Welcome to the fourteenth issue of e-transfer; which has been developed as a means of communicating what's happening at KTP. The quarterly bulletins will showcase the tangible benefits that KTP offers through good news stories and a selection of high profile case studies. The information in these bulletins can be reproduced and aims to help provide a mechanism to share regional initiatives.
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Wishing you all a happy Christmas and best wishes for 2009 from the KTP marketing team.
Company Involvement
Throughout the year, £27m of grant support was committed to new KTPs, and over £68m was committed by participating companies. Importantly, companies continued to report substantial measurable benefits through participation in KTPs. For each project graded during the year, companies reported an average one-off increase in profit before tax of £69k, and an average increase in annual profit before tax after the project had completed of £222k. Average investment in plant and machinery was £163k and, in addition, 79% of Partnerships reported plans for further collaboration.
For every £1m of Government expenditure on KTPs graded in 2007/08, the average benefits to company participants amounted to £3.08m projected increase in annual profit before tax and £2.27m investment in plant and machinery, with 54 new jobs created and 395 company staff trained. In addition, participating companies invested over £15m in R&D during the course of 2007/08, as a result of their involvement in KTP.
One of the strategic objectives of the Sponsors is to rebalance the portfolio between SMEs and large companies. The target of 25% of projects involving large companies was achieved.
Promotion of KTP to companies to encourage involvement and financial commitment to Partnerships is seen as an important area for the marketing team. These figures show that companies can achieve significant benefits from involvement in KTPs and are proof of the advantages of the programme.
Technology and the Knowledge Base
During 2007/08, product development and design continued to feature as the most significant business function for Associates, accounting for around one-third of projects. A further increase was seen during 2007/08 in the contribution to Research and Development, which accounted for some 23% of the portfolio at the year-end, with the other main beneficiary, manufacturing processes and operations, unchanged at 14%. The main technology areas continued to be engineering, information technology, management science and science. Work is now in progress to re-categorise all Partnerships current at the end of March 2007 and 2008 according to the Technology Strategy Board’s Key Technology Areas.
The opportunities given to academic institutions in applying knowledge and expertise to industry is reflected in the increase of institutions involved in KTP. At the end of the year, 128 knowledge base organisations were taking part in the programme. Of these, 102 were Higher Education Institutions (107 in 2006/07), 21 were Further Education Institutions (11 in 2006/07) and 5 were public or private sector research and technology organisations. The pattern of participation by individual academic disciplines has been remarkably consistent over recent years; with engineering, science and computing departments together accounting for some 68% of Partnerships.
Associates
KTP continues to provide considerable opportunities for graduates. During the year, 87 Associates gained the full NVQ (Level 4) qualification in Management. However, from November 2007, the NVQ was replaced for new KTP Associates by the Level 5 Diploma in Management and, by the year-end, 129 Associates had registered for the Diploma. Immediately following the successful completion of their Partnership, 59% of Associates remained in the employment of the company partner and the proportion of Associates holding a higher degree on recruitment has increased.
In summary, during the 2007/08 financial year, almost £95m was committed to new KTP Partnerships in the form of grant support and company contributions. At the year-end, the portfolio comprised 1,057 individual projects, facilitating the exchange of knowledge between the UK Knowledge Base and companies across the spectrum of size and business sector. As a result of the Government money committed during 2007/08, UK companies stand to benefit from an overall increase in annual profit before tax of over £83m, more than 1,450 new jobs created (aside from the recruitment of KTP Associates) and nearly 10,700 company staff trained.
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a long-standing and enthusiastic supporter of KTP. It is the second largest of the 18 sponsors of KTP and supports research and training in UK universities; unlike some other Research Councils, it does not have its own institutes. EPSRC has the largest budget and arguably the widest remit.
Demonstrating evidence of economic impact arising from the knowledge generated through EPSRC’s research grants and studentships in universities is a key driver for the EPSRC. KTP has a vital role to play helping the exploitation and knowledge exchange of the outputs of the EPSRC funded work.
How does EPSRC Fund KTP?
In 2007/08, EPSRC funded 26 new KTPs. These were supported through funding that universities had received through their Collaborative Training Account (CTA) grants. Universities have the flexibility to use their CTA grant funding to support collaborative training activities, including KTP, as they see appropriate. EPSRC support for KTP is solely though the CTA route. Because the universities already hold the CTA funding for KTP, EPSRC has no need to approve the projects or the partnering companies, which follow standard KTP submission and approval routes. However, EPSRC expects that all KTPs supported via the CTA should arise from high quality research work; EPSRC’s criteria for support means that EPSRC-sponsored KTP should demonstrate follow on, pull through and exchange the knowledge generated from relevant EPSRC research grants.
Universities that do not hold a CTA grant are not able to secure any support for KTP from EPSRC. They are able, however, to apply for sponsorship from other sponsors.
Impact of Knowledge Transfer Accounts on EPSRC’s Funding for KTP
Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTAs) will replace CTA from October 2009. Similarly to CTA, KTAs will be institution level awards and will offer one significant funding route to support KTPs and other KT-relevant activities. It is expected that those universities that hold a KTA will use their funding to apply for EPSRC-relevant KTPs in a similar manner to the processes for CTA.
EPSRC wishes all universities that can produce a high quality KTP, meeting EPSRC’s criteria for support, to be able to access KTP funds. Therefore, EPSRC will establish a second funding stream of £2m per annum to support KTP in those universities that do not hold a KTA.
KTP applications that are outside EPSRC’s criteria can be made for support from other sponsors.
The application route for proposals will be similar to that seeking support from other KTP sponsors.
EPSRC’s criteria for support, irrespective of how the KTP is funded, remains identical to the above.
Partnership activity across the UK saw a managed reduction in 2007/08. Overall, the balance of Partnerships across the regions has changed little since 2006/07, but it is pleasing to note an increase in the number of Partnerships involving companies located in Northern Ireland and Scotland and the positive impact of additional regional sponsorship from the Northern Way on Partnership numbers in the North East, North West, and Yorkshire and Humberside.
The South East region has also seen a slight increase in the balance of partnerships in 2007/08. This KTP region covers a wide and diverse range of locations and spans three English regions:
- London, whose RDA is the London Development Agency (LDA)
- South East, whose RDA is the South East Enterprise and Development Agency (SEEDA)
- East of England, whose RDA is the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).
These are three of England’s most economically advanced regions and together form the Greater South East. Combined, these regions represent approximately 35% of Britain’s population and over 750,000 VAT registered businesses. The importance of knowledge generation within the Greater South East is illustrated by the fact that it is home to over half of the UK’s 131 Higher Education Institutions. Furthermore, around 40% of Government R&D and 60% of business R&D is undertaken here.
The KTP offices within a number of institutions are very pro-active in promoting KTP and encouraging graduates and companies to become involved. Twenty five per cent of the current top 25 knowledge base partners are located in the London and South East region.
Wendy Mannix
Attendance at a wide range of regional events, organised by stakeholders and other regional organisations, provides Wendy with the opportunity to represent the programme and promote KTP to a variety of audiences. In 2007/08 these events included the British Female Inventors and Innovators Network annual awards event in London, KTP associate networking events at the University of the Arts and University of Southampton, a SEEDA Digital Communications Knowledge Network showcase event in London and a Royal Society of Chemistry event in London for small companies and potential entrepreneurs. Wendy also participated in the regional judging for the 2008 KTP awards.
In November, David-Huw Owen joined the KTP regional team. David will be working closely with Wendy to deliver the full range of RDM activities across the South of England, while Wendy begins a new role as Programme Area Manager for Regional Management.
Philip Ribbins (left) and TingTing He of Orchestr8
Orchestr8 Ltd worked with University of Reading and Associate, Tingting He, to develop a web-based supply chain portal to complement Orchestr8’s existing sales and operational planning software. The KTP has provided the company with a powerful tool to attract new business. Additionally, it has enabled Orchestr8 to improve its operations, focusing on the development of generic solutions that can be customised to meet specific needs and budgets. This move has improved internal efficiencies and cost effectiveness, without compromising customer service levels.
The results are:
- Web-based supply chain portal developed, driven by the latest business intelligence technology
- Orders already received, with £500,000 worth of new business expected in the next three years
- Improved internal efficiencies and project planning, benefiting on-going and future development work.
“The KTP project allowed Orchestr8 to develop a unique software solution to provide visibility across the extended networks of our customers at a time when investment was difficult. We have also acquired a valued new member of the team in Tingting He.”
Philip Ribbins, Joint Managing Director, Orchestr8 Ltd
Name: Johanna Kleinmann
Qualifications: MEng Engineering of Photography and Media Technology, MSc Digital Colour Imaging
Current position: Colour Scientist, Inca Digital Printers Limited
All companies want to provide their customers with the best service possible. At Inca, we want to respond to customer demands in terms of colour quality. The project gave me the opportunity to help develop an in-depth knowledge of colour science and colour management. Also, I have been able to help with the development of measurement techniques and tools to assess, but also improve, the colour quality of our printers. This helps us to provide better feedback to our partners in this field.
As an Associate, being responsible for a project, makes you the real owner of your work. KTP supports personal development to make the project successful and this has inspired me to put more effort into the project to make it work because of the level of ownership and involvement given to me.
Through KTP I was able to register for a part time MSc, which has been a challenging but very interesting course. I have acquired strong skills in colour sciences, which have helped throughout the project and will definitely help me in my further work. At the beginning of the project I found it challenging to manage the requirements of the university and the company, but I have learnt that the best way to manage my workload is to find consensus and agreement between all those involved in the project so that everyone is informed of issues and progress.
I have been offered a job with Inca and will be working as a Colour Scientist. This will involve developing a new application to print with special inks and ensuring print qualities. I will also be liaising with the marketing team to help with technical issues.
I have had experience of working in a competitive company made up of brilliant people with whom it has been a real pleasure to work. My professors at university have been very supportive and involved in the project. Although I have spent most of my time at the company, I have visited the university regularly to keep my professors updated with the progress of my work, and to use the laboratory facilities at the university to experiment with new tools for our company needs. This collaboration provides support that you would not normally have in a typical working environment.
Beatriz Mayoral (left), Ruth Spellman, CMI CEO (right)
Beatriz Mayoral wins CMI Award
Congratulations to Beatriz Mayoral who won an award in the category of ‘Impact in the Workplace’ at the CMI London and South East Regional Convention Awards on 22 July 2008 in London. Beatriz has been working with Bapco Closures Ltd, that design and manufacture bonded aluminium/plastic closures for food products, and Queen’s University Belfast. The KTP aims to optimise the manufacture of an innovative closure system for the food and beverage market and create new product ranges for commercial expansion.
Bournemouth University Helps Local Company Take the Strain
Isle of Wight based company Strainstall Group Ltd has reported significant increases in turnover and savings thanks to the successful completion of a KTP with Bournemouth University (BU).
LNG carrier with Strainstall StressAlert system
Strainstall Group Ltd, a world leader in load measurement, strain and stress determination, helps industries to operate safely by ensuring that structures, equipment and infrastructure are safe to use.
Academic support from BU’s Business Development expert, Keith Hayman, and skills from Associate, Kelly Potter, have helped the company to develop and implement effective systems and procedures which support procurement and contracts.
One of the most successful outcomes from the KTP, an effective contract review mechanism, has helped to reduce Strainstall’s financial risk considerably by significantly cutting tendering response time. This has increased the company’s turnover and profitability and also improved its reputation.
"This KTP proved to be very useful for Strainstall Group Ltd. The university was able to supply valuable knowledge and insight that helped us to shape our thoughts regarding risk management. As a result, we now have systems in place which we can use to move our business forward with improved efficiency when tendering for work," stated Karen Lucas (Finance Director, Strainstall Group Ltd).
Lord Stafford Awards
Premier Foods team with Lord Stafford (left)
The Lord Stafford Awards, developed in 1997, recognise and encourage the development of collaborative relationships between businesses and universities. The Lord Stafford Awards are the perfect opportunity to be recognised as one of the West and East Midlands region's innovators. By bringing together the wealth of excellent research and development work produced by universities and diverse business enterprises, the awards seek to generate increased competitiveness and knowledge transfer.
Premier Foods - Innovation for Sustainability Award, East Midlands 2008
Nottinghamshire-based Premier Foods has been awarded the 2008 Innovation for Sustainability Lord Stafford Award in the East Midlands in recognition of work undertaken to reduce its environmental impact.
The Worksop company - that produces house hold brands including Oxo, Bisto, Sharwoods and Cross & Blackwell - has worked in partnership with KTP Associate, Ghazali Syed, academics at the School of Chemical Engineering and the Environmental Technology Centre at the University of Nottingham, to develop a system of process improvements to optimise the use of energy and water in food manufacturing.
“Food production is traditionally a high energy user due to the various cooking and cooling processes it employs and these costs represent a significant proportion of the overall running costs of any large manufacturing site. Our work with the University of Nottingham enabled us to overcome rising energy prices, reduce our operating costs and lessen our environmental impact,” explains Christian French, process engineer at Premier Foods in Worksop, who led the project.
To date, the project has identified over £110,000 of annual cost savings. These include a 5% reduction in overall energy consumption and in real terms, has resulted in a reduction of 1,100 tonnes of CO2 emissions, 712 megawatts of electricity, 2,500 cubic metres of water and 7,200 cubic metres of natural gas.
“Taking part in such a high profile project has enabled the university to demonstrate how its expertise and equipment can be used in a real commercial environment by a local business to great effect. We look forward to our award-winning collaboration to continue in the coming years and for our working relationship to broaden and develop,” says Keith Baker from the University of Nottingham’s School of Engineering.
Aynsley China Limited - Achievement in Innovation
Aynsley China team with Lord Stafford (right)
The KTP between Staffordshire University and Aynsley China Limited has won the Achievement in Innovation Award at this year’s West Midlands Lord Stafford Awards held on 13 November at Worcester Cathedral.
The KTP team consisting of Mr Paul Hulme, Head of Design, Aynsley China Limited, Professor David Sanderson, Academic Supervisor, Staffordshire University and Clair Renn and Adele Barnes, KTP Associates, embarked on this design project back in September 2006. The team has successfully established an in-house design resource with associated new digital technologies and created new three-dimensional shape and two-dimensional surface designs to re-establish Aynsley China as a ‘design led’ manufacturing business.
University of the West of Scotland Honours Dr John Brain
Dr John Brain
University of the West of Scotland (UWS) awarded Dr John Brain, a leading Scots engineer, a Fellowship of the University at its graduation ceremony on Wednesday 2 July 2008. John spent most of his career at the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL), starting as a Senior Scientific Officer in 1967 and rising to General Manager (Operations) in 1993. He left NEL in 1994 to take up a post at the Teaching Company Scheme (now KTP) as Senior Adviser for Scotland and Northern Ireland. During this time, KTP grew dramatically in Scotland from virtually no activity to one of the leading areas of the UK. Since his retirement in 2002, John has been a KTP assessor, which involves grading final reports.
A UWS spokesperson said: “We are delighted to have awarded Dr Brain with this Fellowship. During his career he made a significant contribution to engineering research in Scotland and is a fitting recipient of this award.”
The Tile Studio wins regional award
The Tile Studio team receiving award from Cllr Gary Hunt (right)
The KTP between The Tile Studio and the University of Nottingham has won the SME category at the Constructing Excellence East Midlands Regional Awards held on 14 October.
This KTP, with Associate Gavin Llewellyn, was to implement a marketing strategy and an operational marketing system, including a redeveloped CRM system, to reach new customers and increase repeat business. The award is open to small construction companies, employing 25 or fewer people, that have made strides in improving their company through implementing best practice. Judges were looking for examples of where improvements have been made across the board in terms of both people and processes. The Tile Studio was chosen for its commitment to continuously improve its business in line with its customer requirements.
KTP Winners at London Knowledge Transfer Awards
The London Knowledge Transfer Awards is a new award scheme designed to recognise the success of knowledge transfer collaborations within London. The Awards will raise awareness of the benefits of using this resource and access to it by seeking out best practice within the City.
Five KTPs were finalists in two of the six categories:
- University of Greenwich and Knowledge East working with the Cutty Sark Trust
- Snacks Unlimited working with London South Bank University
- Cableduct Ltd working with London South Bank University
- GMJ Design Ltd working with London South Bank University
- Fulcrum Consulting working with London South Bank University
Congratulations go to all the KTP projects chosen as finalists, and particularly to the winners of the two categories. University of Greenwich and Knowledge East working with the Cutty Sark Trust won the Knowledge Base Collaboration Award, which focused on partner relationships of businesses working with London based research and teaching establishments bringing positive benefits to both parties. Cableduct Ltd working with London South Bank University won the Collaborative Innovation Excellence Award designed to acknowledge how collaboration has brought about the successful application of innovation within business.
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