CCLRC -  Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL), located in Oxfordshire, UK, is the largest laboratory of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) an independent, non-departmental public body of the Office of Science and Technology which is itself part of the Department of Trade and Industry.

RAL has over 1300 employees engaged in a wide range of scientific, engineering and technological research.  The main research activities are split into key subject areas within CCLRC including Accelerator Science and Technology, Business and Information Technology, Central Laser Facility, Computational Science and Engineering, e-Science, Engineering, Instrumentation including sensors detectors and microelectronic systems, Neutron Facility, Particle Physics, Radio Communications, Space Science and Technology, Surface and Nuclear Science, and Synchrotron Radiation, although many projects involve multi-disciplinary partnerships.

The Microelectronics Support Centre (MSC) is closely coupled to the advanced system design activities within Engineering and Instrumentation Department and additionally has over 25 years experience of supporting Electronic System Design Automation tools and routes to fabrication for universities and enterprises.  It had the leading role for CAD tools within EUROCHIP and has managed the Software Service throughout EUROPRACTICE, currently supporting over 575 institutions in 39 countries in the European region.  Additionally specialist Microsystems design tools are supported in over 65 European institutions.  The Centre also works closely with the Central Microsystems Facility (CMF) which has designed and fabricated advanced Microsystems for some of the council’s research projects, including space applications.