As one of 30 finalists at the UK Royal Society of Chemistry's Emerging Technologies Competition 2015 in London on 29 June, Seren Photonics Ltd of Pencoed Technology Park, UK was awarded third place in the 'Materials' category for its innovation in semi-polar gallium nitride (GaN) templates for next-generation LEDs.
Presenters from across Europe went head-to-head to pitch their ideas for the latest healthcare, energy and sustainability, and materials technologies to panels of industry experts. The competition, which is in its third year, included small companies and academic entrepreneurs from nine countries outside the UK for the first time, including Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and The Netherlands.
Seren's technology and business strategy, presented by chief development officer Dr Bedwyr Humphreys, emphasized the benefits of semi-polar GaN in enhancing the performance of existing LEDs, enabling accelerated adoption in automotive and general lighting applications.
Spun off from the University of Sheffield in 2009 with funding from venture capital firm FusionIP plc (now part of IPGroup plc), Seren Photonics has commercialized technology developed by professor Tao Wang of the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department and uses nano-engineered structures to enhance the properties of III-nitride materials.
"We've worked hard to identify our key markets, articulate our USPs [unique selling points] and develop a compelling value proposition," says Humphreys. "Receiving this second award so close after winning an award at the European Venture Capital Forum in Rome really emphasises the impact this technology could have on the LED industry," he adds.
Now in its third year, the Emerging Technologies Competition aims to accelerate the commercialization of the best and most impactful ideas in healthcare, energy and sustainability, and materials. The competition is backed by multi-national partner companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Croda, Procter & Gamble, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, GE Healthcare, Schlumberger and Lubrizol.
