Clouds have a profound influence on weather and climate. Formation of cloud droplets by condensation of water vapour on particles has been studied for many decades. For inert involatile particles, this process and its impacts are relatively well understood. However, a substantial proportion of fine particle material can evaporate under some atmospheric conditions. Our recent Nature Geoscience Letter suggests that the role of this fraction on cloud droplet formation is large enough to be globally significant, is not normally considered in cloud parcel models and is completely untreated in large-scale models. This results from the co-condensation of partly volatile material along with the water vapour during droplet activation. Indirect evidence supports this effect, but direct measurements are unavailable. There has also been considerable interest in the potential role of amorphous "glassy" particles as seeds for ice crystals in cold and mixed-phase clouds. The Nature publication and subsequent work by project partner Virtanen identified that secondary organic aerosol from both biogenic and anthropogenic precursors could exist in an amorphous state dependent on relative humidity and temperature. The impact of glassy particles as ice nuclei is potentially very significant, but direct evidence is currently confused and realistic supporting measurements are sparse. It is proposed to quantify the impacts of organic components on warm and cold cloud formation by both processes through simulation chamber measurements, to use the measurements to evaluate a recently developed model treatment, to parameterise the model and use the parameterisation to quantify the regional impacts on cloud physical and radiative properties. We have conducted proof of concept laboratory work showing that we are able to study both processes. We have coupled the Manchester Aerosol Chamber (MAC), where we can make particles from the atmospheric chemistry of both natural plant emissions and man-made emissions, to the Manchester Ice Cloud Chamber (MICC), where we can form a cloud under reasonable atmospheric conditions. We have further measured the changes in the effectiveness of the particles to act as seeds for liquid cloud droplets, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), along with the volatility, composition and phase behaviour. We propose to build on this proof-of-concept to systematically quantify the effects in a range of atmospherically-representative systems and quantify their impacts. The proposed work will be carried out in 4 parts. The first two are laboratory-based with numerical model interpretation and the second two solely use numerical modelling: i) quantification of the effect of organic vapours in two instruments that are used in the field and laboratory, one measuring particle water uptake below 100% RH and the other the ability to form a cloud droplet just above 100% RH. Particles will be exposed to controlled concentration of semi-volatile vapour and introduced into the instruments. Detailed flow modelling of the second instrument will be carried out, in collaboration with the author as project partner. ii) involves the coupling of the MAC and MICC chambers as in the proof-of-concept, but covering particles formed in a wide range of natural, manmade and mixed systems. We will measure all relevant parameters to quantify the formation of warm and cold clouds under a reasonable range of atmospheric conditions. iii) informed by the experiments, the effects of organic compounds on warm and cold clouds will be included in a numerical model and this will be used to develop physically-based parameterisations for use in large-scale models. iv) the parameterised process description will be used in large-scale models informed by our project partner Nenes to estimate the impact on cloud properties and radiation, hence quantifying the couplings between organic compounds and weather and climate under representative conditions.

The Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre (IMCRC) will undertake a wide variety of work in the Manufacturing, Construction and product design areas. The work will be contained within 5 programmes:1. Transforming Organisations / Providing individuals, organisations, sectors and regions with the dynamic and innovative capability to thrive in a complex and uncertain future2. High Value Assets / Delivering tools, techniques and designs to maximise the through-life value of high capital cost, long life physical assets3. Healthy & Secure Future / Meeting the growing need for products & environments that promote health, safety and security4. Next Generation Technologies / The future materials, processes, production and information systems to deliver products to the customer5. Customised Products / The design and optimisation techniques to deliver customer specific products.Academics within the Loughborough IMCRC have an internationally leading track record in these areas and a history of strong collaborations to gear IMCRC capabilities with the complementary strengths of external groups.Innovative activities are increasingly distributed across the value chain. The impressive scope of the IMCRC helps us mirror this industrial reality, and enhances knowledge transfer. This advantage of the size and diversity of activities within the IMCRC compared with other smaller UK centres gives the Loughborough IMCRC a leading role in this technology and value chain integration area. Loughborough IMCRC as by far the biggest IMRC (in terms of number of academics, researchers and in funding) can take a more holistic approach and has the skills to generate, identify and integrate expertise from elsewhere as required. Therefore, a large proportion of the Centre funding (approximately 50%) will be allocated to Integration projects or Grand Challenges that cover a spectrum of expertise.The Centre covers a wide range of activities from Concept to Creation.The activities of the Centre will take place in collaboration with the world's best researchers in the UK and abroad. The academics within the Centre will be organised into 3 Research Units so that they can be co-ordinated effectively and can cooperate on Programmes.

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Growth factors are molecules within our body that participate in many physiological process that are key during development as they control stem cell function. These molecules thus have the potential to drive the regeneration of tissues in a broad range of medical conditions, including in musculoskeletal (bone repair), haematological (bone marrow transplantation) and cardiovascular (infarction, heart attack) diseases. Growth factors are currently produced commercially and are used regularly in clinical applications. However, they are very power cell signalling molecules and dose is critical as balance between effect and safety has to be considered. To date the use of growth factors in regenerative medicine has been only partially successful and even controversial. The growth factors are rapidly broken down and cleared by the body. This makes prolonged delivery (as is required to effect repair) a problem and typically higher than wanted doses are administered to get around this. While their help in regeneration is undoubted, collateral side effects can be catastrophic e.g. tumour formation. We have developed new technology that directly addresses these concerns as it uses materials (that can be topically implanted) to deliver low, but effective, growth factor doses; this programme is about the safe use of growth factors in clinical applications. This will not only reduce risks for patients who currently receive growth factor treatments, but will open up therapies that can include co-transplantation with stem cells to a wider range of patients as doctors would not have to keep these therapies back for cases of most pressing need. This increased use would minimise costs as growth factors are very expensive and reduced dose would save money per treatment. Our approach is unique and this programme grant will allow us to enhance the UK's world leading position through innovative bioengineering. We know that stem cells have huge regenerative potential and that growth factors provide exquisite stem cell control - both are currently untapped. We will engineer new materials to enable growth factor technology, and critically stem cell technologies, where traditional approaches are falling very short of the mark.

The UK has fallen significantly behind other countries when it comes to adopting robotics/automation within factories. Collaborative automation, that works directly with people, offers fantastic opportunities for strengthening UK manufacturing and rebuilding the UK economy. It will enable companies to increase productivity, to be more responsive and resilient when facing external pressures (like the Covid-19 pandemic) to protect jobs and to grow. To enable confident investment in automation, we need to overcome current fundamental barriers. Automation needs to be easier to set up and use, more capable to deal with complex tasks, more flexible in what it can do, and developed to safely and intuitively collaborate in a way that is welcomed by existing workers and wider society. To overcome these barriers, the ISCF Research Centre in Smart, Collaborative Robotics (CESCIR) has worked with industry to identify four priority areas for research: Collaboration, Autonomy, Simplicity, Acceptance. The initial programme will tackle current fundamental challenges in each of these areas and develop testbeds for demonstration of results. Over the course of the programme, CESCIR will also conduct responsive research, rapidly testing new ideas to solve real world manufacturing automation challenges. CESCIR will create a network of academia and industry, connecting stakeholders, identifying challenges/opportunities, reviewing progress and sharing results. Open access models and data will enable wider academia to further explore the latest scientific advances. Within the manufacturing industry, large enterprises will benefit as automation can be brought into traditionally manual production processes. Similarly, better accessibility and agility will allow more Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to benefit from automation, improving their competitiveness within the global market.