What is CBK?
We are a consultancy devoted to the provision of high end scientific, technical and management advice to your business in e-science domains.
CBK Sci Con is led by one of UCL’s leading computational scientists, Professor Peter Coveney, and Paul Best – an industrialist with a career in complex engineered systems. The company is run by Dr Emily Lumley – an experienced project manager with an organic chemistry background, and Dr Hugh Martin – a senior project manager with extensive experience in computational science, both on the research and management fronts.
They have brought their combined experience of over 80 years across industry and academia, to form and expand CBK to develop and apply e-science expertise to complex business problems.
Successful EU H2020 Proposals
Events organised since 2016
Value of awarded grants
Number of projects CBK is leading dissemination
Average number of partners per project
Number of projects CBK sits on the executive board
Advanced Materials cover image made by CBK’s Hugh Martin, paper DOI: 10.1002/adma.201403361
Meeting the Challenge
Within science and engineering, computer simulation is often referred to as the third pillar of inquiry, complementing experiment and theory. It is capable of providing not only convincing but quantitative explanations of natural phenomena and artificial processes. It can be used to predict the behaviour of complex systems at very high levels of fidelity, endowing them with considerable influence, for example in the design and interpretation of experimental data. Computer modelling accelerates progress by providing novel physical, chemical, biological and medical insights which aid fundamental understanding. It substantially reduces costs in research and development. For instance, an automotive crash test can cost £500,000 to perform but is unrepeatable and unlikely to provide much of the information sought. In contrast, a computer simulation costs a mere £12, may be run multiple times and provides a wealth of data and information. Likewise, in pharmaceutical research, virtual screening performed in combination with simulation can pre-select, out of billions of possibilities, a few “drug-like” compounds that bind to a given target, saving time and millions of pounds in experimental drug development.
In addition to the development and analysis of large-scale predictive, mechanistic models, scientific computing also encompasses access to and processing of large scale digital data. Currently often referred to as “Big Data” or “3Vs Data”, this involves the need to manage data in many forms, not only coming in large quantities (volume), but also being of a heterogeneous nature (variety) that needs to be integrated, as well as on the move (velocity) via dynamic networks of considerable bandwidth, for example for purpose of real time analysis and urgent response. Big Data is now impacting all areas of science and engineering as well as beyond, into economics, financial services, medicine, the environment, climate research, telecoms, web analytics, and the arts and humanities.
At CBK, we understand the requirements of the commercial, government and public sectors and can formulate management advice along with scientific and technical solutions that match the needs of virtually every domain. While working with selected academic partners, our solutions can be trusted to meet the quality of service expected of the world’s leading blue.