£50,000 Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award Recognises Innovative Display Technology and Commercialisation Model

Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), the owner of the fundamental intellectual property and know-how in light-emitting polymers (LEPs), has won Britain’s most prestigious engineering prize, the £50,000 Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award.

The MacRobert Award recognises CDT’s developments in engineering the rapid commercialisation of LEP technology and its contribution to establishing the UK as a hot bed for innovation in science and engineering on the world stage.

CDT was founded in 1992 to commercialise the discovery of light emitting polymers made by the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge.

CDT has positioned itself at the centre of LEP development and commercialisation through core R&D, device engineering, and creation of a world-class supply chain for the manufacture of LEP displays. CDT’s recent investment of £25 million in a LEP manufacturing development centre at Godmanchester, UK, was launched to continue technology advancement, product development, and to evolve manufacturing engineering and to demonstrate advanced LEP manufacturing technologies to potential licensees and partners.

CDT is commercialising LEPs through licensing and joint development. To date it has licensed its technology to display manufacturers Delta Electronics (Taiwan), Dupont Displays (US), MicroEmissive Display (MED, Scotland), Osram (Germany), Philips (Holland) and Seiko Epson (Japan).

The first consumer products incorporating displays from CDT’s licensees have begun to reach the market, initially in low information applications such as alphanumeric screens and next year in high information content displays that include mobile phones and PDAs.

“The MacRobert Award is the most prestigious engineering award in the UK. We at CDT are honoured to receive this award, which recognises not only the skills and dedication of our scientists and engineers over the past ten years, but the tremendous support the company has received, and continues to receive, from the venture capitalists and private investors who have made it possible. It recognises the success of CDT on many fronts from core research to the development of industrial scale manufacturing processes through the investment we have made in the plant at Godmanchester. Most important, it recognises CDT’s successful commercialisation strategy,” said David Fyfe, CEO, CDT.

“CDT is unique in its technology and development approach. It has pioneered a potentially disruptive display technology that could displace the cathode ray tube and the liquid crystal display in many applications. But more than this, CDT is leading the world in the development of this technology and through its strategy of licensing and joint development has ensured that the UK benefits from the original discovery at the University of Cambridge said Sir John Cullen FREng, Chairman of the MacRobert Award judging panel.

Dr David Fyfe, Professor Richard Friend, Dr Jeremy Burroughes, Dr Karl Heeks and Dr Carl Towns will receive the prize and the MacRobert gold medal from HRH Prince Philip at Buckingham Palace on 30 October.

CDT was one of four finalists for this year’s MacRobert Award. The others are: BP Chemicals for Innovene, a new high-productivity polyethylene technology; Mott MacDonald for tunnel jacking on the Boston Central Artery, USA; and Surface Technology Systems plc for the advanced silicon etch process.

Notes for editors
1. Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) is a privately held company leading the research, development and commercialisation of polymer technology for flat panel displays, lighting, and photovoltaics. CDT’s light emitting polymer (LEP) technology is targeted for use in a wide range of electronic display products used for information management, communications and entertainment. Features include reduced power consumption, size, thickness and weight, very wide viewing angle, superior video imaging performance and the potential to produce displays on plastic substrates. To date, licenses have been granted to Delta Optoelectronics, DuPont Displays, MicroEmissive Displays, OSRAM, Philips, and Seiko-Epson.

CDT is promoting LEP technology development and speeding its commercialisation through a global business strategy including co-developments with leading companies in a wide range of display and related technology areas. Founded in 1992, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, U.K. and has a LEP manufacturing development centre in Godmanchester, U.K.

2. The Royal Academy of Engineering honours the UK’s most distinguished engineers and aims to take advantage of the enormous wealth of engineering knowledge and experience that its one thousand Fellows possess. It exists to pursue, encourage and maintain excellence in the whole field of engineering to promote the advancement of the science, art and practice of engineering for the benefit of the public.