University aims to sell ideas

The Dundee lab will employ 12 people in total

More than £5m is being invested in a new venture to exploit Scottish research which could potentially revolutionise the micro-electronics industry.

Amcet Ltd is to be based at Dundee University and is being hailed as a model for the commercialisation of university research and for boosting Scotland's knowledge economy.

The firm was officially launched by Scottish Executive Enterprise Minister Henry McLeish on Tuesday and has secured financial backing from Scottish Enterprise Tayside.

The new firm's Professor James Cairns and Dr James Thomson are said to be on the leading edge of the development of organometallic compounds.

These have unique characteristics which allow them to carry much more memory than the standard silicon chip.

Henry McLeish wants this to be a model venture

Dundee University has already signed a licensing agreement with Laporte Ltd for the manufacture of a new range of organometallic compounds.

Laporte has a subsidiary company in Glenrothes and this deal is being held up as a model for Amcet emulate and develop.

The Enterprise Minister said: "Amcet will enable Dundee University to reap the commercial benefits that its world class research deserves.

'American example'

"The university is currently at the leading edge of advanced materials research for the micro-electronics industry and is spearheading the drive to develop the next generation of chip technology.

"This research is of huge importance and it is only right that the university reap the financial benefits from any future developments."

Mr McLeish added: "For years American universities have reaped enormous benefits by selling their best ideas. Now there is real evidence that Scottish universities are major players in the world of commercialised science."

Professor Cairns will lead the new company

The company, which will be based on the university campus, will be headed by two academics with support from 10 additional employees.

Professor James Cairns said: "We look at the way in which products are made at the present time and then we try to identify the disadvantages associated with that particular process and how that could be overcome."

Scotland is not alone in this type of high-tech research, and there is no guarantee it will lead to the creation of hundreds of manufacturing jobs.

But it is hoped ventures like this will showcase Scots talent and attract more investment.