Towards Fusion Energy: The Contribution of Ten Years of Materials Consultancy for the Development of a Start-Up Company
Prof George Smith, now retired, from Oxford University’s Department of Materials has spent the last ten years consulting to a nuclear fusion start-up company, providing advice on materials requirements for the development of a compact nuclear fusion reactor.
The company approached Prof Smith in 2012 as, with his background in the study of high-temperature, high-performance materials, and in radiation damage studies, he was well equipped to provide expertise to the company. This partnership, brokered by the Consulting Services team at Oxford University Innovation (OUI), has expanded and developed over the last ten years far beyond what was initially envisaged.
Prof Smith started with the production of a report outlining the main opportunities and challenges that the company would face taking on this ambitious project. During the subsequent decade, he engaged in a wide range of activities with the company, including advising on research and development of radiation shielding materials, and facilitating the establishment of links with leading laboratories in the UK and abroad. He also assisted with writing grant proposals, made presentations on materials topics on behalf of the company at international conferences and symposia, and published a series of papers in the open scientific literature. During this period, he also advised on the drafting of patent applications by the company and participated in meetings of the company’s Scientific Advisory Board.
The company grew rapidly, both in terms of size and scientific and technical achievements: from three full-time employees occupying a single-room office and small laboratory in 2012, to the current 190 staff with an extensive network of external subcontractors and suppliers, occupying two large industrial buildings. Recently, the company made international headlines by achieving a significant milestone on the road to achieving a controlled nuclear fusion reaction.
Prof Smith commented that the support of OUI was crucial to his engagement with the company as OUI dealt with all the necessary legal and financial matters, leaving Prof Smith free to concentrate on the science. Most importantly, OUI also provided Prof Smith with insurance cover – critical in this high-risk sector. “The unflagging support I received from Oxford University Innovation has enabled me to sleep soundly at night during this challenging but very exciting period of my working life,” said Prof Smith.
