Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

It hopes to have the Cambridge Science Park base fully operational towards the end of this year, initially employing up to 30 people.

The American company said its European researchers were genuinely excited about the opportunities offered by being closer to the University of Cambridge and the chance to collaborate with world-class technology businesses in the area.

The move accelerates Kodak’s progress in the digital revolution, which includes a focus on optoelectronics, materials research and software.

Kodak’s European Research Division will be responsible for identifying unique science and technology and discovering fresh opportunities that serve the needs of the diverse and increasingly digital European markets.

The aim is to ensure that Kodak continues to be a world leader in developing the most technologically adv-anced and customer friendly imaging products.

Dr Sam Weller, Eastman Kodak’s European research division director, said: “This groundbreaking research fac-ility will improve our ability to globally position Kodak to build on our recent successes in the digital marketplace.

“The research centre will benefit from increased links with Europe’s leading university and the location’s status as a hi-tech cluster with a large community of start-up companies.

“This exciting development demonstrates the company’s commitment to take advantage of European innovation and determination to remain at the forefront of technological advances in digital imaging, display technology and healthcare.

“It is our mission to focus on unique European science and technology skills through collaborative partnerships with universities. However, specifically locating in Cam-bridge, putting us at the centre of a highly networked environment, will significantly increase our success rate.

“Cambridge is the highest ranked University in Europe with an impressive supporting infrastructure of science parks, start-up companies and research institutes.

“This new centre at Cambridge will also allow us to collaborate with other companies while operating from within our own focused laboratories, enhancing our ability to increase our market share as we continue to diversify in the increasingly digital world.”

Cambridge’s reputation for brilliant medical science is a bonus for the relocating company. Kodak is a proven leader in medical imaging and, as the needs of the health imaging market change, so the business is evolving.

From image capture, processing, printing, management and distribution, Kodak offers health imaging solutions at every point on the imaging chain for both general and specialised applications including general x-ray, mammography, oncology and radiotherapy.

The company has invested heavily in R & D to trigger advancement on several fronts in the digital arena.

Innovations include:-

• A unique mix of dyes and other materials have been incorporated into Kodak Ultima inkjet paper, which have achieved the highest quality image stability. This Colorlast technology, developed in the European Res-earch labs has enabled the claim that pictures will last for over 100 years.

• European Research developed and ran an Internet print ordering service, Kodak Picture Net-Europe as a public service with online credit card payment. This project was transferred to Eastman Kodak and further developed into what has become the Easyshare Gallery.

• An imaging system has been developed that enables medical professionals to capitalise on the Kodak Easyshare digital camera system.

Normal images are captured on a standard digital camera, then transferred at the touch of a button to a Kodak Picture Archiving & Communication System (PACS) where they are stored as part of a patient’s electronic medical imaging record.

The system is currently in market trial at a number of European hospitals where it is being used in accident and emergency departments for recording images of wounds, burns, dermatological problems etc.

• Applications have been developed for Nokia phones that enable consumers to upload pictures to the Kodak printing and archiving service and to manage the large number of pictures that can be stored. Technology has been developed to receive 200 megapixel images without delay on a mobile phone.

Panning and zooming into very large images by tilting the phone has also been developed.

European Research have prototyped a system of the very successful Kodak printer dock with a mobile phone rather than a camera.