There is an abundance of world-class facilities and specialist equipment throughout Scotland's universities, research institutes and colleges. Interface can source and connect you to these facilities which are available for business research and development (R&D) projects.

With the knowledge of the in-house trained experts, businesses can access a wide range of specialist facilities encompassing multiple fields and subject areas to help them create, develop, test and analyse products. Some of the examples are outlined below.

Create

You can turn your concept into reality, no matter what sector you are in or what material you have designed your product for. This is possible through having access to the vast range of university facilities and supporting academic resources. Here are some examples of the types of facilities you could use to create a prototype:

• 3D printing
• Animation
• Digital textile printing
• Forging
• Green Houses
• Laser Cutting
• Laser Scanning
• Looms
• Microelectromechanical Systems

Develop

These facilities can be used to improve performance, cost and quality of products in a controlled, scientific environment. Here are some examples of the facilities available to develop your product:

• Brewing and distilling
• Clean Labs
• Manufacturing
• Virtual reality
• Multimedia Studios
• Nutrition Labs
• Power System Labs
• Sensory Suites
• Visual Systems and Psychology

Test and analyse

Do your products meet the function, performance, design and implementation requirements needed for your market? Scotland’s universities can provide a wide range of testing, analysis and technical support and can save you time and money. Some of these include:

• Wave Simulators
• Microscopy
• Strength Testing
• Environmental Chambers
• DNA Sequencing
• Human Performance Labs
• Pressure Chambers
• Mass Spectrometry
• Modelling & Simulation

Using university facilities is part of a commercial service package which provides full support to companies, including:

• Access to highly specialist facilities and equipment
• Assistance, training and knowledge from the in-house trained experts
• Relationship with an academic and a university within your field of expertise
• Reporting and translation of the results and outcomes
• Consultancy of further services for potential follow on projects

Yes, if you:

• require access to specialist facilities or equipment
• need assistance, knowledge and expert advice from an academic partner

There is no cost to apply.

The cost of accessing specialist facilities and equipment will be dependent on your requirements.

This depends on your requirements, type of facility, its availability and the expert knowledge you need.

Each request is unique, and timing will be discussed once an initial enquiry has been made.

The cost and timescales of accessing specialist facilities and equipment will be dependent on your requirements. Once you have submitted your enquiry, one of our specialists will be in touch to discuss your needs.

Please submit an enquiry and an adviser will be in touch to discuss your needs.