Innovation: A technologically-advanced environment

The ION-DRI programme will provide a technologically-advanced research environment for our researchers and clinicians. We are developing a number of initiatives around laboratory infrastructure and building operations, making full use of shared facilities and flexible space, to change the way we work, as well as making a major investment into core technology platforms.

Initiatives

Find out more about our ten initiatives that we're piloting to support a collaborative, efficient and sustainable way of working.

Core Technology Platforms

We're creating ten state-of-the-art core technology platforms to revolutionise scientific discovery across UCL's neuroscience community

What we have achieved so far

We’ve reduced our deliveries to just 5 a day from over 70. Our logistics hub consolidates our packages and couriers both deliver and return items to and from the hub, reducing our carbon footprint and saving money.

Our new operating model has been approved, using centralised infrastructure and lab management team, to make our processes efficient and create technical career pathways.

image of a shopping trolley and text reading logistics store

We’re working on a new way to purchase and store non temperature-sensitive consumables, buying in bulk to negotiate better prices, saving storage space and ensuring there's no disruption in supply.

We've installed vending machines in communal areas, giving researchers immediate access to high-demand consumables, reducing waste and saving space on lab floors.

We’ve standardised how we manage and monitor lab gases to guarantee safety compliance and streamlined our admin processes to save time and money.

We’re collaborating with UCLH on a central processing laboratory, allowing us to track, treat and process samples efficiently, saving lab space and using our staff's time more effectively.

We're using a chemical management software tool to ensure specialist chemicals are effectively managed across all ION sites and make auditing easier.

Our microscopy, single cell & transcriptomics, genetic therapy, tissue processing & analysis and scientific IT platforms are operational, using the latest technologies to revolutionise our research.

We’ve standardised our waste management processes and trained our staff to reduce waste and increase recycling, to create a more sustainable workplace.

We’ve identified 500,000 biological samples and uploaded nearly half to our new software, which will track all clinical samples to ensure quality control and make our processes more efficient.

We’ve set up and are using a central booking and cross-charging system to manage our equipment more efficiently and allow it to be easily shared.

We’ve catalogued and barcoded all of ION's equipment, helping us to establish preventative maintenance regimes, call out engineers and track issues.