Supporting World Class Science with S-Lab on 9-10 May at York Racecourse biology equipment and techniques , lab informatics ( ELNs and LIMs ), sample storage and management . Vendors will exhibit design and equipment innovations .
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UKSPA at York
Supporting World Class Science with S-Lab on 9-10 May at York Racecourse biology equipment and techniques , lab informatics ( ELNs and LIMs ), sample storage and management . Vendors will exhibit design and equipment innovations .
Sessions will also look at designing ‘ collision spaces ’ that put people in daily contact with a wider network ; incentives and other ways to encourage an outward focus , and scientific equipment and facilities sharing .
Peter James DIRECTOR , S-LAB
Peter is Director of the S-Lab : Supporting World Class Science initiative . He previously held professorial appointments at the Universities of Bradford and Limerick , and also worked at Warwick University and as a science writer for the BBC and specialist media . S-Lab runs an annual laboratory awards scheme and publishes many good practice cases and guidance documents . See effectivelab . org . uk
There are many elements to innovation , from invention to multi-expert teams needed to take product to market , investor support , government policies , space and equipment infrastructure . The next two-day UKSPA conference will explore this ecology over 100 sessions at York Racecourse ( May 9-10 ).
The central conference theme will be future trends for science parks and incubators . Among the issues covered will be the impact of Brexit , the creation of ' virtual innovation spaces ' using connectivity and computing power , trends in governance and ownership , and the development of ' research hotels '.
BEST PRACTICE Current best practice in Europe and North America will be highlighted , including the design of science and innovation facilities and their operation in areas such as cell
SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is another hot topic that will feature in sessions on how to minimise energy , water use , and other environmental impacts through good design and better operation .
A conference highlight could well be the presentations on two developments that claim to have created a stepchange in performance . One is the net-zero carbon GSK Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Nottingham , and the other is the ultra-low energy Centre for Medicine at the University of Leicester , which is also notable for being the largest nonresidential Passivhaus building in the UK .
The UKSPA / S-Lab York Conference is a partnership between the community of incubator and science parks ( represented by UKSPA and its international equivalent , IASP ); S-Lab , the providers and managers of scientific facilities and equipment , and two knowledge transfer organisations , Innovation DB Forum and PraxisUnico . ■
Peter James is Director of S-Lab , a notfor-profit initiative to support improved laboratory efficiency and effectiveness . For further details see ukspa . org . uk / events or effectivelab . org . uk
14 | UKSPA breakthrough | SPRING 2017