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The LiFi Research and Development Centre (The Centre) is dedicated to accelerating the development of LiFi as a major global industry, through creating a pipeline for innovative ideas, technologies, products and partnerships.
About the centre
The LiFi R&D Centre conducts internationally leading research in collaboration with, and on behalf of industry. It aims to accelerate society’s adoption of LiFi and emerging wireless technology through engagement with major industrial partners, to fully harness the commercial and innovative potential of LiFi.
The UK based research and development centre was formed in 2013, and stems from research into fundamental communications science begun in 2002 that has now received in excess of £8 million ($13.5 million) of competitively won funding.
By facilitating collaboration between industry, internationally renowned experts from the University of Strathclyde, and other key research institutes around the world, the Centre is taking emerging LiFi technologies through into mainstream applications that will soon begin to impact on many aspects of the modern world. The Centre, with its partners and collaborators, will foster the wide spread market adoption of LiFi technologies.
The Centre continues to drive all aspects of LiFi communication from novel devices, through to the integration of LiFi access points in agile heterogeneous 5G and 6G networks enabled by emerging software defined networking (SDN) infrastructures.
Our Vision
LiFi is a technology with enormous potential to create societal benefits through enhancing the communications infrastructure of the future.
The LiFi R&D Centre’s activities are dedicated to accelerating the development of LiFi as a major global industry, through creating a pipeline for innovative ideas, technologies, products and partnerships. The scope is across the full chain of technologies required for the realisation of LiFi deployment.
The Centre brings together:
- University research capability
- Major international electronics companies (routes to market)
- SME engagement and company formation (new products)
By employing our advanced research and complex architectures, the Centre will assist in the creation of marketable LiFi products, spin-out LiFi related companies, promote knowledge exchange within the global LiFi community, including providing recommendations for industry standards, and provide expertise and services that accelerate the adoption of LiFi technology within specific applications.
Our approach
Flexible Open Collaboration model
The LiFi R&D Centre operates a ‘Flexible Open Collaboration’ model. It has taken inspiration from centres with models already proven to operate successfully in a UK context over a number of years including among others, the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy in Dundee and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies in Belfast. In general, members work together to share risks and costs, while benefiting from outputs rather than directly competing.
One to one collaborations are also offered, with a range of services and consultations performed on a confidential basis between the academic partner and industrial partner.
This customised strand of the model complements the benefits of the open forums and the sharing of results through resources available to all the partner companies and their staff.
Strategic Partners
The Centre is engaging with selected Strategic Partners to be founder members of the Centre. In return for a strategic investment, Strategic Partners will obtain a place on the Steering Board of the Centre, provide representation for a global industry sector, be able to provide input on the overall structure of programmes, and be automatically enrolled as Full Programme Members for a period of four years.
Full Programme Members
The membership model provides a high positive gearing of subscription cost to level of benefit provided to Members, and ensures the long term viability of the centre.
Full Programme Members obtain access to LiFi technical developments, including: designated IP; research information ahead of publication; an input to the development and specification of technology programmes; and options to participate in specific projects, including joint industry projects and one-to-one collaborations.
Project Associate Members
Associate membership provides access to open collaboration initiatives and allows participation in specific projects along with Full Programme Members.
Membership
Contact us to find our more about partnering with the LiFi R&D Centre.
Facilities
The LiFi R&D Centre laboratories are located in the TIC Building at University of Strathclyde.
The Centre has a vast catalogue of equipment at its disposal. Some of the highlights include a 12×12 MIMO testbed from National Instruments, a 8 GHz bandwidth oscilloscope, 4.2 GSps function generator, and a 3GHz noise figure analyzer.
In addition to that more oscilloscopes, function generators, vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers and bench top power supplies are available.
The lab also makes use of 5 self-supported portable optical breadboards and a vast array of optical components for experiments that require precise optics setups.
Being located on the John Anderson campus of University of Strathclyde, the LiFi R&D Centre is able to leverage the manufacturing capabilities available there. The Centre has access to PCB manufacture facilities, a mechanical workshop, which among other things includes a 3D printer and a 5-axis CNC machine.
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Address
TIC Building
90 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1RD
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