Microlease, a leading test and measurement equipment management company, along with Keysight Technologies, the University of Portsmouth, the University of Southampton Science Park (USSP) and the Future Solent Green Growth Programme have invested £500K in two centres of excellence to support innovation and start-up companies in the Southampton and Portsmouth region.
Microlease, Keysight Technologies, University of Portsmouth, University of Southampton Science Park and Future Solent partner to invest in two Test Centres of Excellence.
The Wireless & Digital Development Hubs, housing state of the art wireless and digital test equipment, are located in dedicated lab spaces at the USSP’s Science Centre and in the University of Portsmouth’s Innovation Space. This project is supported by the Regional Growth Fund.
“The University of Portsmouth and the USSP along with the Future Solent Green Growth Programme are doing superb work to support early stage companies and innovation in the region,” said Peter Collingwood, CEO, EMEA at Microlease. “The two new development hubs will provide first class facilities and training that would otherwise be unavailable to young companies and entrepreneurs developing advanced technologies. We are delighted to invest in this exciting project with all the partners.”
The Development Hubs are being kitted out by Microlease with equipment exclusively from Keysight Technologies. Systems available include Wireless Generation and Analysis tools including a 26GHz Spectrum Analyser with 160MHz real-time analysis bandwidth together with an 8GHz real time bandwidth Oscilloscope with 10bit ADC, and Battery Drain Analysis equipment. These capabilities offer testing potential for almost all modern wireless standards such as 4G, LTE and LTE-A and emerging 5G standards, WLAN and ZigBee, as well as modern digital standards such as PCIe, USB, HDMI and DDR.
Alan Scrase, SETsquared incubation centre manager at the USSP said “We are delighted to be part of this exciting initiative. The labs will not only support the Future Solent Grant winners but the Park residents and the wider Solent LEP business community.”
Sarah Duckering, Head of Business Engagement at the University of Portsmouth added, “This is a great project, bringing together the resources of the two Universities and we hope that these new facilities allow the businesses in our region to develop new and innovative products.”
To further support the Hubs, Microlease and Keysight will be offering a variety of seminars and workshops to encourage target applications such as the Internet of Things, Wireless Connected Devices, Automotive, Aerospace and, Green Energy. The first event to be held in May will cover RF Fundamentals.
The Wireless & Digital Test Hubs can be booked through Microlease by companies and individuals on a flexible and short-term basis.
Microlease has been presented with the highly prestigious Frost & Sullivan Company of the Year award for Best Practise in Global Test and Measurement Rental and Leasing Services two years in a row, for 2013 and 2014.
About Microlease
Microlease is a market leader in electronic test equipment, offering a range of solutions to help organisations globally use test equipment efficiently. Its services help minimise the costs of acquiring test equipment, optimise its use and maximise return at end of life without stretching capital expenditure, and include rental, leasing, sale of new and used equipment and buy-back as well as full asset management. Microlease supports its global customer base with over 57,000 test equipment assets worth over $430 million. A team of 350 specialists serves Microlease customers in over 150 countries from offices across Europe, the US and Asia. Microlease currently provides equipment from leading manufacturers, including Anritsu, JDSU, Keithley, Keysight Technologies, Rohde & Schwarz and Tektronix.
Founded in 1979, Microlease is the number one test and measurement rental company in Europe. It is Keysight’s Authorised Technology Partner (ATP) for the UK, Ireland and Italy as well as Premier Rental Partner (PRP) for Europe and Authorised Rental Partner for JDSU and Tektronix.
Microlease was awarded the 2013 and 2014 Global Company of the Year Award in Test and Measurement Rental and Leasing Services by leading research organization Frost & Sullivan.
For more information, visit www.microlease.com.
About Keysight Technologies
Keysight Technologies is a world leading electronic measurement company, transforming today’s measurement experience through innovations in wireless, modular, and software solutions. With its HP and Agilent legacy, Keysight delivers solutions in wireless communications, aerospace and defense and semiconductor markets with world-class platforms, software and consistent measurement science. The company’s over 9,500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries.
Keysight Technologies have been awarded with the Global Award for Market Leadership in Instrumentation Software 2014 and Growth Excellence Leadership Award in PXI 2014 by Frost & Sullivan. Keysight have also been awarded the European Electronics Industry Elektra 2014 Educational Support Award alongside side the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Business Award – V&D 100 Top T&M Company for 2014. For more information visit www.keysight.com or Twitter: https://twitter.com/keysight_uk
About University of Portsmouth
The University has an active research culture spanning five faculties. Over 96% of research at the University of Portsmouth has been independently rated as “recognised internationally” of that 60% as world-leading or internationally excellent. The impact of our main research has been rated as outstanding or very considerable. Last year the University worked with approximately 500 companies and delivered research and applied work to the value of more than £25 million.
About University of Southampton Science Park
The University of Southampton Science Park provides high quality office and laboratory space to a vibrant and high-tech entrepreneurial business community. Tenants on the Park enjoy a close link to the University of Southampton, with access to some of the UK’s leading scientific expertise. For further information visit: www.science-park.co.uk or Twitter: @USSPark
About Future Solent
The Solent is an area of strong economic growth within the UK. There is a growing “green economy” with many strengths emerging in research & development, environmental technologies, energy, waste and construction. Future Solent aims to capitalise on these strengths to promote further development of the green economy, and with it, economic growth and jobs. Future Solent has been established as a joint approach by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (Solent LEP) together with the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) and the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce in the Solent area to achieve a low carbon, green economy.
About RGF
The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) supports eligible projects and programmes that are raising private sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment. Since its launch in 2010 it has invested £2.85 billion to help local businesses grow and take on more staff across the UK.
For every £1 invested through the RGF, the private sector has put in £5.50. The total investment of private sector support is expected to be £16 billion. Over 100,000 jobs have already been created and a further 480,000 are expected by the mid-2020s.
Contacts:
George Acris, Microlease plc, Unit 1, Waverley Industrial Park, Hailsham Drive, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 4TR, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0) 20 84 200 200
Sarah Calnan, Keysight Technologies UK, 610 Wharfedale Road, Winnersh Triangle, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG41 5TP, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)118 927 6201