UKRI Chief Executive, Prof Dame Ottoline Leyser, visits CSconnected
15th December 2021
Cardiff, UK
Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), was given a tour of the Institute of Compound Semiconductors (ICS) at Cardiff University and an overview of the compound semiconductor capabilities and investments in South Wales on Friday 10 December 2021.
Prof Leyser was greeted by the ICS Director, Professor Peter Smowton, the Director of CSconnected, Chris Meadows, the Director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre, Professor Wyn Meredith, ICS Director of Operations, Angela Sobiesierski, and Innovate UK National Manager for Wales, David Cunnah. Also present were ICS Project Manager, Chris Matthews, and CSconnected Events Coordinator, Jessy Williams.
Chris Meadows, Director of CSconnected said:
We were delighted to host Dame Ottoline as part of her South Wales tour. The CSconnected project is building on the region’s strengths in advanced semiconductor materials and manufacturing, giving Wales and the UK a global advantage in critical sectors such as autonomous and electric vehicles and net zero applications. This is increasingly important as the UK transitions towards a net zero carbon economy and compound semiconductors provide critical technologies that will enable all industry sectors and consumer applications to achieve net-zero.
Further highlights included a visit at the CSA Catapult, a UKRI funded innovation centre focused on the integration of compound semiconductor technology in UK supply chains, with tour of the lab’s facilities. Discussions on skills, industry engagement and expansion in the region were also on the agenda.
CSconnected SIPF is a 55-month project with a total value of £43 million, supported by £25 million of government funding provided through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.
About CSconnected
CSconnected is the collective brand for a growing number of advanced semiconductor related activities in Wales, home to a unique community of academic institutions, prototyping facilities and global, high-volume manufacturing capabilities that collaborate across a range of research and innovation programs.
