Two research companies have won Government awards to develop new products.

The Department of Trade and Industry smart award worth £128,000 has gone to Alternative Fuel Systems (AFS) of Slinfold, near Arundel, and another, for an undisclosed amount, to Medical Innovations of Chichester.

AFS was set up three years ago to develop and produce Liquid Petroleum Gas units for light vans and cars. It later started research into alkaline fuel cells in association with other companies.

Fuel cells are an emerging technology which uses a chemical reaction to combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, offering benefits over existing methods.

They are non-polluting with zero emissions, silent operation and little or no reliance on fossil fuels. They can be used to supply power to homes and industrial premises.

Worldwide sales of fuel cells are expected to exceed £7 billion in ten years.

At Medical Innovation, the grant will be used for research into limb lengthening. This will benefit children born with one limb shorter than the other and people with non-healing fractures or who have had surgery for tumours or infection.

It involves cutting the bone. The sections are then artificially supported and forced apart until the ends of each bone regenerate and grow to the right length.

The limb is then allowed to heal naturally.

Medical Innovations is planning to produce a device that uses sensors to control the conditions for bone regeneration without manual involvement by a parent or carer.