CBOne's declaration of intention
The materplan was born in 2010 when writing these three words on a piece of paper.
COMBUSTION BAY ONE
It was a vision of the large letters written on the big doors of the greatest combustion test rig ever built in Austria.
I was then about to start my last semester at the technical university where I had been on duty during 6 years. As the Head of the Combustion Department, there was still some teaching to be done, projects to closure, projects to transmit, PhD candidates who would have to finish without me to reassure. Frankly speaking, at that precise moment, I was scratching my head about what to do next. Of course I would have liked to stay a bit longer, at least to be given the time to finish some exciting projects. Alas, the adjective in "short term position" is of importance.
There was also another fact. An advanced combustion control actuator on which I had been working on with my team got highlighted in the scientific community, as well as it attracted the attention of the industry. Since my employer at that time did not make use of its option regarding patenting of the device, I had free hands and I could do what I wanted with the idea. The telephone started to ring. I got hired by my first client as a consultant.
The idea was there. Create my own company.
Natural resources are limited. Exhaust emissions are poisoning the atmosphere. Current combustion systems are improvable. Any improvement made in combustion technology is at least as significant for the environment as the progress on alternative energy resources. We built up over the years a solid know-how on combustion of which I could make a good use. This could become the first company to focus exclusively on Research & Development in advanced combustion systems.
Imagine a place where the level of expertise is so good, that fuel costs can be reduced by 5% compared to conventional. Imagine a place where new thermal system can be tested at full scale and optimised before being deployed. Imagine a place where new ways to make a better use of combustion are investigated: Towards less fuel burn, towards less emissions and less maintenance costs for the same process.
COMBUSTION BAY ONE
A lightweight structure, dynamic, reactive, international, well-connected with the industry and with the university, where combustion expertise and motivation for an exciting work are the seeds of success.
The university stalls its level in advanced research mostly because of its choice for a large personal turn-over. The logical price to pay is brain-drain. Post docs take new positions somewhere else, doing most of the time something new, and the know-how gets lost.
CBOne offers another solution. It is intended to sanctuarise the achieved level of combustion technology and make it durable. In a future world where the technical university focuses mainly on its primary mission: quality education - and shares its available capacities with smaller structures like CBOne, the ambitions in terms of innovation of SMEs can be made real. It is good for the university, it is good for the SMEs, and of course it is excellent for the students!
Combustion Bay One responds to a need, it makes sense in terms of strategy regarding our energy consumption and in terms of ecology. Therefore CBOne must be.
These were my thoughts after having written these three words.
Combustion Bay One entered the Science Park Graz in June 2011, supported by an AplusB Start-up Grant for further development and eventually sales of the actuator I mentioned before.
In summer 2012 the company was counting five people.
CBOne is bound to succeed. I would like to speak in terms of huge financial expectations and career opportunities - but I would then feel uncomfortable. As a scientist I was never trained for that. As a pragmatic, I know that a start-up is a small boat that sometimes sails on a rough sea. In the near future, it is essential that we secure our access to shared laboratories and combustion facilities. We worked a lot this year on this networking aspect and are thankful to the TU Graz for having helped us in the first phase of the MethaNull programme in 2012.
In 2013 and beyond we will go on honouring our consultancy for the industry, and we will extend our portfolio towards advanced modelling. Two new tasks of own research concerning direct injection in gas turbines (programme DirektFlug) and reduction of Methane contents emissions (programme MethaNull) will be covered. If the project objectives are met, this opens the door towards new standards for cleaner engines or thermal facilities.
This is our declaration of intention. Thank you for your attention.
F Giuliani, founder and director of CBOne
