James Watt Nanofabrication Centre

About nanoFabUK

Nanofabrication is the characterisation and manufacturing of nanometre-sized materials at the atomic level, utilising pioneering research methodologies and equipment. This work must be completed in specialist facilities called cleanrooms, wherein the contamination of particles, humidity and temperature are minimised to allow the nanoscopic work to be carried out. As nanofabrication represents a key area of technological research, these facilities are hosted by universities across the UK. These facilities must run to similar exacting standards, but are often run very differently, with little communication or knowledge-sharing. This can cause challenges with maximising effective delivery of services to researchers and industry. Furthermore, the professionals who work in these facilities (RTPs) are often faced with challenges in team structures and professional development.

Collaborative networks of RTPs exist and flourish throughout the world, showcasing the benefits this can bring to RTPs, research institutions, and the industry they collaborate with. On this basis, nanoFabUK was created to assemble 20 of the leading nanofabrication facilities from across the UK, from: Glasgow, Manchester, Cambridge, Lancaster, Nottingham, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea, Royal Holloway University of London, University College London, Imperial College London and Leeds.

This network will unite RTPs across the UK to strengthen their expertise, expand their professional development, and drive innovation. By fostering formal collaboration, building repositories of best practices and hosting a range of activities, dedicated to continuous improvement and development. These events will include conferences, workshops, organised discussions, symposiums, and training events. These initiatives will enhance operational effectiveness, enabling RTPs to dedicate more time to advancing cutting-edge research and innovation in nanofabrication. nanoFabUK aims to support RTPs in the community develop career pathways by working with established organisations, including universities, the Technician Commitment and other technical initiatives, key industry players, and government agencies. nanoFabUK will also look outwards to building relationships and awareness with diverse audiences to improve and broaden participation in nanofabrication.

This will not only promote the RTPs who support and maintain this critical infrastructure, but will also benefit academic and industrial stakeholders who rely on these facilities to run at with innovation and optimisation factored into their approach. With these principles in mind, nanofabrication facilities will then be placed to provide results for the public as whole, as research is well placed to bring safer, healthier, and more prosperous lives through the transformative potential of nanotechnology.

 

Committees

Organising Committee

James Grant – Operations Director	Claire Goodwin – Project Administrator
Linda Pollock – Team Lead	Laura McGlynn – Technician
Keith Smith – Technician	Iain Armstrong – Technician
Sarai Diaz Romero – Technician	Ka Hei Chan – Technician
Donald Nicholson – Technician	Callum Smith – Technician

Steering Committee

Kunal Lulla (Chair / PM) – NGI, University of Manchester	James Grant – James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC), University of Glasgow
Richard Cousins (deputy PM) – Nanoscale and Microscale Research Centre (nmRC), University of Nottingham	Jasbinder Chauhan – School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Nottingham
Alex Summerfield – NGI, University of Manchester	Lee Hague – NGI, University of Manchester
Vijayalakshmi Krishnan– London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), University College London (UCL)	Martin Ebert – Cornerstone, University of Southampton
Luigi Occhipinti – Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge	Adam Stroughair – Nanoscience Facility, University of Sheffield
Florent Seichepine – Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London	Rais Shaikhaidarov – Superfab, Royal Holloway University of London
Dave Ellis – Cavendish Nanofabrication Centre, University of Cambridge	Mark Rosamond – Leeds Nanotechnology Cleanroom, University of Leeds
	Matt Elwin – Centre for Integrative Semiconductor materials (CISM), Swansea University

 

Agenda

Tuesday 2nd September

Tuesday 2nd September
9am	Registration, tea coffee
9:15am
9:30am
9:45am	Intro speech (James Grant)
10am	Intro Speech - nanoFabUK (Kunal Lulla)
Talks Session 1 - Access and Sustainability
10:15am	Welcoming Everyone to the Microfab - ICL (Florent Seichepine)
10:30am	Accommodating Accessibility Needs in Cleanrooms - University of Manchester (Blake Crompton)
10:45am	Accessibility in the Cleanroom - UCL (Vijay Krishnan)
11am	Sustainability In Science - hard or impossible? - University of Dundee (Elisa Garcia-Wilson)
11:15am	LEAF: Experiences from teams taking part - LEAF (Caitlin Broadbent)
Workshops
11:30am	Pfeiffer
11:45am
12pm
12:15pm
12:30pm	Lunch
12:45pm
1pm
1:15pm
1:30pm
Keynote Speaker
1:45pm	Small Tech, Big Impact - DTU (Anders M. Jørgensen)
2pm
Breakout Sessions
2:15pm	Accessibility Issues in Nanofabrication
2:30pm	Health and Safety
2:45pm	Maintenance and Facilities
3pm	PVD Working Group
3:15pm	Tea coffee
Talk Session 2 - Industry and Technology
3:30pm	Implementing a Quality Management System - KNT (Oliver Sharp)
3:45pm	Moorfield
4pm	Upgrading Mask Aligners from Mercury-Based to UV-LED Lamphouses - Inseto (Dominik Hamara)
4:15pm	Running 15,000 exposures on an EBPG5200 - Glasgow (Paul Reynolds)
4:30pm	Panel Session 1 - Health and Safety
4:45pm
5pm	Time to Spare

Wednesday 3rd September

Wednesday 3rd September
9am	Arrival, tea coffee
9:15am
Talks session 1 - Estates and Maintenance
9:30am	HVAC Plant Maintenance - Glasgow (Tom Shearer)
9:45am	Engage to Sustain: User Engagement for Sustainable Research Facilities - Cambridge (Chun Deng and Luigi Occhipinti)
10am	Microsystems Network - Warwick University (Vishal Shah)
10:15am	Setting Up a New Facility - Cambridge (Dave Ellis)
10:30am	Tea coffee
Talks Session 2 - Industry
10:45am	Introducing High Precision Capillary Printing -  SisTEM Technology (Mark van den Berg)
11am	AI Segmentation of SiC MOSFET FIB Tomography Dataset - ZEISS (Andrew Elliott)
11:15am	Atomic force microscopy and it applications in nanofabrication - Park Systems (Jonathan Moffat)
11:30am	Panel Session 2 - Estates and Maintenance
11:45am
Workshops
12pm	Logitech
12:15pm
12:30pm
12:45pm
1pm	Lunch
1:15pm
1:30pm
1:45pm
2pm
Keynote Speaker
2:15pm	How does UKRI support the technical community? - UKRI (Nik Ogryzko)
2:30pm
Talk session 3 - Career Progression and Processes
2:45pm	Modern Apprenticeships - Glasgow (Sara Dow & Linda Pollock)
3pm	Chem Prep Inventory - Glasgow (Laura McGlynn)
3:15pm	Information systems in/out the cleanroom lab - CEITEC Nano (Richard Kolar)
3:30pm	Utilizing software automation to reduce administrative burden at shared facilities - Manchester (Alexander Lincoln)
3:45pm	Final Remarks - James Grant
4pm	Tea coffee (Open space for final discussion and reflection)
4:15pm
4:30pm	Space Breakdown
4:45pm
5pm

 

Panel Sessions

We are running two panel sessions. These are interactive sessions where a panel of experts will discuss both prepared and audience questions. We would encourage attendees to both bring questions or email them in advance to: Claire.Goodwin@Glasgow.ac.uk.

Tuesday 2nd September - Health and Safety

Moderator: Richard Cousins
Panellists: TBA

Wednesday 3rd - Estates and Maintenance

Moderator: TBA
Panellists: TBA

 

Workshops

nanoFabUK will be running four workshop sessions (two sessions repeated to allow wider attendance). These are interactive and discursive sessions with leading industry partners to get up close and personal with the latest cleanroom technology. These sessions are being run by Pfeiffer and Logitech and the abstracts for these sessions can be found at the end of the Abstract Section of the programme.

 

Breakout Sessions

We are running informal discussion opportunities called ‘Breakout Sessions’. You can sign up for a session on our Doodle Page Here. These will be run over the course of an hour and are a chance to discuss the topics that have been brought up throughout the other sessions as well as requested topics from attendees submitted in advance. These will be held in the Drawing Room, with assigned tables to enable relevant discussion.

 

Abstracts

Welcoming everyone to the microfab

Florent Seichepine

Imperial College London

The current landscape of microfabrication applications brings together people from a wide range of backgrounds — from master's students exploring microfabrication technologies, to medical practitioners aiming to develop new micro-devices, to startups seeking rapid prototyping solutions. At Imperial, our technicians have collaborated closely to ensure that every project finds the right environment.

 

Accessibility in the Cleanroom

Blake Anthony Crompton

University of Manchester

In the evolving world of education, the diversity of people, approaches, and upcoming generations can affect how a classroom operates. It is essential to recognise that the training, usage and maintenance of cleanroom standards must have room to grow beyond technical needs.

To this end, the consideration of people's backgrounds, neurodiversity, and preferences has both an active and unconscious effect on how they will treat the facilities and the steps users take to maintain this. This is important given the competitive, strenuous and often impersonal world of academia and research industries.

In this talk, I will discuss and give examples of how positive changes in accessibility in cleanrooms can affect day-to-day culture and how detrimental they can be if not addressed.

 

Accommodating Accessibility Needs in Cleanrooms

Vijayalakshmi Krishnan

London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London

Introduction

Cleanrooms are labs that require controlled particle counts to guarantee the cleanliness of air within the lab. These spaces are accessed through strict gowning procedures which include hair covers, bunny suits/overalls, overshoes, gloves and face covers.

Presently, these labs are not always accessible to users with mobility needs or disabilities. Under the UK 2010 Equality Act, the workplace has a duty to provide reasonable adjustments to reduce or remove the disadvantage to disabled users. These adjustments may consist of making changes to the work environment, finding a different way of doing certain activities and providing tools, services and support.

Methods

The first step to improving accessibility comes with the assessment of the needs of the user. The most efficient approach is to discuss their needs and work plans ahead of time. The aspects to consider include disabilities such as sensory (including partial sight, colour blindness, hearing impairments), physical (mobility requirements) or other conditions that require adjustments at the work place.

Risk assessments should be performed for each lab user based on their work requirement and the cleanroom in which they will be working. Each hazard present in the cleanroom must be considered against the conditions of the lab user to identify areas where additional safety measures are required.

Recommendations

A list of actions and implementations are applicable to each user’s requirements may be put in place as needed. The actions could range from recommending a buddy system, providing tools, service or assistance to making structural changes such as rearranging the gowning area for wheelchair access and investing in height-adjustable wet benches when replacing old ones. Some new ideas that could be ventured towards this include wheelchair-friendly lab coats as pioneered by the UCL Innovation Lab (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-east/news/2024/dec/wheelchair-users-needed-test-new-lab-coats).

Significance

While it is easier to include accessibility considerations at the point of design and construction, existing labs can gradually increase accessibility features when replacing existing tools.

Reasonable changes would improve the accessibility of these labs to allow lab users to work carry out their research in the cleanroom without compromising safety and the individual’s dignity.

Increasing inclusivity in cleanrooms will benefit not only to students and researchers who will need occasional access to the lab, but also technical staff for whom the cleanroom is the primary workplace throughout their scientific career.

 

Sustainability in Science - hard or impossible?

Elisa Garcia-Wilson

University of Dundee

We have entered a new era of life on earth, changes to climate are wreaking havoc on once reliable and predictable systems.  Tipping points are close to sending us on an irreversible path to environmental disaster.  Scientific research is both at the forefront of meeting people's needs in health and understanding the new reality and the same time, produces disproportionate amounts of waste and uses excessive energy.  What can we do in the lab, how do we reflect in our work the reality we face as humans on a changing planet?

 

LEAF: Experiences from teams taking part

Caitlin Broadbent

LEAF (UCL)

We will showcase case studies from laboratories using LEAF (Laboratory efficiency assessment framework) as a guide to making changes in their laboratories to reduce their environmental impact, with a focus on cleanrooms but also laboratory processes in general.

 

Small Tech, Big Impact: DTU Nanolab's Secret Sauce

Anders M. Jorgensen, Leif S. Johansen, Flemming Jensen and Jörg Hübner

DTU Nanolab, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

DTU Nanolab, the National Centre for Nanofabrication and Characterization at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), excels in supporting nanoscale research and innovation. The technical staff is a cornerstone of this success, applying their expertise, dedication, and collaborative spirit to help others.

The centre was established in 1992 with a focus on cross-fertilization between academics and industry. Since the beginning the various directors have been appointed because of their focus on collaboration and specifically not due to individual research fields. The ambition has always been to support from basic research to small-scale production.

DTU Nanolab's work culture is one of collaboration, creativity, and inclusivity. The technical staff play a pivotal role in anchoring this. The capacity to include personalities which are somewhat eccentric has been critical for both recruitment and employee retention. Day-to-day work is done in interdisciplinary teams which allow diverse perspectives to (mostly) converge, tackling complex problems and enhancing the quality of both technology and work life. The supportive and stimulating workplace created by the staff is a key factor in the centre's success.

Partnerships are integral to DTU Nanolab's impact, and the technical staff are key facilitators of these collaborations. By working closely with leading academic institutions, industry partners, and governmental organizations, DTU Nanolab ensures exchange of knowledge, resources, and expertise. These partnerships create an ecosystem of innovation and long-term perspectives, aligning the centre's services with future needs and applications.

In summary, DTU Nanolab's "secret sauce" is its exceptional technical staff, whose expertise and dedication make DTU Nanolab a well-oiled machine delivering benefits for society.

 

Implementing a Quality Management System

Oliver Sharp

KNT

This presentation will explore KNT’s journey to implement a Quality Management System (QMS). It will outline the practical approaches taken to integrate quality processes without compromising innovation and reflect on the key challenges encountered along the way. Additionally, the presentation will consider the benefits a QMS can bring to any organisation.

 

Running 15,000 exposures on an EBPG5200

Paul Reynolds

James Watt Nanofabrication Centre

Installed in 2019, the EBPG5200 at the JWNC recently ran its 15,000^th exposure. This talk will discuss the software tools we have built around the EBPG system to deliver reliable lithography at this scale across academic and commercial work.

Custom scripts and website integration make it easier for new users to get started, whilst advanced routines and job customisation options allow experienced users to push the tool to its limits. Improved monitoring allows us to capture hundreds of measurements and monitor for trends/deviations - getting ahead of problems and reviewing user jobs to offer advice and optimisation tips.

 

HVAC Plant Maintenance

Tom Shearer

University of Glasgow

A Brief overview of the planned preventative maintenance provision for the HVAC services, serving the JWNC facility.

 

Engage to Sustain: User Engagement for Sustainable Research Facilities

1. Deng, L. G. Occhipinti

Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, UK

The University of Cambridge’s Small Research Facilities (SRFs), located in the Electrical Engineering Clean Facility & Nanoscience Centre and the Cambridge Graphene Centre, focus on the research in nanoelectronics, photonics, 2D materials, sensors, flexible electronics, energy systems, and quantum devices. The SRFs are essential for advancing interdisciplinary research in engineering, physics, chemistry, and materials science, while also supporting industrial collaboration. Despite their impact, challenges in communication, user engagement, and timely updates can limit their effectiveness and growth.

 

The ongoing challenges of setting up a new cleanroom facility

Dave Ellis
Head of Cavendish Nanofabrication Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge

The Cavendish Nanofab Facility officially opened in 2025, and is one of the UK’s newest semiconductor fabrication facilities. Based in the Ray Dolby Centre (RDC), the new home for Physics in Cambridge, it offers 1500 m² of ISO 3-7 cleanroom space to support a wide range of research areas including organic and inorganic semiconductors, 2D materials and superconductors.

During the 2024 NanofabUK symposium, I discussed the journey we had been on, taking the physical cleanroom from design through to reality. The past 12 months have seen huge changes, including the migration and recommissioning of tools from 8 separate cleanroom spaces in the old Cavendish buildings, across to our new shared central facility.  In this talk, I will reflect on some of the challenges and success stories of this part of the process, and the ongoing path to realising our vision for the new facility.

 

AI Segmentation of SiC MOSFET FIB Tomography Dataset

Andrew Elliott¹

¹Carl Zeiss Ltd, Cambourne, United Kingdom

This work presents a few-shot deep learning (DL) approach for semantic segmentation of FIB-SEM tomography datasets in semiconductor analysis. Manual segmentation is laborious and conventional thresholding fails in noisy, artifact-prone images. Using a U-net architecture with EfficientNet and Pixelshuffle, the authors trained models on minimal annotated data to segment complex device structures.

Two datasets—a SiC MOSFET and a 5 nm SRAM—were used to evaluate performance. For the MOSFET, accurate segmentation of eight classes was achieved with just 12 annotated slices. In the SRAM dataset, only two annotated SE images and six BSE images were sufficient. The models generalized well across imaging modalities, signal-to-noise ratios, and different FIB-SEM configurations, including a high-resolution L-shape system. Merged SE/BSE training further improved robustness.

Compared to conventional methods, the AI-based approach yielded cleaner, more accurate segmentations, enabling better 3D visualization and quantitative analysis. Cloud-based training combined with local inference proved efficient and scalable, reducing workstation load and supporting data confidentiality through pretraining on non-sensitive datasets.

This few-shot strategy significantly reduces annotation effort while improving segmentation quality, offering a practical path toward automated, high-throughput analysis of semiconductor structures.

 

Figure 1 - Left column: Result of a conventional segmentation attempt to separate three different dopant regions. Right column: Result of the few-shot AI segmentation. (a and ) N region, (c and d) P1 region, (e and f) P2 region.

 

Introducing sub-micron High Precision Capillary Printing (HPCaP) from Hummink

Mark van den Berg

SiSTEM Technologies

High Precision Capillary Printing (HPCaP) enables sub-micron, maskless, direct-write deposition of functional inks using capillary forces. Compatible with polymers, quantum dots, bio-inks, and more, the NAZCA printer offers a flexible platform for rapid prototyping across photonics, biosensing, and nanoelectronics - accelerating innovation while reducing dependence on traditional lithographic processes.

 

How does UKRI support the technical community?

Nik Ogryzko
UKRI

UKRI supports over 25,000 full-time equivalent of R&I staff directly on grants. Many more if indirect costs, facility charges and strategic funding streams are included. Skilled people and teams design our studies, deliver the R&I work and ensure it makes a difference. You are the R&I system and are mission-critical to UKRI. Without you, our funding cannot deliver the outcomes we invest in.

To better support our technical and specialist communities, UKRI has developed the people and teams action plan. The plan will implement the Technician Commitment across our role as research funder, policy organisation and employer by changing incentives at the organisational level to build and value sustainable and resilient technical and specialist capability in the R&I system.

 

Links:

UKRI people and teams plan

UKRI people and teams assessment pilot

 

From SVQ's to Semiconductors: The MA Journey in the JWNC

Sara Dow and Linda Pollock

JWNC and KNT

This presentation shares a technician’s perspective on the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme at the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC), University of Glasgow. Co-presented by Linda Pollock, SVQ assessor and long-serving technician, and Sara, JWNC’s first MA, it traces their shared journey and the development of apprenticeship training within a leading nanofabrication facility.

We explore the impact of vocational pathways in a research-intensive environment, comparing the MA experience with academic user training, and highlighting the long-term benefits to individuals and the wider technical team. Reflections on SVQ assessment, training delivery, and career progression are brought to life through real examples, including profiles of apprentices who have since advanced into specialist roles.

This session offers insights for those supporting, managing, or considering apprenticeship routes in technical settings.

 

Information systems in/out the cleanroom lab

Richard Kohlar

CEITEC Nano, Brno University of Technology

An information system for the cleanroom is essential; nobody can imagine running a shared facility without one. Almost every facility needs to organise a time for users to share the tools, so there is a reservation system. However, you also need to manage user access and payments, have evidence of consumables and chemicals in the cleanroom, manage the full-service projects, and provide e-learning and pre-training materials for users. Ideally, it would be nice to have all those under one big platform, but usually, when you are in an academic cleanroom with a limited financial budget, it's developing inside and running often separately. In the ideal case, it is at least on the same database.

In my talk, I would like to present our cleanroom IS with all modules and share ideas on what is useful for managing a shared cleanroom with more than 100 tools for 300 self-service users.

 

Utilizing software automation to reduce administrative burden at shared facilities

Alexander Lincoln

University of Manchester

In academic research facilities with large numbers of users, handling and processing of facility users’ requests, facility usage, training progress and other administrative tasks can take up a considerable portion of technical staff’s time, while not laying to the strengths of the technical team.

However, much of this administrative load can be reduced with appropriate use of software automation of tasks. Here we present the streamlining and automation used at the Electron Microscopy Centre at the University of Manchester; utilizing tools such as Microsoft Power Platform, Stratocore PPMS, Canvas VLE and more to improve the experience and consistency for facility users and free up technical staff time for technical tasks.

 

Workshop: Enabling Nanoscale Precision: CMP and Complete Process Solutions for Nanofabrication

Logitech

This workshop explores advanced technologies for nanoscale materials processing, with a primary focus on the Orbis CMP System, a high-precision, compact platform designed for R&D and pilot production. Supporting wafers up to 200mm, dual-sample processing, and in-depth process control, the Orbis enables production-level performance in a laboratory setting, ideal for a wide range of nanofabrication applications.

In addition to the Orbis, we will also highlight our broader range of CMP systems, each tailored for specific research and processing needs. The session will also cover our complete end-to-end solutions, including:

Wafer-support disc bonding (low, medium, and high precision)

Jig-controlled lapping and polishing

Post-CMP cleaning technologies

Designed to support a wide variety of materials, such as Silicon, GaAs, and InP, our systems enable reliable, repeatable results across the full nanofabrication process.

 

Accessbility Information

Main Event Space - Glasgow University Union

This event is primarily hosted at the Glasgow University Union. This building has a main entrance, which has stairs, and two entrances which are wheelchair accessible Via the ramp next to main entrance through Beer Bar (Level 0), or via Oakfield Lane (Level 1). Lift available to all levels including Level 2 (Debates Chamber). Accessible toilets are located on the basement level of the building. There are stairs throughout the building, including to the Debates Chamber where the talks will be hosted. All other booked spaces (the Dining Room where lunch and exhibition booths will be held, and the Drawing Room where workshops and breakout spaces will be held) are on the main entrance floor. The building has a staffed reception desk, and JWNC will also be running a registration desk at the main entrance. The venue has a service lift. There are several lifts over multiple floors.

Refuge Points: Available in case of fire alarm on Level 3 (next to Reading Room) and Level 4 (next to Billiards Hall).
Gender neutral bathroom is available on the Basement level.

More venue information can be found at Glasgow University Union Accessibility Document.

Tours - James Watt Nanofabrication Centre

There is an accessible toilet in the facility. Wheelchair or limited mobility access is available through our loading bay, however the JWNC will need at least two weeks prior notice if you require this.

There are strong magnets in several rooms inside the cleanroom, as well as various sources of UV and RF radiation. There are also rooms containing carcinogenic and hazardous chemicals. Each room is signposted and tour guides will be able to provide guidance on whether it is safe to enter a room, in the case of any specific concerns (e.g. pacemakers, pregnancy, etc.).

Every visitor will be required to wear a cleanroom suit, including hood and boots, in order to access the cleanroom. Please be advised to wear suitable clothing (e.g. no high heels, no bulky clothes). There will be space to leave belongings outside the cleanroom.

Dinner - Òran Mór

Òran Mór is a short walk away from Glasgow University Union, and the JWNC can provide taxis as required. There is step free access, internal lifts, and accessible toilets on various floors.

Accessibility information can be found here: Òran Mór Accessibility Information

 

Catering Information

Day Catering - Tuesday 2nd September and Wednesday 3rd September at Glasgow University Union

Morning tea & coffee with hot filled roll or pastries

Finger Buffet Lunch: 5 items with tea, coffee & fruit juice

Afternoon tea & coffee with a selection of cakes & fruit skewers

Evening Dining Menu at the Òran Mór

The menu for the Òran Mór can be found here: Òran Mór

 

Travel and Accommodation Information

The link below shows the location of the Symposium event venue (Glasgow University Union), the Symposium dinner venue (Òran Mór), Glasgow airport, local subway and railway stations, and car parks, as well as hotel suggestions.

The nearest subway station to Glasgow University Union is Kelvinbridge Station, which is only a few minutes from the GUU. The nearest train station is Partick Station, roughly a twenty-minute walk away from the university campus.

Map of Glasgow – Travel & Accommodation Information

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First published: 5 August 2025