Commercial activities

The Central Laser Facility has a strong commitment to deriving effective Commercial Impact from its world-leading research to the wider benefit of society. This is achieved by harmonising its research with knowledge exchange activities and through fostering innovative culture at all levels.

The CLF has a solid track record in this area as exemplified below:

Commercial beamtime
We will continue to focus on providing world leading state-of-the-art laser facilities to industrial users and ensure sufficient beamtime is available to satisfy current and future requirements.

The revenue from this activity is channelled back into scientific research and new facility developments for the benefit of the scientific community.

Patents & licensing
Patents and Licenses can have a strong influence on local and national economies.The number of patents and licenses under this heading are a result of collaboration efforts of our scientists and engineers with different departments and external academic institutions. Encouraging innovative and lateral thinking in order to foster further activity across all disciplines, departments and external partners is a key part of our Economic Impact Agenda.

Spinouts supported by STFC
These companies were formed in partnership with STFC.We intend to continue sowing the seeds for future start-ups and provide pivotal support during their formative years.

Direct spinouts
Spin-outs can have a long lasting impact on both the local and national economies and the UK’s competitiveness on the global stage. These spin-outs are a direct result of CLF’s core activities that were nurtured into economically viable companies.