Scientists at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) are leading a new international consortium launched to develop a new test for bovine tuberculosis.

The consortium will develop a rapid, high-accuracy point of care diagnostic test with an integrated, secure, cloud-based data system for the detection, management and control of bovine tuberculosis.

The other consortium partners are University College Dublin and four UK-based life sciences companies – Dynamic Extractions, Sona nanotech, ProTEM and Bond Digital Health Solutions.

Professor Mike Gooding, Director of IBERS said “The economic and emotional cost of bovine TB to rural communities can be devastating, which is why a more accurate and reliable testing system is urgently needed. Our approach could be a game changer in detecting TB more efficiently.

“Each member of this consortium represents a different piece of the puzzle, offering its own unique expertise and cutting-edge science or technology and by putting all these puzzle pieces together we will come up with an effective and scalable solution to this problem.”

Bovine TB is an infectious disease that affects cattle and other mammals around the world.

In the UK, tens of thousands of cattle are destroyed every year because of the disease, which has a huge economic cost to the farming community and the tax payer.

Some governments have tried to halt the spread of the disease by culling wild animals, mainly badgers, which has proved highly controversial.

Policymakers are also working to eradicate bovine TB using a rigorous testing programme, but the results of the most commonly used tests are unable to detect all TB infected cattle within a herd.

As a result, when a test result appears positive, cattle herds must be quarantined and then re-tested after 60 days. This represents a massive economic and emotional cost to a farmer and affects long-term planning.

Dr Christianne Glossop, Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales said “We are taking a keen interest in all developments in respect of new TB tests and we welcome innovative approaches. The potential uses of a validated test to be developed by this  consortium is exciting, not only for the Wales TB Eradication Programme with the prospect of achieving OTF (Officially TB Free)  status earlier; but on a world wide scale, both in terms of Bovine TB and Human TB. The success of this project could put Wales firmly on the global map”.

The consortium will work together to develop a new, cost-effective, rapid and accurate point of use test for bovine TB that will allow the monitoring of farm animals, native wildlife populations, farm produce and the environment.

Data gathered from the tests will be integrated into databases, which will lead to more accurate epidemiology monitoring and the development of informed disease strategy.

Photo: Professor Luis Mur on the right is leading the consortium at IBERS Aberystwyth University; pictured with his PhD student Richard Pizzey, who is a qualified vet.

Notes:

The consortium members are:

• Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences (IBERS) is an internationally-recognised research and teaching centre focusing on global challenges such as food security, bioenergy and sustainability.
• University College Dublin are world experts in the bovine pathogen, Mycobacterium bovis and are heavily involved in vaccine and diagnostic development. They also are involved in developing diagnostics for Johne’s disease in cattle, caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis.
• Dynamic Extractions Ltd, which provides high-performance chromatographic, separation and process applications based on its own unique systems.
• Sona Nanotech Ltd., based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, makes high-quality gold nanoparticles for the diagnostic and life science industries. Sona’s unique gold nanorods will power the next generation of lateral flow tests.
• Bond Digital Health Ltd., which provides digital healthcare solutions and Software as a Service (SaaS) to the life sciences industry and diagnostic development market
• ProTEM Services Ltd., which works in the field of life science product discovery, development, technology, process development, engineering and commercialisation

Links:

Institute of Biological, Environmental & Rural Sciences
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/

University College Dublin
https://www.ucd.ie/

Dynamic Extractions Ltd
http://www.dynamicextractions.com/

Sona Nanotech Ltd
https://www.sonanano.com/

Bond Digital Health Ltd
https://bondhealth.co.uk/

Ahead of the Royal Welsh Show, a £7.3m EU-backed package to help address skills gaps and assist businesses in the food and agriculture sector develop new products and services has been announced by Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths.

Led by Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) the investment will support two initiatives, Future Foods and BioInnovation Wales.

BioInnovation Wales will receive over £3m EU funds to help employers address high level skills shortages in the agri-food and biotech sector.

BioInnovation Wales, in partnership with Swansea University, will target people already working in the sector, offering bespoke qualifications and industry accredited skills tailored to industry needs. This includes technicians, consultants, researchers and managers working in the food and biotechnology supply chain.

Future Foods will receive £1.9m EU funds to drive forward growth among Welsh food businesses, improving their competitiveness through research, science and technology.

Future Foods, working with BIC Innovation, will deliver world class expertise in food science, technology, and nutrition research and development to ambitious Welsh based businesses seeking to develop healthy, market creating products targeted at UK and international markets.

Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: “The agri-food and biotech sectors are vital to Wales. Investing in high level skills and research to drive forward these sectors is essential for economic growth and jobs, ensuring businesses are on the cutting edge of innovation and competiveness.  I am really pleased that focus areas will include consumer wellbeing and healthier products, assuring product quality and food safety and protection from food fraud”

Professor Mike Gooding, IBERS Director, said: “We welcome this comprehensive EU funding package at a crucial time for the food and agriculture sector. This is a vote of confidence in the expertise of IBERS and its partners, enabling us to make science accessible to more companies in Wales to further develop their employee skills, and to create innovative, healthy products that are fit for the future”.

Further funding will come from the University and partners involved in the projects, including BIC Innovation.

Link:
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers/

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Actif Holiday Clubs are returning for the school summer holidays and parents are being encouraged to book their children in early.

The yearly clubs at Carmarthenshire’s leisure centres will be running from July 25 through until August 31, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays).

Clubs run between 8.30am and 5pm, with half days available at St Clears Leisure Centre for children aged 4-7 years.

Children aged between 8 and 12 years are welcome.

With popular demand and busy parents, Actif Clubs are a great way to keep children engaged in new activities and sports, making new friends and keeping active come rain or shine during the school holidays.

Cllr Peter Hughes Griffiths, Executive Board Member for Culture, Sport and Tourism, said: “The Actif Holiday Clubs are a great option for many parents looking to keep their children active over the summer. The clubs have a brilliant range of activities and sports at our leisure centres so there is something for everyone.”

To book, visit www.actifsirgar.co.uk

Hot on the heels of Hollywood stars including Judi Dench shooting scenes for a major new movie in Llandeilo and other nearby beauty spots, Carmarthenshire Council is making it easier than ever before to film in the county.

The council has launched an improved filming opportunities section of its website to make the process of scouting and booking filming locations as hassle-free as possible for movie-makers and TV production companies.

As well as dealing with initial enquiries, the council is also on hand to help with filming permits, logistics, community engagement, traffic management, parking, accommodation and hospitality.

Dame Judi was in Carmarthenshire earlier this summer to film scenes for Six Minutes to Midnight, a conspiracy movie set in the build-up to World War Two that also stars Eddie Izzard. Other movies and TV programmes part-filmed in the county include King Arthur, Da Vinci’s Demons, Top Gear, Keeping Faith, Carrie’s War and Hinterland.

Stradey Castle in Llanelli also recently played host to a crew filming scenes for Jerusalem, a forthcoming Channel 4 period thriller starring Keeley Hawes, Michael Stuhlbarg and Matt Lauria.

Cllr Emlyn Dole, Carmarthenshire Council Leader and Executive Board Member for Economic Development, said: “Carmarthenshire offers a huge variety of scenery for the TV and movie industry, including sweeping beaches, historic buildings and mile after mile of picture postcard countryside.

“So many stars have visited Carmarthenshire to film scenes for movies and TV programmes, which raises the profile of the county, boosts an already thriving tourism industry and benefits businesses because of large production crews who visit our local shops, hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and pubs.

“But as a council, we can’t rest on our laurels in our drive to further put Carmarthenshire on the map. That’s why we’ve done all we can through the one-stop portal on our website to make the process of scouting and booking potential filming locations as seamless as possible for TV production companies and movie-makers.”

Also due to open at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Carmarthen campus this autumn is a creative digital cluster called ‘Yr Egin’ that’s set to be part-funded, subject to the approval of a business case, by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal.

Welsh language broadcaster S4C is already on board as the development’s anchor tenant.

Cllr Dole said: “Yr Egin, complete with state-of-the-art post-production facilities, is a further boost to Carmarthenshire’s thriving creative industry sector.

“As well as the county’s rich, stunning scenery and communities that embrace film crews, developments of this kind also mean expert support and facilities are available close at hand for the TV and film industry.”

Web entrepreneur Bonamy Grimes MBE, co-founder of flight price comparison website Skyscanner, has been presented with an Honorary Fellowship of Aberystwyth University.

Bonamy grew up in Ceredigion and attended Aberaeron Comprehensive, where he was amongst the first cohort of pupils to study computer science at both O-level and A-level in the 1980s.

He went on to co-found flight price comparison website Skyscanner from his attic in London in early 2002.

Since then the company has grown to be the largest travel search company in the world with over 700 employees and offices across the globe.

He received an MBE for services to technology and travel in the Queen’s birthday honours list in 2016.

In November 2016 Skyscanner was sold to the online travel agent Ctrip for £1.4 billion.

Having stepped down from day-to-day involvement in the company, Bonamy now mentors several start-up businesses in the UK and is involved in a range of charity projects.

Bonamy Grimes MBE was presented by Dr Bernie Tiddeman, Head of the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University on Thursday 19 July 2018. The full conferral presentation is available below, in the language in which it was delivered.

Presentation of Bonamy Grimes MBE by Dr Bernie Tiddeman:

Canghellor, Is-Ganghellor, darpar raddedigion, gyfeillion.  Pleser o’r mwyaf yw cyflwyno Bonamy Grimes yn gymrawd Prifysgol Aberystwyth.

Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, prospective graduates and supporters.  It is an honour and a privilege to present Bonamy Grimes as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

Bonamy Grimes grew up in rural Ceredigion, just a few miles south of Aberystwyth, in what sounds like an idyllic childhood, dominated by “fields, woods and running around”.  From those humble beginnings he went on to co-found SkyScanner, one of the great British web startup success stories which in November 2016 was sold to Ctrip, the largest travel firm in China, for $1.75 billion (£1.4 billion).

He attended Aberaeron Comprehensive School, which was part of something called the Technical and Vocational Educational Initiative that allowed him to do the first ever computer science O-level.  This kicked off his interest in technology and computer science, which he went on to study at A-level and then for a degree at Manchester University.  It was at Manchester that he met fellow computer scientist Gareth Williams who would later become SkyScanner’s second co-founder. The two bonded over shared interests in music, skiing and technology.

It was almost 10 years later that they met the company’s third co-founder Barry Smith, while working as an IT contractor for Marks & Spencer in the early 2000s. The three set up their own consultancy and Skyscanner began to take shape when Williams was awarded a contract by Reuters that he wasn’t too keen on accepting.  He took on the work on the understanding that he would have two weeks on and two weeks off.  He used those weeks off to go skiing over the winter, and started to develop software to work out the best choice of flights.  Recognising the business potential, the three started to develop William’s initial implementation (created in a spreadsheet), into a robust flight search system.

As a self-funded enterprise, initially the firm grew slowly, making some mistakes, but learning from them and refining the product and the business idea. As Bonamy has said more recently ‘The one piece of advice I’d have is that it’s not about the idea – it’s about the execution.’

The team took 5 years to develop the software to the stage where they felt ready to approach funders to allow them to scale up the system.  They secured £2.5m from venture capital firm Scottish Equity Partners in 2007 and used it to translate the site into 29 different languages and expand the range of destinations it covered.  Since then the company has grown to be the largest travel search company in the world, with over 700 employees and offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Barcelona, Singapore, Miami and Beijing.

Having stepped down from the day to day involvement in the business, Bonamy has explored a number of projects involving his passions of cycling and motor racing as well as helping to mentor a number of start-up companies in the UK.

Bonamy is also involved in a number of charities, working on the technical advisory board of The Alzheimers Society, and is also a regular rider on the Ride25 cycle trip to Sydney in Australia, raising funds for 1moreChild, an orphanage in Uganda.

Canghellor, Is-Ganghellor mae’n bleser gen i gyflwyno Bonamy Grimes i chi yn Gymrawd. 

Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor it is my absolute pleasure to present Bonamy Grimes to you as a Fellow of Aberystwyth University.

Aberystwyth University Honours 2018

Nine individuals are being honoured by Aberystwyth University during the 2018 graduation ceremonies, which take place at the University’s Arts Centre from Tuesday 17 July until Friday 20 July.

Six Honorary Fellowships are being presented to individuals who have, or have had a connection with Aberystwyth or Wales, and who have made an outstanding contribution to their chosen field.

One Honorary Doctorate is being presented; recognising an individual who has been outstandingly successful in their field, or who has a long record of renowned research and publication.

Two Honorary Bachelor degrees are being presented. These are presented to individuals who are members of Aberystwyth University staff without an entry-level degree in recognition of long-service, contribution and dedication to the Institution; and members of the local community who have made a significant contribution to Aberystwyth and the area.

Photo: Aberystwyth University Chancellor, the Rt Hon. the Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd with Bonamy Grimes MBE, Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University

Link:
Graduation 2018
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/graduation/

By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants.

The taxman at HMRC has confirmed that the tax gap for 2016/17 has fallen to 5.7%.

The ‘tax gap’ is the difference between the tax that should theoretically be paid to HMRC and the actual tax that has been paid.

HMRC believes that the tax gap is lower as a result of its work to help taxpayers get things right from the start, and the department’s sustained efforts to tackle evasion and avoidance.

Key findings from the Measuring the Tax Gap publication include:

• small businesses made up the largest proportion of unpaid tax by taxpayer group at £13.7 billion
• taxpayer errors and failure to take reasonable care made up £9.2 billion of unpaid taxes by behaviour, while criminal attacks made up £5.4 billion
• income tax, national insurance contributions and capital gains tax made up the largest proportion of the tax gap by tax type at £7.9 billion for 2016/17; equivalent to 16.4% of self assessment liabilities
• the VAT gap showed a declining trend over time, falling from 12.5% in 2005/06 to 8.9% in 2016/17.

Mel Stride, the Secretary to the Treasury, said:

“These really positive figures show that the tax gap is the lowest in the last five years, which reflects the hard work that HMRC and I have been doing to ensure we support businesses to pay the right tax at the right time and clamp down on tax evasion and avoidance.

“Collecting taxes is essential for funding our vital public services such as the NHS – indeed, had the tax gap remained at its 2005/06 level the UK would have lost £71 billion in revenue destined for public services, enough to build 200 hospitals.”

Internet link to the Government website –

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/low-tax-gap-results-in-71-billion-for-uk-public-services

In other news, a plumber has won a legal battle for working rights in a Supreme Court ruling.

The Supreme court has backed up an earlier ruling by an Employment Tribunal in the case of a contractor engaged by Pimlico Plumbers.

Plumber Gary Smith carried out plumbing jobs for Pimlico Plumbers.

He was VAT registered and paid tax on a self-employed tax basis.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Gary Smith was entitled to workers’ rights and confirmed that the Employment Tribunal was ‘entitled to conclude’ that Mr Smith was a worker.

As a worker, Mr Smith was entitled to rights including holiday and sick pay.

Details of workers’ rights can be found on the following Government website link –

https://www.gov.uk/employment-status/worker

Pimlico Plumbers chief executive Charlie Mullins said that he was “disgusted by the approach taken to this case by the highest court in the United Kingdom.”

He added: “This was a poor decision that will potentially leave thousands of companies, employing millions of contractors, wondering if one day soon they will get a nasty surprise from a former contractor demanding more money, despite having been paid in full years ago.

“It can only lead to a tsunami of claims.”

Internet link for more information and press summary –

https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2017-0053-press-summary.pdf

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) –

http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

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We stay ahead of the game by putting great store by continual professional development for our staff.

With Investors In People status at Clay Shaw Butler, we care passionately about making sure our staff have all the tools they need to serve you, our customers.

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