the £7m cross-channel campaign includes digital promotion and social media activity as well as more traditional print and storefront advertising. Yet, the eagerly anticipated commercial received mixed reactions and has fallen short of last year’s figures in terms of online engagement, perhaps because expectations for its ads are so high, they are almost impossible to meet.

When ads become news
The big retailers’ Christmas ads are hotly anticipated, highly competitive and big business. Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association. 

Christmas campaigns are starting earlier every year and being teased online prior to the main event, using social media and hashtags to generate pre-launch excitement. The ads themselves have now become ‘news’, with scores of media outlets offering a round-up and giving their verdicts on this year’s concepts. 

A different approach 
In contrast to John Lewis, Sainsbury’s produced a stripped-down ad, which simply shows colleagues and shoppers singing along to a festive song; TalkTalk plumped for a ‘real-life’ ad representing Christmas as it really is; and Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi’s offering, this time with a love interest.

And it’s not just supermarkets and high street stores catching on to the brand engagement and hype resulting from this seasonal mass marketing. Other brands such as Barbour (continuing the story of the Snowman and Snowdog) and Greggs have also attempted to make their mark – with varying success. 

Judgement day
Although the success of a Christmas campaign can add millions to a company’s bottom line, the backlash from the public can also do some serious damage to a brand.

While Barbour’s ad received a mainly positive response, Greggs was forced to apologise after publicity shots for its new ad campaign included a nativity scene in which baby Jesus is replaced by a sausage roll, showing how a misjudged idea can spectacularly backfire in such a high-profile arena.

And Greggs wasn’t alone. Threats to boycott Tesco were made after its ad featured a Muslim family; Amazon has been accused of spoiling the magic of Christmas for children and even the John Lewis ad has been accused of plagiarism by a former Children’s Laureate over similarities to his book ‘Mr Underbed’.

So, while brands are making greater efforts on the level of creativity around the Christmas period, they also need to be prepared for some potentially damaging judgments. 

Companies have to consider all eventualities and have a crisis plan in place should the worst happen to avoid reputational damage and a negative impact on Christmas sales. 

The smaller-scale approach 
If you haven’t got the budget for a multi-million-pound ad, there are some simple ways to apply the big retailer’s basic campaign principles. An integrated, multi-channel approach using the storytelling technique, rather than just ‘selling stuff’ can work in any sector.
 
Creating content that your target audiences can engage with, and want to share, is the first step to creating a successful campaign. Then make sure they can easily access the story by using the channels and media outlets you know they read. 

For example, a print ad in a relevant magazine or local newspaper can start the customer on the journey, but once they come to your site or social media platform, video can bring your story to life. Remember to make the content different on each channel, but the message consistent.

And the winner is…
So, which brand hit the top of the charts with their Christmas campaign? In a recent poll of 1,000 UK consumers on behalf of Marketing Week, it’s Amazon’s ad that came out on top when consumers were asked which ad they enjoyed the most. 

Some 44 per cent of those polled said they ‘loved it’ – more than double the 21 per cent who said the same for the John Lewis ad. And with reports of M & S starting its Christmas campaign planning 15 months in advance, it looks like Christmas 2018 really is coming early for some!

www.limewash.co.uk

There are a few tell-tale signs that Christmas is on its way; the big Christmas lights switch on, hearing the first Christmas songs on the radio, and mince pies on the supermarket shelves.

And now it seems that the yuletide John Lewis TV ad has also become something of a national event, marking the unofficial launch of Christmas in the UK, writes Sarah Brereton, director at brand and communications agency, Limewash.

Storytelling – not selling
This year’s ad tells the story of a boy named Joe, who is kept awake by an imaginary, 7ft monster (Moz the Monster) who lives under his bed. The two-minute clip focusses on telling a story to engage viewers, rather than showcasing its products, which is in line with their previously successful Christmas campaigns.

As well as TV, the £7m cross-channel campaign includes digital promotion and social media activity as well as more traditional print and storefront advertising. Yet, the eagerly anticipated commercial received mixed reactions and has fallen short of last year’s figures in terms of online engagement, perhaps because expectations for its ads are so high, they are almost impossible to meet.

When ads become news
The big retailers’ Christmas ads are hotly anticipated, highly competitive and big business. Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association. 

Christmas campaigns are starting earlier every year and being teased online prior to the main event, using social media and hashtags to generate pre-launch excitement. The ads themselves have now become ‘news’, with scores of media outlets offering a round-up and giving their verdicts on this year’s concepts. 

A different approach 
In contrast to John Lewis, Sainsbury’s produced a stripped-down ad, which simply shows colleagues and shoppers singing along to a festive song; TalkTalk plumped for a ‘real-life’ ad representing Christmas as it really is; and Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi’s offering, this time with a love interest.

And it’s not just supermarkets and high street stores catching on to the brand engagement and hype resulting from this seasonal mass marketing. Other brands such as Barbour (continuing the story of the Snowman and Snowdog) and Greggs have also attempted to make their mark – with varying success. 

Judgement day
Although the success of a Christmas campaign can add millions to a company’s bottom line, the backlash from the public can also do some serious damage to a brand.

While Barbour’s ad received a mainly positive response, Greggs was forced to apologise after publicity shots for its new ad campaign included a nativity scene in which baby Jesus is replaced by a sausage roll, showing how a misjudged idea can spectacularly backfire in such a high-profile arena.

And Greggs wasn’t alone. Threats to boycott Tesco were made after its ad featured a Muslim family; Amazon has been accused of spoiling the magic of Christmas for children and even the John Lewis ad has been accused of plagiarism by a former Children’s Laureate over similarities to his book ‘Mr Underbed’.

So, while brands are making greater efforts on the level of creativity around the Christmas period, they also need to be prepared for some potentially damaging judgments. 

Companies have to consider all eventualities and have a crisis plan in place should the worst happen to avoid reputational damage and a negative impact on Christmas sales. 

The smaller-scale approach 
If you haven’t got the budget for a multi-million-pound ad, there are some simple ways to apply the big retailer’s basic campaign principles. An integrated, multi-channel approach using the storytelling technique, rather than just ‘selling stuff’ can work in any sector.
 
Creating content that your target audiences can engage with, and want to share, is the first step to creating a successful campaign. Then make sure they can easily access the story by using the channels and media outlets you know they read. 

For example, a print ad in a relevant magazine or local newspaper can start the customer on the journey, but once they come to your site or social media platform, video can bring your story to life. Remember to make the content different on each channel, but the message consistent.

And the winner is…
So, which brand hit the top of the charts with their Christmas campaign? In a recent poll of 1,000 UK consumers on behalf of Marketing Week, it’s Amazon’s ad that came out on top when consumers were asked which ad they enjoyed the most. 

Some 44 per cent of those polled said they ‘loved it’ – more than double the 21 per cent who said the same for the John Lewis ad. And with reports of M & S starting its Christmas campaign planning 15 months in advance, it looks like Christmas 2018 really is coming early for some!

www.limewash.co.uk

There are a few tell-tale signs that Christmas is on its way; the big Christmas lights switch on, hearing the first Christmas songs on the radio, and mince pies on the supermarket shelves.

And now it seems that the yuletide John Lewis TV ad has also become something of a national event, marking the unofficial launch of Christmas in the UK, writes Sarah Brereton, director at brand and communications agency, Limewash.

Storytelling – not selling
This year’s ad tells the story of a boy named Joe, who is kept awake by an imaginary, 7ft monster (Moz the Monster) who lives under his bed. The two-minute clip focusses on telling a story to engage viewers, rather than showcasing its products, which is in line with their previously successful Christmas campaigns.

As well as TV, the £7m cross-channel campaign includes digital promotion and social media activity as well as more traditional print and storefront advertising. Yet, the eagerly anticipated commercial received mixed reactions and has fallen short of last year’s figures in terms of online engagement, perhaps because expectations for its ads are so high, they are almost impossible to meet.

When ads become news
The big retailers’ Christmas ads are hotly anticipated, highly competitive and big business. Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association. 

Christmas campaigns are starting earlier every year and being teased online prior to the main event, using social media and hashtags to generate pre-launch excitement. The ads themselves have now become ‘news’, with scores of media outlets offering a round-up and giving their verdicts on this year’s concepts. 

A different approach 
In contrast to John Lewis, Sainsbury’s produced a stripped-down ad, which simply shows colleagues and shoppers singing along to a festive song; TalkTalk plumped for a ‘real-life’ ad representing Christmas as it really is; and Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi’s offering, this time with a love interest.

And it’s not just supermarkets and high street stores catching on to the brand engagement and hype resulting from this seasonal mass marketing. Other brands such as Barbour (continuing the story of the Snowman and Snowdog) and Greggs have also attempted to make their mark – with varying success. 

Judgement day
Although the success of a Christmas campaign can add millions to a company’s bottom line, the backlash from the public can also do some serious damage to a brand.

While Barbour’s ad received a mainly positive response, Greggs was forced to apologise after publicity shots for its new ad campaign included a nativity scene in which baby Jesus is replaced by a sausage roll, showing how a misjudged idea can spectacularly backfire in such a high-profile arena.

And Greggs wasn’t alone. Threats to boycott Tesco were made after its ad featured a Muslim family; Amazon has been accused of spoiling the magic of Christmas for children and even the John Lewis ad has been accused of plagiarism by a former Children’s Laureate over similarities to his book ‘Mr Underbed’.

So, while brands are making greater efforts on the level of creativity around the Christmas period, they also need to be prepared for some potentially damaging judgments. 

Companies have to consider all eventualities and have a crisis plan in place should the worst happen to avoid reputational damage and a negative impact on Christmas sales. 

The smaller-scale approach 
If you haven’t got the budget for a multi-million-pound ad, there are some simple ways to apply the big retailer’s basic campaign principles. An integrated, multi-channel approach using the storytelling technique, rather than just ‘selling stuff’ can work in any sector.
 
Creating content that your target audiences can engage with, and want to share, is the first step to creating a successful campaign. Then make sure they can easily access the story by using the channels and media outlets you know they read. 

For example, a print ad in a relevant magazine or local newspaper can start the customer on the journey, but once they come to your site or social media platform, video can bring your story to life. Remember to make the content different on each channel, but the message consistent.

And the winner is…
So, which brand hit the top of the charts with their Christmas campaign? In a recent poll of 1,000 UK consumers on behalf of Marketing Week, it’s Amazon’s ad that came out on top when consumers were asked which ad they enjoyed the most. 

Some 44 per cent of those polled said they ‘loved it’ – more than double the 21 per cent who said the same for the John Lewis ad. And with reports of M & S starting its Christmas campaign planning 15 months in advance, it looks like Christmas 2018 really is coming early for some!

www.limewash.co.uk

There are a few tell-tale signs that Christmas is on its way; the big Christmas lights switch on, hearing the first Christmas songs on the radio, and mince pies on the supermarket shelves.

And now it seems that the yuletide John Lewis TV ad has also become something of a national event, marking the unofficial launch of Christmas in the UK, writes Sarah Brereton, director at brand and communications agency, Limewash.

Storytelling – not selling
This year’s ad tells the story of a boy named Joe, who is kept awake by an imaginary, 7ft monster (Moz the Monster) who lives under his bed. The two-minute clip focusses on telling a story to engage viewers, rather than showcasing its products, which is in line with their previously successful Christmas campaigns.

As well as TV, the £7m cross-channel campaign includes digital promotion and social media activity as well as more traditional print and storefront advertising. Yet, the eagerly anticipated commercial received mixed reactions and has fallen short of last year’s figures in terms of online engagement, perhaps because expectations for its ads are so high, they are almost impossible to meet.

When ads become news
The big retailers’ Christmas ads are hotly anticipated, highly competitive and big business. Brands are expected to spend a record £6bn on Christmas advertising this year, according to the Advertising Association. 

Christmas campaigns are starting earlier every year and being teased online prior to the main event, using social media and hashtags to generate pre-launch excitement. The ads themselves have now become ‘news’, with scores of media outlets offering a round-up and giving their verdicts on this year’s concepts. 

A different approach 
In contrast to John Lewis, Sainsbury’s produced a stripped-down ad, which simply shows colleagues and shoppers singing along to a festive song; TalkTalk plumped for a ‘real-life’ ad representing Christmas as it really is; and Kevin the carrot returns for a second year for Aldi’s offering, this time with a love interest.

And it’s not just supermarkets and high street stores catching on to the brand engagement and hype resulting from this seasonal mass marketing. Other brands such as Barbour (continuing the story of the Snowman and Snowdog) and Greggs have also attempted to make their mark – with varying success. 

Judgement day
Although the success of a Christmas campaign can add millions to a company’s bottom line, the backlash from the public can also do some serious damage to a brand.

While Barbour’s ad received a mainly positive response, Greggs was forced to apologise after publicity shots for its new ad campaign included a nativity scene in which baby Jesus is replaced by a sausage roll, showing how a misjudged idea can spectacularly backfire in such a high-profile arena.

And Greggs wasn’t alone. Threats to boycott Tesco were made after its ad featured a Muslim family; Amazon has been accused of spoiling the magic of Christmas for children and even the John Lewis ad has been accused of plagiarism by a former Children’s Laureate over similarities to his book ‘Mr Underbed’.

So, while brands are making greater efforts on the level of creativity around the Christmas period, they also need to be prepared for some potentially damaging judgments. 

Companies have to consider all eventualities and have a crisis plan in place should the worst happen to avoid reputational damage and a negative impact on Christmas sales. 

The smaller-scale approach 
If you haven’t got the budget for a multi-million-pound ad, there are some simple ways to apply the big retailer’s basic campaign principles. An integrated, multi-channel approach using the storytelling technique, rather than just ‘selling stuff’ can work in any sector.
 
Creating content that your target audiences can engage with, and want to share, is the first step to creating a successful campaign. Then make sure they can easily access the story by using the channels and media outlets you know they read. 

For example, a print ad in a relevant magazine or local newspaper can start the customer on the journey, but once they come to your site or social media platform, video can bring your story to life. Remember to make the content different on each channel, but the message consistent.

And the winner is…
So, which brand hit the top of the charts with their Christmas campaign? In a recent poll of 1,000 UK consumers on behalf of Marketing Week, it’s Amazon’s ad that came out on top when consumers were asked which ad they enjoyed the most. 

Some 44 per cent of those polled said they ‘loved it’ – more than double the 21 per cent who said the same for the John Lewis ad. And with reports of M & S starting its Christmas campaign planning 15 months in advance, it looks like Christmas 2018 really is coming early for some!

www.limewash.co.uk

A new artificial intelligence chip is being developed by Cambridge UK technology business Arm and Texas-based molecular data company Nano Global to help conquer a raft of health hazards from superbugs to cancer and infectious diseases.

The revolutionary system-on-chip (SoC) will yield highly-secure molecular data that can be used in the recognition and analysis of health threats caused by pathogens and other living organisms. 

Combined with Nano Global’s scientific technology platform, the chip leverages advances in nanotechnology, optics, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain authentication, and edge computing to access and analyse molecular-level data in real time.

Rene Haas, executive VP and president of IPG at Arm said: “We believe the technology Nano Global is delivering will be an important step forward in the collective pursuit of care that improves lives through the application of technology.

“By collaborating with Nano Global, Arm is taking an active role in developing and deploying the technologies that will move us one step closer to solving complex health challenges.”

Steve Papermaster, chairman and CEO of Nano Global, added: “In partnership with Arm, we’re tackling the vast frontier of molecular data to unlock the unlimited potential of this universe. The data our technology can acquire and process will enable us to create a safer and healthier world.”

Nano Global will also be partnering with leading institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine and National University of Singapore, on broad research initiatives in clinical, laboratory, and population health environments to accelerate data collection, analysis, and product development.

The initial development of the chip is in process with first delivery expected by 2020. The company is already adding new partners to the platform.

Arm is involved in another world first in super-computing. Seattle-based Cray Catapults is creating the world’s first production-ready, Arm®-based supercomputer with the addition of Cavium ThunderX2 processors, based on 64-bit Armv8-A architecture, to the Cray® XC50 supercomputer.

Cray customers will have a complete Arm-based supercomputer that features a full software environment, including the Cray Linux Environment, the Cray Programming Environment, and Arm-optimised compilers, libraries, and tools for running today’s supercomputing workloads.

Fred Kohout, Cray’s senior vice-president of products and chief marketing officer, said: “With the integration of Arm processors into our flagship Cray XC50 systems, we will offer our customers the world’s most flexible supercomputers

“Adding Arm processors complements our system’s ability to support a variety of host processors, and gives customers a unique, leadership-class supercomputer for compute, simulation, big data analytics, and deep learning.

“Our software engineers built the industry’s best Arm toolset to maximise customer value from the system, which is representative of the R & D work we do every day to build on our leadership position in supercomputing.”

Cray is currently working with multiple supercomputing centers on the development of Arm-based supercomputing systems, including various labs in the United States Department of Energy and the GW4 alliance – a coalition of four leading, research-intensive universities in the UK. 

Through an alliance with Cray and the Met Office in the UK, GW4 is designing and building ‘Isambard,’ an Arm-based Cray XC50 supercomputer.

Another dynamic six months of investment in local technology and life sciences business means that Cambridge Innovation Capital has now injected £72.3 million into 21 companies in the world-leading cluster.

Announcing CIC’s half-year results to September 30, CEO Victor Christou (pictured above) said: “This has been another period of significant growth. We have continued to enhance our presence in the Cambridge Cluster and taken steps to increase our operational activities to develop both the cluster and our rapidly growing portfolio. We look forward to continuing this success into 2018.

“The breadth of world-leading science & technology being developed into exciting businesses around Cambridge continues at an increasing rate and we believe that CIC is better placed than ever to identify and support these businesses as they grow.”

Christou also welcomed recent government announcements affecting the sector. He said: “Since the period end, we’ve seen further support from the UK Government through the Patient Capital Review, enabling greater scale-up capital for the businesses that the Cambridge area produces so well.”
 
Among the investment highlights was that in Bicycle Therapeutics: CIC was a key participant in Bicycle Therapeutics’ £40m Series B funding round. The company – founded by Sir Greg Winter, a member of CIC’s advisory panel and a founder of Cambridge Antibody Technology –  is pioneering first-in class therapeutics to treat cancer and other debilitating diseases based on its proprietary bicyclic peptides (Bicycles®) platform. 

Also significant was a raise for Cambridge Medical Robotics: CIC increased its equity stake in CMR in a $26m extension to the Series A funding round; the company is developing Versius®, a universal robotic system for minimal access surgery.

PROWLER.io was another success story. CIC  led a £10 million Series A round in the startup, which is developing a novel decision-making platform that combines for the first time three different strands of artificial intelligence. The investment will allow PROWLER.io to enhance its research capability and accelerate its technology into the market. 

• CIC has now invested  £72.3m in 21 companies (31 March 2017: £49.7 million, 19 companies) and strengthened the board with the appointment of Humphrey Battcock and, following the period end, Dr Dipti Amin, as independent non-executive directors.

When we first revealed Lightseekers back in October 2016, the appeal of the Toys-To-Life genre was beginning to wane, writes Mark Gerhard – co-founder and CEO of PlayFusion.

While LEGO Dimensions was still going strong, Disney Infinity had closed its doors along with Avalanche Studios. Elsewhere mobile games were growing bigger than ever, with millions of kids logging on to apps like Clash Royale and Pokémon Go every minute.

At PlayFusion, we knew the time was right to debut our flagship project, that would bring the next generation of play to the market.

Lightseekers is the world’s first holistic, mixed-reality entertainment platform, and while that might sound like a lot of jargon, what this means is bringing together the disparate types of media we all consume to form a cohesive and uniquely engaging experience; true ‘Connected Play’.

Toys-to-Life is a very one-dimensional experience. You put your Spider-Man figure down, it reads the serial number from the NFC, he appears on the screen and you move on and play your game.

With Connected Play, we start from a synchronous experience, thinking not only how the figure can affect the game but also how the game can enhance the figure and accessories.

With Lightseekers, the smart figures you buy becomes not only your character in the game, but also the game controller, which in turn interacts with the Augmented Reality enabled Collectable Trading Cards to provide extra items, pets, characters and boosts in the game.

With Connected Play, players can get new content for a game they love to play, without having to pay real money for simply ones and zeroes in a database, while parents can rest assured that the child is playing with something that has depth, longevity and complexity.

Toys-to-Life has this stigma attached – that the category is getting smaller, and this is totally true for current NFC-based technologies. As more entrants came into the market they started eroding each others market share and entirely oversaturating the space.

When Skylanders first kicked off it was a real innovation, but then it quickly became the same thing year after year. That plateauing has come from the lack of innovation, and all these people doing the same thing. We believe we are creating a graduation product from what is currently out there.

The important thing is the kids and parents alike think that it is fun and fundamentally that it’s both magical and delightful to them. When you compare the toys that my generation played with to those of today, there is far greater focus on technology and interactivity that’s something that all toymakers should actively consider.

Moving past Lightseekers, we believe that the mixed reality technology platform we have developed here can serve as a innovative platform for the industry at large.

Our hope is that PlayFusion will be powering many future generations of other people’s smart toys and entertainment experiences. 

I can hardly blame people for greeting even the mere mention of energy efficiency with a reluctant sigh, writes John Russell of Carter Jonas.

A significant number of new measures to enhance efficiency within the built environment have been introduced in recent years.

From Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) to the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) and Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 2, to name but a few, there are so many acronyms flying around that I can understand why people might feel a little fatigued.

However, when speaking with colleagues across the commercial teams they have been keen to highlight the benefits and potential opportunities that the measures present to landlords and occupiers, as well as the pitfalls.
 
The Government’s Clean Growth Strategy, which was recently published by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has the intention of simplifying carbon and energy reporting for business, making it very clear that landlords need to future proof portfolios to protect against a tightening regime that is only going to become more stringent.
 
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards is a good example of a measure that whilst presenting challenges also, with the right planning, presents landlords with a chance to explore new lease and asset management options.

From 1 April 2018, a new legal standard for minimum energy efficiency will apply to rented commercial buildings and domestic privately rented properties. From this date, landlords of non-domestic and domestic privately rented properties within the scope of the MEES regulations must not renew existing tenancies or grant new tenancies, if the building has less than the minimum energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of E unless the landlord registers an exemption.

Landlords are likely to be the most affected parties because the key obligations and restrictions in the MEES Regulations fall on them. The most obvious threat to landlords is the financial cost of upgrading non-compliant buildings and the potential loss of income, if a property cannot be rented out.

There are however opportunities for landlords to engage with tenants to enter so-called “green leases”, where the environmental management and costs of the property, such as energy efficiency improvements and utility bills, are shared for the benefit of both parties.

Landlords could also look to explore the potential to increase asset value and rental value through making energy efficiency improvements and combining these with other retrofit upgrades.

Failure to comply with the requirements of the MEES regulations by renting out a property in breach of the rules carries substantial penalties:-
• For a rental period of less than three months the penalty will be equivalent to 10 per cent of the property’s rateable value, subject to a minimum penalty of £5,000 and a maximum of £50,000
• For rental periods of greater than three months, the penalty rises to 20 per cent of the rateable value, with a minimum penalty of £10,000 and a maximum of £150,000

In light of the above, landlords should act now and seek out advice on how they might be affected by the system. Steps which they should take include:-
• Auditing portfolios to understand which properties are within the scope of MEES regulations and whether exemptions might apply
• Understanding how lease terms, break dates, renewals dates and planned refit periods fit with the MEES timetable

If established that a building or portfolio will be affected by MEES landlords should take measures to produce:-
• A bespoke “Energy Efficiency Plan” for their buildings to implement any necessary energy efficiency improvements, aligned with the building life cycle. Including
– Model EPC rating scenarios based upon various improvement strategies – finding the most cost-effective improvement
– Fully costed, investment-grade proposals for achieving the minimum standards required meeting the seven-year payback test as required by the MEES Regulations

This might seem like a lot of admin, but things will simplify and there is potential for the benefits to outweigh the disadvantages.

Act now and the exercise could also support recommendations for new energy projects, particularly in relation to commercial property, such as solar PV, battery storage and even electric charging points at certain premises. It gets exciting when asset managers start to consider their operations, assets and energy in totality.

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