React Innovation Centre
We're a community-based project focussing on delivering innovative and scalable solutions to the real challenges being seen within healthcare and tech, energy and sustainability and smart manufacturing verticals.The REACT (Research, Engage, Academia, Community and Technology) Innovation Centre is a community-based project driven by industry, academia and local community teams. Our primary focus is on delivering innovative and scalable solutions to the real challenges being faced within healthcare/tech, energy and sustainability and smart manufacturing verticals. We will achieve this through the creation of a centre of excellence at LSBU (London South Bank University) in Croydon.
Vertical 1: Healthcare/tech
Community and population health is under significant pressure and this project will focus on innovations in both patients’ choice and experience (i.e. “healthcare built for me”). We will be targeting local based care models, providing integrated support and care that deliver early prevention/detection, admission avoidance and digitalisation of hospital care pathways through effective and efficient deployment of intelligent infrastructure (5G, MEC, WiFi-6, IOT).
Vertical 2: Energy and sustainability across critical infrastructures
We will have a clear focus on driving solutions and demonstrations that are sustainable and built to support reduced emissions, as we transition to renewables. Our global energy transition must thrive in our fight against climate change and pollution. It is critical to develop cross-sector approaches for net zero (and negative) emissions. This vertical will target local and nationally sustainable and resilient demonstrations, built to support reduced emissions as we transition from fossil fuel technologies to renewables.
Vertical 3: Smart manufacturing and industry 4.0/5.0 themes
We will focus on improving UK’s and EMEA’s capacity to roll-out advanced materials using new smart manufacturing processes and systems while augmenting “net zero” and waste reduction strategies through implementation of digital twin and Artificial intelligence.
Our commitment
Commitment to the local community and education are key objectives of this project and will see investment in multi-generational locally trained talent, local research and innovation strategies as well as enabling Croydon to attract new talent to the area.
We want to improve co-creation and outreach opportunities, granting access to the latest in technological research and deployment, so that we can promote upskilling and increase employability outcomes. We will co-develop training pathways to structure access to the network and our applications. Our focus is on outreach with local community engagement at its heart.
We will deliver smart energy sensing, pollution monitoring, energy reduction provision and renewable energy integration for critical infrastructures e.g., hospitals and care homes, social housing, local community efforts, remote care and hospital at home support, smart city elements (smart streets).
The centre’s energy and sustainability core lies in researching and demonstrating synergies between the critical communications and power system sectors, key enablers for a scalable and sustainable energy transition, uniting urban and rural communities and supporting other critical sectors, including health, automotive, transport, manufacturing, voice, video, data and AR/VR.
A key part of the LSBU demonstrator is the Croydon-based private 5G network associated hardware and software for real-time measurement, digital twin emulation set-up, hypothesising and modelling the necessary steps for infrastructural change, interoperability and their real-world impact. Scenarios and events can be co-created, augmented and tested in real-time for many user cases in the sectors above. Uniquely, the system is available to support consultation, training, public and private collaboration opportunities and demonstrations.
The REACT Innovation Centre (Research, Engage, Academia, Community, Technology) will be used as a flagship for creating and sustaining partnerships with large industry, local schools, colleges, local businesses, and councils to understand and co-develop opportunities for their communities to engage in the energy and health revolutions.
The main REACT IC objectives are:
- Deploy an evolving intelligent infrastructure across the sectors identified that enables effective Research, Training and Development environments with LSBU.
- Create a “Centre of Excellence” focused on future healthcare/Tech, Energy and Smart manufacturing models that support sustainable innovative solutions.
- Create a “5G/MEC/WiFi-6 Network Emulators” that can be used by technology start- ups, researchers, students and innovators to test and pilot solutions on intelligent infrastructures of the future.
- Be a “Go to” internationally recognized centre for research/training and personal development across Healthcare/Tech, Energy and Sustainability and Smart Manufacturing
- Support the evolution and deployment of “Pilots/Point-of-Care” in support of both community and national based scalable solutions, establishing a best practice in delivering pilots or proof of concepts into Healthcare/Tech, Energy and Sustainability and related Smart Manufacturing that ensure effective scalable use of the solutions.
- Critical Industrial Knowledge transfer between community teams and educational courses, building the workforce of the future.
- Engage local health organisations and wider government support structures in healthcare to support and trial digital transformation across healthcare.
- Support the development of Spin-Outs and SMEs in the chosen verticals along with appropriate mentorship and engagement
- Engage cross-sector organisations and wider government networks in their renewable energy transition and net-zero and sustainability aspirations to support and trial digital transformation across critical infrastructures
The REACT Innovation Centre sits at Electric House, on the LSBU Croydon campus. It is at the heart of the borough’s renovation, recreating community and bringing vibrancy and energy once more. The centre draws on the strength of research and teaching at LSBU within the School of Engineering, particularly in the themes of energy and sustainability, bioengineering and cognitive systems, including smart cities.
The School has also established a cross-disciplinary collaboration with the Institute of Health and Social Care at LSBU and engaged with industrial partners to provide and collaborate on immersive health and tech training/research, innovative solutions, intake of digital technologies in the health sector and innovations for nursing and selected healthcare facing students.
Our partners
5G VPN
Our exclusive 5G VPN installation emerges from a partnership created between Croydon, LSBU, Verizon and Nokia. This enables the creation of the Croydon’s hub “5G/MEC/WiFi-6 Network Emulators”, that can be used by technology start- ups, researchers, students and innovators to test and pilot solutions on the intelligent infrastructures of the future.
Mammowave equipment
This machine is currently used for breast screening but is also moving towards lung and brain modules, demonstrating how new technologies are modular in design – a key energy and smart manufacturing characteristic. This creates opportunities for SME’s to i) get involved in design in low power, sustainable health tech, ii) create products where gaps are noted and iii) be supported in skill development, product development and immediate testing in the Innovation Centre.
Innovative tech solutions
Innovative tech solutions will be provided by our industrial partners, such as command control management solutions, tracking systems and smart bed.
Health Tech
Professor Sandra Dudley-Mcevoy
Keywords: Adaptive optical-wireless systems, Low power systems, remote sensing, applied AI for communications, smart strategies for inherent physical networks, Non-wearable technology, Imaging; problem-solving and inventions related to real time systems
Dr Enrico Grisan
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, classical image analysis and computer vision methods for the understanding and interpretation of biomedical images, Machine learning, deep learning, medical imaging. The analysis of a wide range of data, including retinal images, confocal endomicroscopy images for virtual histology, multispectral brain MRI, perfusion patterns in contrast-enhanced ultrasound, prenatal ultrasound, and neuroanatomical data from non-human mammals
Dr Sevan Harput
Keywords: Develop new imaging and sensing technologies using acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies. High frame-rate ultrasound imaging, super-resolution methods, 3D ultrasound imaging, signal processing for biomedical imaging, ultrasound sensor modelling and development
Dr Gianluigi Tiberi
Keywords: simulations, measurements and use of electromagnetic fields in medical devices, pioneering microwave imaging. Cofounder and Head of R&D of UBT Srl. UBT Srl invented and patented MammoWave, a X-rays free Mammogram, which doesn't use ionizing radiations. MammoWave clinical trials are ongoing at several Hospitals.
Energy and SustainabilityProfessor Sandra Dudley-Mcevoy
Keywords: Digital twin emulators for Energy Systems, wireless systems, remote sensing, non-wearable technology, and imaging. problem-solving and inventions related to real time systems
Professor Graeme Maidment
Keywords: Refrigeration and air conditioning, Heating and cooling, Smart local energy systems, Cooling of the London Underground, Ground source energy systems, Refrigerant leakage and emissions, Waste heat utilisation
Ms Catarina Marques
Keywords: Food science, Refrigeration and District heating and cooling, acoustics, smart local energy systems (SLES), end-to-end energy-trading platform, decarbonisation of low temperature process heat industry, energy storage, and end-user energy demand 
Professor Deborah Andrews
Keywords: Sustainable design and manufacture, Circular Economy, Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment, User-centred design and behaviour. New product development for SMEs and start-ups via the ERDF A2i, Low Carbon London and SimDH programs and InnovateUK KTPs. Research includes collaboration with the commercial refrigeration, solar shading sectors and the data centre industry
Professor Judith Evans
Keywords: refrigeration operations, food cold chain from harvest/slaughter to the consumer, reducing energy use and emissions from the food cold chain, energy storage and optimising food refrigeration processes, frozen storage of meat, consumer handling of food, improve the performance of domestic and commercial refrigerators, energy labelling, instrumentation performance, decontamination of food, cook-chill systems, novel refrigeration systems, optimising refrigeration systems and improving performance and temperature control in chilled and frozen storage rooms
Mr Robert Brown
Keywords: Smart grids, internet of things, digital twins, power system modelling, substation instrumentation, measurement algorithms, and telemetry; common grid model exchange standards, hardware in the Loop simulation
Smart Manufacturing
To be added
Current Events
KTP Workshop
With three live KTPs this year, LSBU has built an impressive portfolio of success, demonstrating the power of academic expertise in solving real-world challenges. Join the KTP workshop to find valuable insights and experiences from the esteemed KTP Champions—David McGovern, Sandra Dudley-McEvoy, Director of REACT IC, and Zunaib Ali. It will provide practical skills to help you develop successful KTP projects, navigate the funding process, and create lasting industry collaborations.
Schedule
KTP Introduction: 10:00–10:45
Champion Insight: 11:00–11:45
Q&A: 12:00–12:20
Booking
November 21st An Introduction to KTPs (this will be STEM focused) https://connect.lsbu.ac.uk/Interact/Pages/Modules/Calendar/Event.aspx?id=42791&subsection=5458
November 28th An Introduction to KTPs (this will be SHAPE and Health focused) https://connect.lsbu.ac.uk/Interact/Pages/Modules/Calendar/Event.aspx?id=42792&subsection=5458
Past Events
25th September 2024, Namaste Care International Conference
We have successfully hosted the Namaste Care International Conference, NCI – a premier gathering for professionals in dementia and social care. Chaired by NCI Founder Professor Joyce Simard, this one-day event brought together industry leaders, researchers, and practitioners to share cutting-edge insights and best practices in Namaste Care.
Click here to find out more details
28th February 2024, REACT Innovation Centre Launch Event