UK group Glass Technology Services Ltd (GTS) has been awarded a grant by the UK’s Technology Strategy Board to forward advances in technology and innovation.
The grant is part of a new £20 million Government investment through the Technology Strategy Board which seeks to stimulate innovation in five technologies, including advanced materials and photonics.
The development will include a working prototype production facility to pave the way for industrial manufacture of phosphate fibre tows. These specialist fibres can be used for a multitude of biomedical applications, including the treatment of serious bone trauma.
The production facility aims to produce phosphate fibres in a form that can be used to produce both fabrics and reinforced plastics allowing a range of clinical uses.
The materials produced from these phosphate fibres stimulate cell growth and are eventually replaced by cells such as bone or skin due to their unique ability to dissolve in body fluid.
Dr Nick Kirk, Technical Director of Glass Technology Services Ltd, said: “Developing new technologies is crucial to advancing our understanding and capabilities in material science.
"This grant will enable us to develop a prototype production facility and new glass compositions and apply them in new and innovative ways.”
