Tag: KTPs

UWE Bristol announce new Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Duku

Author Lynn Goh | Posted on

UWE Bristol, with Duku, have been successful in securing grant funding from Innovate UK to form a new 24-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

Duku is an innovative and entrepreneurial engineering design consultancy that take client ideas and develop them into full marketable designs. They have recently added in-house product design and development to their design business, developing a new and unique electric vehicle (EV) charging point, which has considerable potential as the only accessible charging point available, that conforms to the new BSI standard for accessible EV charging products.

The project aim is to embed a full commercialisation capability within the business and to exploit innovative in-house designed products. This will enable Duku to directly market their own products and offer a full-service idea-to-market capability for new and existing design consultancy clients.

UWE Bristol academics Dr Mel Smith, Eamonn Condon and Dr Akin Ojolo will be working on the project. Mel Smith will be the lead and is an Associate Professor in Operations Management. Eamonn Condon is a Programme Leader for, and Senior Lecturer in Marketing, and Akin Ojolo is a Senior Lecturer at UWE Bristol Business School.

“Duku is a really dynamic and exciting engineering design consultancy, which has recently had a breakthrough in the design of fully accessible EV charging points. This KTP will be instrumental in helping them commercialise their EV chargers and will also extend their capabilities so they can deliver commercialisation services to their clients. The project will enable the business to grow and enhance the support they offer to their clients and should lead to many more promising innovations being brought successfully to market.”

Mel Smith, Associate Professor in Operations Management

We will soon be welcoming our Strategic Commercialisation Manager (Associate) who will conduct research into the EV market, identify an appropriate sales strategy to bring the product to market successfully and lead a significant change in strategic direction. 

Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate Spotlight: Brenton Sequeira

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

In this spotlight, we meet Brenton Sequeria who is a Machine Learning and Image Integration Engineer Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate with B-Hive Innovations and UWE Bristol.

A KTP is a UK-wide, 3-way partnership between a business, a university and talented graduate called an Associate, and aims to help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity, whilst also boosting the career prospects of the Associate.

Based in Lincolnshire, B-hive is an agri-tech business working to solve the real challenges facing the fresh produce industry. The B-hive team is made up of experienced science, engineering, and project management professionals, supported by a commercialisation team, with in-depth knowledge and experience of solving real day to day fresh produce and agricultural industry issues.

The aim of this particular KTP between UWE Bristol and B-Hive Innovations is to develop a novel real-time, non-contact system to measure the dry matter (DM) content of potatoes using innovative technologies to increase crop utilisation and reduce waste. Supporting B-hive’s strategy for achieving growth through investment in technology and the development of new products to sell to clients. By being able to determine DM content this way will improve utilisation of the raw material through crop selection, enabling higher resale opportunities.

Brenton tells us that “B-Hive Innovations Ltd is an agri-tech company involved in R&D to help tackle problems in the fresh produce domain. The main objective of the project is to develop a low-cost solution to measure dry matter in potatoes to reduce food waste and increase crop utilisation”.

We asked Brenton what a typical day as a KTP Associate is like and he gave us the following insight:

“A typical day is a mix of imaging potatoes, analysing the data, talking to suppliers and designing experiments”.

Following on from this we asked what the most positive aspect of his role has been:

“Working on building a product which will make a net positive impact for the customers is a great. At the same time having to talk to people from various backgrounds makes for a great learning experience. Also having a considerable personal development budget which ensures I can build up skills which can not only help me be better at my job but also for my career is a big plus”.

Brenton also advised how he has benefited from the training and development opportunities which is a result of the KTP Associate role by attending the Innovation Strategy course and the residential training modules which are offered to all KTP Associates.

When we asked Brenton to describe his experience of working as a KTP Associate he told us “It has been everything I was expecting it to be and more. I have particularly enjoyed the process of taking research from the lab to the real world. Especially leading the project which gives you the independence of letting you decide the project direction, keep track of finances and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders”.

Finally, we asked Brenton whether he would recommend the KTP Associate role and he advised “Absolutely, because you are single handedly able to drive change on a massive scale while having the ability to plug gaps in knowledge and skill by using the personal development budget”.

Andy Gill, the General Manager at B-hive Innovations, remarked:

“Collaborating with staff who have been part of the KTP scheme or are currently engaged in it has proven invaluable for B-hive. It has provided us with the opportunity to engage with brilliant minds brimming with innovative solutions to address challenges within the sector. Having Brenton on board at B-hive has had a positive impact on the entire team. Not only does he learn from his colleagues, but he also brings his unique skills and personality that seamlessly integrate within our team dynamics.”

Find out more about KTPs at UWE Bristol.

Introducing our newest Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate; Matt Dumbrill

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Introducing our new starter Matt Dumbrill, who has recently joined as a Creative Technologies Associate for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with True to Nature Ltd and UWE Bristol.

True to Nature is a Bristol-based, independent production company specialising in innovative, world-class natural history content & TV production.

The focus of this KTP will be on enhancing existing camera drone stock whilst also creating new devices through 3D printing, software, radio communication and electronic technology. This will enable close-up footage of wildlife to be captured and will provide new, immersive perspectives. The project will also establish an in-house research and development capability.

Matt is a UWE Bristol graduate with a first-class BEng in Aerospace Engineering. He is President of the UWE Aero Society which is primarily progressing development of the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Drone and is due to compete at UAS 2023. Matt can fly winged drones and quadcopter type drones and has a growing interest in drone communication standards. He will soon be attending a GVC multirotor training course to learn how to operate larger drones. During his studies and as co-team lead, he designed the aerodynamic components of a race car for the university Formula Student Team, which positioned third at Formula Student UK.

His experience ranges from training nights at HMS Flying Fox as an officer cadet, to keeping the world’s oldest operating railway running, and then to design engineering for a global aerospace company.

Matt has had a keen interest in nature from a young age and recalls always watching the cuts at the end of nature documentaries to find out more about how the animals were filmed, and the kits that were used. He has been an amateur photographer for many years and enjoys learning about camera technology.

We asked Matt what attracted him to the position, and he replied:

“The nature of the project is what attracted me to the KTP, the project is novel and quite a challenge. I always want to push myself because that’s when you learn and progress the most. Also, there was a point in time where I wanted to be a marine biologist, and that interest in nature never left.

Being able to work with a company like True to Nature gives me access to work with and learn from people with a passion for nature and film making, there’s nothing better than working with a great team.”

We also asked what he is most looking forward to during the project and he told us:

“I’ve been part of this KTP for a number of weeks now, and it’s everything I thought it would be, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me. My favourite part of development is when the first working prototype is produced, but I can’t rush to that point, there’s lots of tests and learning to do beforehand, and that progression feels great.”

KTPs consist of a unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate (known as the associate). The KTP scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity.

There are two types of KTP:

  • Classic KTPs focus on expanding the capabilities of a business’s products and services, often using cutting edge technologies. They allow you to embed expertise and generate new knowledge.
  • Management KTPs are people-focused, designed to foster culture change, enable transformational improvements – applying a broad range of management practices and processes to create robust businesses.

A KTP is a cost-effective way to access academic expertise and recruit a highly skilled graduate.

UWE Bristol Knowledge Transfer Partnership nominated as finalist in the KTP awards

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between UWE Bristol and Harris Evolution Ltd has been nominated for best Management KTP at the KTP awards.

Harris Evolution is a construction services firm, based in Bristol.  Focusing on commercial refurbishment of buildings, they specialise in quick turnaround projects carried out whilst the buildings are still in occupation. 

The KTP focused on ensuring that the different areas of the business expanded in proportion to one another to support growth.  The priority was to, in parallel, improve the systems, processes, and management structure of the company. 

The KTP Associate provided Harris with the resource to understand the process of customer delivery; identify areas where the company faced critical challenges; and was required to think innovatively to overcome these challenges with the Harris leadership team.

Since this project, Harris Evolution has become more ambitious in its strategic goals; aiming to grow to become a dominant and innovative commercial refurbishment contractor in the UK specialising in the Education, Hotel and Leisure and Care sectors.

The project had a huge impact across all areas of the business, including digital transformation; innovative leadership; new approaches to performance management; and increased supply chain performance. 

The awards will be announced on Wednesday18  October in Cardiff.

KTPs consist of a unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate (known as the associate). The KTP scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity.

There are two types of KTP:

  • Classic KTPs focus on expanding the capabilities of a business’s products and services, often using cutting edge technologies. They allow you to embed expertise and generate new knowledge.
  • Management KTPs are people-focused, designed to foster culture change, enable transformational improvements – applying a broad range of management practices and processes to create robust businesses.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate Spotlight: David Todd

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

David is Marketing and Business Change Manager Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate with Lynne Fernandes Optometrists and UWE Bristol.

A KTP is a UK-wide, 3-way partnership between a business, a university and talented graduate, and aims to help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity, whilst also boosting the career prospects of the Associate.

Based in Bristol, Lynne Fernandes is a highly skilled, national award-winning Optometrists. At Lynne Fernandes they are designed to offer you the best they can in vision care and eyewear.  Their innovative eye care and exemplary customer service is continuously improved by investment in equipment and products to provide personalised eye care and vision correction of the highest standard.

David tells us that “The vision for the project is to implement and embed management practices within the organisation. The project is focussed on imparting the skills the company needs to take advantage of the opportunities offered by developing its innovative EyeSense subscription service”.

We asked David what a typical day as a KTP Associate is like and he gave us the following insight:

“One of the great things about my KTP is the variety involved in the role. No two days are the same.

One day I can be working on my own, another day I will be working in one of the company’s practices and, on another day, I will be working or attending meetings at the University. The aspect that I really like is being in control of my diary!”

One of the positive aspects that David has found out about his role is that “The training I have received has been amazing. I have attended two courses at the Ashorne Hill learning and development centre. The course was very practical, and I have been able to apply a lot of what I learnt into my everyday work. It was great meeting other KTP associates on the course and sharing experiences. The Strategy Innovation course that I have recently completed was a revelation and have applied the models to the business which is helping me focus my efforts. I have also had the pleasure of studying for a diploma in Digital Marketing – a lot of work but well worth it! Another positive aspect of the role is the amount of people I work with – they have all made me very welcome and have helped me a great deal”.

There is a dedicated training and development budget available for the Associates on KTP and David has told us how he has benefited from using this to help support him in his role “As well as attending courses with Ashorne Hill, the Institute of Digital Marketing and KTN’s Innovation Strategy course, I have also had speaker training and training relating to specific software. Without exception the courses have been excellent and relevant to my specific KTP. Thanks to the courses I have increased my productivity and value I can add to my KTP”.

Finally, we asked David whether he would recommended KTP Associate role and he answered

“I would thoroughly recommend the programme to other graduates. You quickly gain knowledge and experience that can make a positive difference to the organisation you work with. You will always have problems and I have found on several occasions talking to the right people makes a tremendous difference – people want help. I feel that it is a springboard to a successful and interesting career. The programme gives you the tools and knowledge to progress and enables you to be an asset to your organisation. It is just a pity that more people do not know about it!”

The company have been very impressed by the impact that David has made and stated the following “David is a pleasure to work with. As a KTP associate, he has gently but assertively steered our thinking about systems and the future”.

UWE Bristol announce Knowledge Transfer Partnership with True to Nature

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

We are pleased to announce that UWE Bristol and the award-winning independent TV production company True to Nature Limited have been awarded a new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) by Innovate UK. 

True to Nature Limited was founded by Dr Wendy Darke, who had an outstanding 25-year career at the BBC Natural History Unit. The company specialises in producing premium and innovative natural history content and TV, including nature, animal character-led, adventure travel, and children’s TV. Wendy is committed to fostering high-performing teams within an organizational culture that values and supports colleagues to collaborate effectively. 

The KTP will be supervised by UWE Bristol academics Fabio D’Agnano, Dr Budi Chandra and Dr Jun Yao. Fabio D’Agnano is a member of the Centre for Print Research undertaking research into digital and smart manufacturing including 3D printing, artificial intelligence and robotics for Art. Fabio brings vital artistic expertise that can complement engineering expertise provided by Dr Budi Chandra and Dr Jun Yao who are both senior lecturers in Aerospace Engineering at UWE Bristol.  They teach subjects related to thermodynamics and fluid dynamics and will lead on exploration and development of technology that can effectively operate in the air and underwater and the embedding of these processes.  Physical testing will include design of parts testing functionality and materials using a water tunnel, high-speed camera and thermal camera for validating the computational prediction.

The KTP will establish True to Nature’s business as a provider of innovative filmmaking by embedding a research and development capability in-house. The project will focus on enhancing existing camera drone stock and creating new devices through 3D printing, software, radio communication, and electronic technology. This will enable the capture of remote, close-up footage of wildlife, providing new and immersive perspectives with the potential for unique air-to-underwater transition shots. 

“We are delighted to be working collaboratively with UWE Bristol academic colleagues from Arts and Technology to develop new cinematography equipment and techniques to help connect audiences with the natural world.” 

Dr Wendy Darke, CEO and Founder True to Nature Limited

We are now recruiting for a KTP associate. KTPs are challenging but hugely rewarding, offering a unique career opportunity to work in industry and academia at the same time. The associate will gain valuable research skills and
real-world experience in industry, helping to shape their future. The associate role allows a recent graduate the opportunity to be embedded within the organisation. We are offering a competitive salary of £30,000-£32,000 and the post will be primarily based in True to Nature’s Clifton office in Bristol.

If you would like an informal discussion about the project and this job opportunity, please contact Fabio D’Agnano email: Fabio.DAgnano@uwe.ac.uk

To access the job description and application form please search job reference R05879 at https://www.uwe.ac.uk/about/jobs 

Application closing date 09/06/2023

UWE Bristol announce new Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Taro Agric Consulting

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

UWE Bristol have been successful in securing funding through the African AgriFood Knowledge Transfer Partnership (AAKTP) for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria, and Taro Agric Consulting, Nigeria.

Taro Agric Consulting is an agribusiness company that specialises in services related to farm services, animal production and consultation, and they aspire to be a leader in the Nigerian poultry industry. Chicken production in Nigeria amounts to 454 billion-tonnes of meat and 3.8 million-eggs per year.

The KTP will look at the application of data-enabled innovations to commercial chicken production in Nigeria, for the improvement and optimisation of broiler chicken business enterprises.

The use of digital technologies for the enhancement of welfare and productivity of poultry business

The project aims to develop infrastructure for real time data capture and data analytics to generate predictions. These will be used to generate retrospective and preventive insights to enhance business capabilities, reduce feed waste, improve chicken survivability and growth, as well as boost product quality.

The project will be led by Professor Kamran Munir and Professor Larry bull from UWE Bristol and Professor Saidu Oseni from OAU.

UWE Bristol Knowledge Transfer Partnership business secures a six-year partnership extension with Virgin Money

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Flexys, who completed a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) and is a member of Future Space, has signed a six-year contract extension with Virgin Money.

Following a project to provide an easy-to-use digital solution to manage Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) repayments and Pay As You Grow (PAYG) options, Flexys will continue working with Virgin Money to deliver an ongoing modern money experience for business customers to help them navigate the challenges of the current economic environment.

Figures show that BBLS made £47bn of loans available to 1.67m SMEs across the UK, with Virgin Money lending £1bn to over 34,000 business customers.

The digital self-service solution developed with Flexys was the first of its kind deployed by Virgin Money and, to date, c.14,000 BBLS loan restructures have been completed via PAYG. The solution enables Virgin Money customers to manage their loan over the full term, helping them make an informed decision about what the best option is for them.        

Flexys CEO, James Hill, said, “Working with Virgin Money has been a pleasure for the whole Flexys team, and their continuing confidence in Flexys is gratifying. This six-year partnership will build on the results already delivered and cement a productive collaboration to deliver the best possible service and outcomes for Virgin Money’s customers.”

Flexys provides the market-leading digital-first debt management, collection and recovery solution powered by cloud-native technology. Trusted by major household names in the banking, financial services and utility sectors, it delivers smart solutions that radically improve the speed, ease and efficiency of the debt collection process for creditors and their customers.

KTPs consist of a unique three-way collaboration between a business, a university and a graduate (known as the associate). The KTP scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity. The KTP with Flexys Our KTP with Flexys aims to integrate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technology within debt resolution software, to enable more effective management of debt resolution and improvement of customer relationships and retention.

Future Space is part of our University Enterprise Zone. Future Space connects entrepreneurs and tech innovators with scientists, researchers and graduate talent – to spark collaboration, innovation and growth.  

Celebrating graduate talent

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

Last year, Tasnim Chowdhury took part in the Green Skills for Jobs and Entrepreneurship programme. As a result of taking part in the programme, Tasnim took part in our Digital Marketing Bootcamp which helped her to land an internship in our Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) team.

Tasnim studied Sociology at UWE Bristol and graduated in 2018.

In the below blog Tasnim shares her experiences from the last few months:

“In September 2022, I had a great opportunity to join the Green skills programme, which was such an eye-opening experience. I would recommend to anyone.

It showed me the different ways I can make changes to my own lifestyle to become more sustainable, but also to interact with different communities within Bristol, whose aim is to become sustainable. Through this I was able to meet with many different people who come from different backgrounds and create good relationships with them.

During the programme, we were assigned mentors who would help us get a foot into the sustainable world. Xavier helped me with gaining experience with an SME called Buttercup Learning, which helped me gain skills in digital marketing and data analytics.

After my internship with Buttercup, I started my journey in digital marketing by enrolling in the Digital Marketing Bootcamp. I wanted to use this course to develop my digital skills even more.

During my time in my course, Xavier contacted me and said there was an internship going within UWE Bristol with the KTP team. I had an interview with Ellen and was offered the internship.

From the day I started to the last day of the internship, I learnt so much from the team and everyone else around me that I am very thankful for. From my first day, I was excited to understand more about what the team does on a deeper level and use that information to help me through my internship.

The skills I learnt from researching businesses to see if they would benefit from a KTP, to creating videos catering to different audiences, has helped me gain the confidence within my own digital marketing skills but also refine the skills I already have.  

The 8 fantastic weeks I had within the KTP team and in UWE have made a huge positive mark in my career but also a memorable experience.”

Tasnim’s internship was funded by Innovate UK KTN through the KTP Capacity Building Fund

Black History Month 2022: Innovation focus

Author Anna Jones | Posted on

As part of Black History Month 2022, we are spotlighting individuals working around the following themes:

  • Skills
  • Innovation
  • Research
  • Business

This week we are focusing on Innovation.

Mayowa Olanrewaju is a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate for Harris Evolution Ltd. A KTP scheme is a UK-wide programme helping businesses to improve competitiveness and productivity. Businesses are provided with applied knowledge and technical expertise to help transform the business.

Based in Bristol, Harris Evolution is a commercial refurbishment company, specialising in quick turnaround projects carried out whilst the buildings are still in occupation. Harris’ work is targeted within three main sectors; Education, Healthcare and Hotel/Leisure.

The 24-month KTP project aims to implement transformational innovation through an Advanced Services approach to contract design and development of leadership capacity, which is led by Dr Kyle Alves , Dr Mel Smith and Professor Gareth Edwards. Through the collaboration with UWE Bristol, Harris will move from a standardised service offer to implementing outcome-based service contracts, tailored around individual customer value.

The aim of the project is to transform Harris Evolution LTD into adopting advanced services to the way contract is been set up. This entails getting to know what the customers exactly need and tailoring a service that best suits their needs.

Mayowa commented on the importance of innovation within the project:

“Innovation is so important because companies of the future will be defined by how quickly they can transform and digitalise their processes and respond to their customers’ demands. In a fast-paced supply chain where customers’ needs are constantly changing, organisations need to be ready to satisfy their customers fast. In our own case, I am looking at how we can leverage on Internet of Things(IoT) to understand the customer asset usage and how we can develop a value proposition

We have all seen the benefits of UBER, AIR BnB, 4G, 5G and so on using innovation to succed. Businesses need to be aware of emerging technology if they want to remain competitive. The organisations of the future will be fully digital and we all have to prepare for it. However, the government need to do more to help SMEs in their transformation journey so they can remain competitive”

Mayowa also talked about the benefits of a KTP:

“There has always been this disparity between academics and the business world as they both have unique ways of doing things so having the opportunity to bridge that gap in a partnership is a wonderful opportunity only KTP can give. The business world is now coming to terms with growth and development academics offer and if properly harnessed, businesses can see the benefits in their annual turnovers.”

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) are funded by UKRI through Innovate UK with the support of co-funders, including the Scottish Funding Council, Welsh Government, Invest Northern Ireland, Defra and BEIS. Innovate UK manages the KTP programme and facilitates its delivery through a range of partners including the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), Knowledge Bases and Businesses. Each partner plays a specific role in the support and delivery of the programme. 

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