knowledge transfer partnerships (ktp) in the k · for more information please contact: janet morana...

For more information please contact:Janet MoranaKTP OfficeFaraday HouseUniversity of SalfordM5 4WT

T 0161 295 2902E [email protected]

www.ktp.salford.ac.uk

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

the design team 0161 295 2630 (31414/11)

In the knowTransferring University Expertise to Industry

Turn ideas

practiceyour

into

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescueand the School of Environment and Life Sciences

East Lancashire Moneyline (IPS) Ltdand the Research Centre for Data Mining and Pattern Recognition

Dyer Environmental Controls Ltdand the School of Computer Science and Engineering

The Foundryand the School of Music Media and Performance

and Salford Business School

The University of Salford has always had a business focus, especiallywhen it comes to Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs).

Funded by the Technology Strategy Board along with the other government

funding organisations, KTPs are collaborations between academics,

a company that needs their expertise and a graduate recruited to work on

a project central to the requirements of the business, and its development.

By participating in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, businesses and

organisations can:

• Access up to 67% grant

• Access expertise and innovative solutions to help your business grow

• Develop your business for today’s market

• Aid you in the development of new and pioneering technologies

• Improve your organisation’s operational efficiency

• Increase profitability

Academics can:

• Identify new research themes and undergraduate/postgraduate projects

• Apply knowledge and expertise to important business problems

• Develop business relevant teaching and research material

• Contribute to the Research Excellence Framework

If you feel that your business or organisation could benefit from the

University’s expertise, please contact us on the number below.

Janet MoranaUniversity of Salford KTP Manager

T 0161 295 2902E [email protected]

www.ktp.salford.ac.uk

Completed KTP Projects

East Lancashire Moneyline (IPS) Ltdand the Research Centre for Data Mining and

Pattern Recognition

Greater Manchester Fire & Rescueand the School of Environment and Life Sciences

Valves Instruments Plus Ltdand Salford Business School

Pochins PLC and the School of the Built Environment

Hilly Clothing Ltdand the School of Art & Design

Industrial Capacitors Ltd and the Acoustics, Audio & Video Department

Current KTP Projects

The Foundryand the School of Music Media and Performance


Dyer Environmental Controls Ltdand the School of Computer Science and Engineering

KTP helps Fusion 21 meet the retrofit challengeand the School of the Built Environment and Environment

Life Sciences

Harvest Housing GroupSalford Housing, Urban Studies Unit

Greater Manchester Stroke NetworkStockport PCT and Health, Sport and Rehabilitation Sciences

Knowledge Transfer:Better together than apart

In the knowContents

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Transferring University expertise to industry

04AboutKnowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is one of Europe’s leading

programmes combining graduate recruitment with knowledge

exchange. The benefit of KTP are proven across a range of

measures, whether it be company development and profitability,

knowledge exchange between universities and business, or job

creation. Knowledge Transfer Partnerships programme is

intentionally flexible in its delivery, allowing projects to vary in

length from 12 to 36 months and the knowledge base partners

eligible to participate.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is a UK-wide programme funded

by the Technology Strategy Board along with other sponsors.

Benefits for the company partnerBusiness performance outputs vary considerably from case to case,

given the rich variety of KTP projects. Latest information shows

that, on average, the business benefits that can be expected from

a single KTP are:

• An increase of over £270,000 in annual profits before tax

• Creation of three genuine new jobs

• An increase in the skills of existing staff

Benefits for the knowledge baseThrough Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, academics are able to:

• Develop business-relevant teaching materials

• Identify new research themes and undergraduate and

post-graduate projects

• Publish high quality research papers

• Contribute to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and

rating of their department

• Helping businesses and organisations improve their

competitiveness and productivity

Benefits for the AssociateKnowledge Transfer Partnerships can:

Help Associates enhance their career prospects by providing them

with the opportunity to manage a challenging project central to

a company’s strategic development and long-term growth

Provide top class training and development in management and

leadership skills

Offer an excellent chance of permanent employment at the end

of the Partnership (75% of Associates are offered employment

on completion of their project and overall 59% accept)

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Welcome

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In the know Transferring University expertise to industry In the know Transferring University expertise to industry

East Lancashire Moneyline (IPS) Ltd (ELM) isa non profit Industrial and Provident Society.ELM provides access to credit, savings andadvice, primarily to individuals falling outside the lending criteria of the high street banks and building societies. ELM’s customers are, typically, tenants onlow incomes and/or state benefits.

LM formed a Knowledge Transfer

Partnership with the School of Computing,

Science and Engineering (CSE) and English,

Sociology, Politics & Contemporary History

(ESPaCH) at the University of Salford. The aim of

this 24 month KTP was to develop a model for

predicting the level of risk in approving credit by

streamlining its application process and thereby

delivering an increase in loan volume and a

significant reduction in bad debt rates.The project

started in September 2008 with the appointment

of the Associate, Jia Wu. This KTP has enabled

ELM to develop a unique Credit and Risk

Assessment Tool for microfinance that facilitates

objective assessment of loan applications,

enabling discovery of emerging patterns that can

be utilized for risk assessment and will enable the

management of loan approval in a growing

number of outlets.

During the course of the KTP the company has

undergone a period of rapid expansion from 5

outlets at the start of the project to 15 by the

conclusion of the project. In a period of 24

months the company has needed to respond

dynamically in building an infrastructure to adapt

and change systems and processes to support this

expansion. A further 10 outlets were in the

process of opening as the project concluded.

Coming from two different disciplinary

backgrounds the academics, Professor Sunil

Vadera and Dr Karl Dayson, have also reaped

significant rewards from the partnership; the

application of data mining methods on a real

world problem that is challenging, complex and

where success has a positive impact on improving

financial inclusion. The project has provided a

case study that can be utilised to enhance

teaching and learning and creates opportunities

for real world projects for students in the final

year of their studies, improving their experience

and enhancing their employment prospects.

The project has also led to new multi-disciplinary

collaboration between staff from Computer

Science and Sociology and the publication of

two papers. Since completion of the KTP project

the partners have started a follow-on Shorter

KTP project (40 weeks). This project has arisen

as a result of identifying weaknesses in the

company’s data collection and control systems

during the main project.

Jia Wu (the KTP Associate) has gained substantial

experience in:

• Designing, developing and implementing a

novel system and gained an in-depth

understanding of the issues involved in utilising

data mining methods in practice

• Engaging and working within a very dynamic

and growing business with a variety of

stakeholders and users. This has included

training, deployment and support of the system

in 15 branches

• Managing a novel and challenging project,

and completing a training programme leading

to PRINCE2 certification. Jia is continuing

employment as KTP Associate with ELM by

engaging in a further shorter KTP

and the Research Centre for Data Mining and Pattern Recognition

“Through the KTP there has been a

significant improvement in the

collection, storage and analysis of

client data. There is also a better

appreciation, by the underwriting

staff, that the social factors can have

as significant an impact on the client’s

ability to pay as the economic

factors”.

Diane Burridge, Head of Finance &

Administration East Lancashire

Moneyline (IPS) Ltd

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LancashireMoneyline (IPS) Ltd

East

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Completed

KTP Projects


and the School of Environment and Life Sciences

“Early discussions identified that staff believed there were barriers and

constraints to the evaluation but they also seemed to appreciate the

usefulness of evaluation activities. They felt positive about monitoring and

assessing initiatives and thought that the evaluation would be a valuable

activity as it helps to address issues related to the effectiveness of the

project, identify best value for money activities and highlight possible

future changes to programme delivery”. Heidi Koljonen

“Whilst the initial aim of the KTP was to develop an evaluation toolkit for

the GMFS’ community safety initiatives, the project has expanded to

examining the initiative management system and to address cultural

barriers to evaluation”. Norma Ford

In addition to achieving the main objectives, Heidi Koljonen (the KTP

Associate) has also delivered a number of additional outputs, namely:

• Developed the knowledge and capability of GMFRS staff in the techniques

and methods which can be applied to evaluate projects

• Enhanced the profile of GMFRS within the UK Fire and Rescue Service

community

• Results of the KTP have been shared with the Chief Fire Officers

Association (CFOA) which is working to promote the greater use of

evaluation by Fire and Rescue Services nationally

The Toolkit has been shared with the Fire & Rescue Service in Denmark and

is currently being used to evaluate pioneering youth work in the Greve

Municipality of Copenhagen as part of an academic study originating from

the Psychology Department at the University of Aarhus.

Norma Ford, Lead Academic for the KTP and Heidi recognised at the outset,

that a key challenge would be to build a toolkit that was sufficiently

sensitive to the variability and complexity of GMFRS’ community safety

initiatives; and yet capable of being utilised by internal personnel with no

specialist expertise in evaluation.

GreaterManchester

FireRescue&

As part of its development, the toolkit was trialled on three initiatives. These trials resulted in credible and valid qualitative evaluation summaries of three projects.

Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Club - was set up by frontline fire fighters working in the Moss Side area who identifieda problem associated with anti-social behaviour by young people and a growing trend amongst disaffected youth inthe area to target fire fighters for verbal and physical abuse.

The evaluation summary is now being used as evidence tosupport bids for future and sustained funding streams toallow the community to continue to benefit from this uniqueand multi-cultural experience.

Firefly Manchester North - an initiative targeting youngteenagers involved in or having close association with anti-social behaviour, including malicious calls. Future bids toLocal Authorities for funding are being supported by the evidence obtained through the evaluation of Firefly inManchester Borough allowing more disadvantaged youngpeople to benefit from this one week fire-fighter experience.

Wigan Reading Scheme - off duty fire-fighters provide additional reading support to local primary school children.The resulting evaluation is being used to support the development of at least one other local reading scheme.This encourages reluctant young male readers to engagewith firefighters as positive role models, thus increasing the potential for improvement of their quality of life.

The trial and consultation stage was an essential part of thedevelopment of the toolkit, ensuring that potential users felt comfortable using it and were able to apply it when developing, managing and monitoring projects and initiatives.

Through the KTP, GMFRS has gained significant corporateknowledge about the entire evaluation process includinghow it should be used to shape thinking at the conceptualstage of a project. As a result the organisation is now able todesign and manage the evaluation process and ensure thatthe aims and intended outcomes are fully aligned with corporate goals.

The developed toolkit is at a level of complexity which iswholly appropriate to those employees who will be responsible for designing and managing the majority of evaluations. Tangible benefits realised (and recorded at eachLMC) include personal development of those individualsclosely involved in the project, particularly the company supervisor and other staff involved in the development of thetoolkit.

These benefits include not only clear improvement and understanding of evaluation processes and practices, but alsodevelopment of management, project management andinter-partner liaison.

n line with all other Fire and Rescue Services, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS)

makes a major contribution towards tackling anti-social behaviour. Delivering a diverse range of

projects in terms of target audiences and the nature of the initiatives, the Services engage with and

influence communities in order to achieve a safer society.

All 10 Borough Commands offer their own community safety initiatives (currently there are

approximately 400 on the register) many of which are based upon the innovative ideas of fire-fighters.

The aim of this KTP was to develop an evaluation toolkit, trial its application and effectiveness and

to embed evaluation and feedback into GMFRS’ public prevention initiative design process.

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he aim of this 2 year KTP was to increase the company’s potential

for turnover and growth by examining various aspects of the current

infrastructure and technology. This included:

• Evaluating current CRM/SRM processes and establishing new methods

and tools for improved relationships & performance

• Tracking on both ends of the supply chain

• Improvement of stock control methods based on appropriate data

collection, turnover speeds, demand patterns etc; including the use of

forecasting methods to estimate future demand requirements and

manage stock accordingly

• Incorporation of a new e-commerce channel through which orders could

be taken

As one of the few remaining independent, small and thereby flexible

engineering merchants in the NW region VIP Ltd was well placed to compete

with their national competitors by providing an exemplary customer service.

Introducing e-commerce has brought a wealth of new opportunities to the

business. It has increased the transparency of the business as customers are

now able to view the complete product range via the internet; staff are able

to provide the customer with an increased level of detail about the

products.

In order to maximise the development of KTP innovations it was essential

that a more sophisticated forecasting and stock control system be developed

and implemented, and that this was integrated with the e-commerce

solution. In addition to achieving the main objectives, the Associate has also

delivered a number of additional outputs which have provided significant

business benefit to VIP:

• Cleanup and improved utilization of the company’s key database

• Review and improvement of internal financial controls

• Improved management of sales representatives and quotes, and

involvement in the company’s IT and KPI policies

The KTP programme has enabled VIP to understand the company’s current

position within the market place and have a greater knowledge of its

dealings with customers and suppliers, ensuring that the company is more

able to react to changes in customer/supplier requirements.

“My Knowledge Transfer Partnership has been of paramount importance

to my development as a manager. Throughout the two years I had excellent

support from my academic and company supervisors which gave me

confidence to work in a commercial environment and has resulted in full

time employment in a management position. In addition to official training

opportunities, I also presented papers at national conferences and in

refereed journals. I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to

lead such an important project and have learned immensely in the 2 years

I have been involved with it – it gives me satisfaction knowing that

the deliverables of this project are making a noticeable difference to

the company”. David Stephenson, KTP Associate

VIP now has the capability to enhance, develop, refine and customise

systems to cope with changing needs and challenges of increased sales

volume and complexities in customer and supplier relationships.

The improved business intelligence that comes with the reports on all

customer activity and sales data allows for targeting of non-spending

customers and isolation of sales opportunities, resulting in increased sales.

The utilization of previously unused software now provides automated

reports – for instance stock reports which allow for much faster response

to depleted stock levels. As a result, the reliance on internal communication

is removed and service levels are improved. The need to manually check

stock is now redundant.

Supplier appraisals have benefited the company via better relationships with

suppliers, improved buying terms (including rebates negotiated), referrals

are now in place (increasing sales) and monitoring of service levels to

encourage improvements. Improved knowledge and control over customer

credit limits, debt insurance and payment times allows greater protection

against non-payment and unexpected debts; this had previously been a big

financial burden for VIP.

The academic partners, Dr John Davies and Dr Aris Syntetos have also

benefited greatly from their involvement in this project. As a direct result of

this partnership they have had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with

important issues in the wholesale environment. In particular, Dr Syntetos’

previous research expertise in the area of statistical demand forecasting and

stock control has, he feels, been enriched. The quality of the intervention

with VIP’s relevant systems as well as the impact of the KTP on the

company’s performance, has led the academics to further explore the

The KTP has had a major impact in terms of curriculum development within

the University of Salford. The demonstration of the effect that business

analytics has on an organisation led to the development of MSc in Business

Analytics. The partners are continuing to disseminate the results of the KTP.

The company is to be involved in a recent EPSRC application for funding.

The relationship between the University and VIP continues to flourish with

the development of new MSc modules and participation by the Managing

Director, in the new Salford Business School Partnerships.

Established in 1985 Valves Instruments Plus Ltd (VIP) has a reputation for setting standards in quality, service andreliability; supplying a wide range of industries with engineering products, selling mainly through personal relationships developed via salesmen. In order to retain their reputation for quality and service, VIP recognizedthe need to improve efficiency and that the lack of an e-commerce trading method was a barrier to the plannedgrowth of the company. The rising competition in the market sector prompted the senior management to take account of their business processes and make sure the company was making efficient use of available technology.


Valves Instruments Plus Ltd

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commercial potential of their research.

ne of the top three suppliers of

technical performance socks, the

company sells its products to the public

via the specialist sports trade. Unique to

Hilly is its reputation for providing innovative,

technical and performance products of good quality.

Coupled with this is its excellent service and

knowledge of customer demand.

Hilly Clothing Ltd formed a Knowledge Transfer

Partnership with the School of Art and Design

at the University of Salford. The aim of this two

year partnership was to design and develop a

complete range of technical performance

apparel encompassing the implementing of a New

Product Development (NPD) process.

The project started with the appointment of the

Associate, Andrew Dudgeon. Andrew’s work on the

project included:

• The implementation of a NPD process

• Broadening the current portfolio

• The re-design and development of current product

lines

As a result of the KTP the Design Department is now

able to produce detailed, technical, computerised

garment specifications, both as a result of the library

of CAD images that have been developed and also

from new CAD images that they are able to produce.

These specifications can be sent to suppliers with all

of the relevant information about the product.

This has aided other members of staff/departments.

For example Quality Control and Sourcing.

When finished garments are delivered by suppliers,

staff are now able to accurately check them against

the garment specifications to ensure that the bulk

production is correct. This will help to ensure that

the company ethos of offering quality garments to

its customers can now be further advanced and on

a more structured basis.

The success of Andrew’s new lines have led to many

positive reviews in key running publications and

most importantly led to an increase in sales and

market share. Andrew found the skills and

knowledge he gained during his studying for a

BSc in Design, to be a significant benefit to

the marketing and advertising needs of Hilly,

thus reducing the needs to outsource.

A significant development for Hilly was the

appointment of Andrew, at the end of the KTP.

Andrew is responsible for the development and

management of the New Product Development

Department. From the Associates perspective

this appointment is an acknowledgment of his

effort during the two years of the Partnership.

The experience has provided invaluable and wide

ranging professional experience in a relatively

short period of time; providing strong career

opportunities.

The academic supervisor Damien Vasey has also

reaped substantial rewards from the Partnership. The

technical nature of the knowledge transfer has

enhanced the BSc Sports Equipment Design

Programme.

Contacts made as a result of the KTP now facilitate

the opportunity for the level 2 BSc. Sports

Equipment design students now participate in a 6

week placement.

The KTP has provided both student project case

studies and opened up a number of opportunities

for future collaboration.

“The KTP program has provided the perfect

environment for career progression whilst

introducing me to a range of invaluable experiences

within my role as Product Development Manager.

A strong balanced emphasis on both product

development and project management has resulted

in a stronger design portfolio and a broader

managerial skill set”.

Andrew Dudgeon, KTP Associate

Hilly Clothing Ltd and the School of Art & DesignHilly Clothing Ltd was founded in 1996 to design and manufacture, under the ‘Hilly Clothing’ brand, functional

running accessories

OThe aim of this two year Knowledge

Transfer Partnership was to identify, map

and re-engineer the group’s business and

operational processes and to plan and

implement a revised company IT infrastructure.

In addition to achieving this the Associate also

delivered a number of additional activities:

• Reviews of Improved financial controls

• Develop and implement supply chain

applications

• Implemented Asset management and

helpdesk solution for their IT department

The Knowledge Transfer Partnership has also

enabled the Pochin Group to understand

the company’s current position within the

market place.

Introducing a Knowledge Sharing forum has

enabled better collaboration between employees based at different

locations. The solution was a particular success for one business, resulting

in a reduction in repair costs due to better resolution of recurring issues.

During the KTP, the Associate undertook a thorough review of the

company’s processes with special emphasis on the interfaces of various

departments. Inefficiencies were identified and recommendations made to

resolve them. A project collaboration solution

provided a common platform for information

exchange between all project partners resulting

in better efficiency and communication and an

increase in the final project profit margin.

As a result of this KTP, a continuous

improvement framework has been created

enabling the company to sustain the process

improvement activities. The academic partners

Professor Joe Tah, and Professor Mike

Kagioglou have also benefited greatly from

their involvement in this project. As a direct

result of this partnership, they have presented

a number of papers at the INCITE World

Conference on IT in Construction.

The knowledge generated in this project has

also resulted in enhanced teaching material

and has helped further to inform the Seamless

Delivery research theme within the Salford

Construction Research Institute. (SCRI)

Both Professors Tah and Kagioglou have

enjoyed the opportunity to transfer academic research into practice and the

exposure to a commercial environment has been rewarding. The work with

Pochins has generated research income for the university and the academic

support funds have enabled the academics to access an international

conference for the research findings.

The partners are continuing to collaborate.

School of theBuilt Environment

ochins (Contractor) Ltd, part of the Pochin Group is principally engaged in construction. Diversity continues to

be the hallmark of Pochin (Contractor) Ltd underlying the company’s ability to meet the exacting demands of

the industrial/commercial, education/healthcare and retail/leisure markets.

“Pochins underwent a number of significant changes

throughout the lifecycle of the KTP. The KTP programme

offered enough flexibility to make sure that the KTP

addressed the changing business needs and at the same

time making sure that the project stayed within the

boundaries of the original aims and objectives”.

John Edwards, Finance Director, Pochins PLC

P

Pochins PLCand the

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The FoundryCurrent

KTP Projects

ith a client list including; Manchester United, Heineken, Scholl,

Nike, Mölnlycke Health Care and Kumho Tyres The Foundry

has won numerous International industry awards including the

New York Festivals Innovative Advertising Award and World Design Medals.

Working alongside so many multinational clients The Foundry realised that

each company had many agencies in different countries, each creating

similar projects but each with their own overhead and charges, they then

identified a gap in the market for a software application that would allow

multinationals to design their own POS materials and make them available,

via the internet, to their customers, who could then tailor and print them

as needed in any language anywhere in the world thus giving huge return

on an investment of agency fees. And so the POS Store came to pass.

This created new business opportunities for The Foundry in areas and with

companies that they wouldn’t normally approach.

The concept of the software was to create an easy to use system with a

powerful database and functionality. The Foundry began the process of

creating such a system, however the skill set to develop the software to the

required level did not currently exist within the workforce. One option was

to employ someone with the software skill set, but as the project was in its

embryonic stage this was a difficult investment to make. During an ad hoc

conversation with the DTi The Foundry were introduced to the Knowledge

Transfer Partnership Programme.

The KTP programme offered the ideal solution, benefitting both parties and

creating job opportunities. It became apparent, during discussions that

alongside the development of the project, that The Foundry would also

benefit from the internal learning and up skilling of its staff alongside the

KTP Associate. This would ensure that future information and system

developments within the company were scalable, maintainable, robust and

not dependant on one person.

After completing the documentation and processes that KTP programme

required, a series of interviews were held between The Foundry and a

number of graduates. . These interviews were not jus there to assesses and

identify the right skill set but also the right personality, an element just as

important as the skill set, as the chosen candidate had to fit into the

closely-knit team of 28. John Muirhead was the successful candidate.

John said: “ I was really chuffed to be given the opportunity to develop

such a novel piece of software”, but as he later discovered he has also been

given the opportunity to develop himself in many other ways. John

continued: “The key challenge was to develop a piece of packaged software

that could be easily reconfigured for use by different brand owners to

support the delivery of their specific point-of-sale materials and ancillary

items to their customer base. That meant it had to be generic enough to

allow multiple reconfigurations to support radically different brands”.

The POS Store allows templates to be designed and prepared using the

industry-standard Adobe InDesign software package, giving total flexibility

whilst applying constraints to maintain the brand image. The web-based

application delivers a self-service one-stop solution for the management and

supply of all POS and ancillary items, such as sound and video files and the

coordination of promotional extensions like T-Shirts and mugs. Using the

system reduces duplication of man power, and also the waste of creating

and delivering unnecessary or unsuitable POS, allowing for the local

customisation of each item.The working relationship between The Foundry

and KTP has been a great success. Kevin Murphy Managing Director says,

“Working alongside the guys from the KTP has been an absolute joy. They

have understood our business needs and have helped John and ourselves

every step of the way, for us it has been the perfect partnership”.

As the KTP project comes to its conclusion John will continue the project in

a full time position at The Foundry and they also have their first client one

of the world’s largest paint manufacturers. Now with version 2 ready within

the next few weeks the company is priming itself to present the software

to a larger group of clients. University knowledge, sound business sense and

strong partnerships means that the development of this software can only

go from strength to strength.

The Foundry Ltd is a UK Top-20 design consultancy, involved in strategy, advertising and digital communications including the development of marketing materials which are delivered across a wide range of media including the advertising, TV web, print and

retail point-of-sale (POS).

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“The KTP gave me an opportunity to be involved with cutting edge research within an industrial environment. It was a chance to develop skills in a new field of

technology, whilst gaining vital transferable professional skills. It also challenged me personally and the experience has quite literally changed my life! I would

recommend KTP’s to anyone wishing to push their own career and their personal boundaries” Paul Dodds, KTP Associate

he aim of this 2 year KTP was to produce

a high quality capacitor for use in

loudspeaker crossover circuits. An

important specification was that the

speaker delivered high quality audio sound.

The primary objective was to understand the theory

behind the capacitors that were to be produced and

to develop design rules to allow tailoring of

components to match customer requirements. The

KTP has enabled ICW to show a noticeable

improvement in sound quality; furthered the

understanding of ICW of specialised audio capacitors

and thus helped increase their productivity, efficiency

and over all competitiveness in the audio market.

This project commenced when Paul Dodds was

employed as the Associate. Paul had to use his

extensive knowledge in the field of superior audio

capacitors to devise new ways of increasing quality

of sound output.

At the end of the KTP it was clear that ICW had

benefited substantially from the partnership:

• ICW now has an understanding of the properties

of capacitors that affect the sound quality

• Optimisation of the designing process for the

manufacture of high quality audio capacitors with

engineering justification

• Provided a framework for ground breaking

research and development in a technically

challenging subject

Paul has seen clear benefits from his participation in

this partnership; including Chartered Engineer status

and the opportunity to travel overseas to attend

conferences. As well as developing his technical skills

and knowledge he has also enhanced his

professional and personal skills. The offer of a

permanent position with ICE at the end of the KTP

was a direct acknowledgement of his valuable

contributions to the company.

The academic partner Dr Phil Duncan also saw the

benefits of this partnership. The theoretical analysis

and experiment undertaken as part of the KTP has

led to a number of new discoveries about capacitors

not previously known to either the company or

knowledge based partner.

Since being involved in this KTP Dr Duncan has gone

on to start producing more publications and give

many more conference presentations. Results from

this work have been presented at the Institute of

Acoustics (IOA), Reproduced Sound 22 conference

and published in the conference proceedings.

“The KTP provided an important link with a leading

UK manufacturer operating in the international

market place. Working with engineers and

managers in industry has been very beneficial in

terms of my personal development. Research

findings have been published at conferences and

in journals”. Dr Phil Duncan

Industrial Capacitors Ltd and the Acoustics, Audio & Video Department

Industrial Capacitors (Wrexham) Ltd (ICW) has been producing high quality metallised film capacitors for more than 30

years. The specialised capacitors have always been produced, specifically for use in railway signalling systems, the power

electronic and professional audio markets.

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and the School of Music Media and Performance


orking in collaboration with the School of Computing

Science and Engineering, this 2 year KTP will provide Dyer

Environmental Controls with a new product development

process (NPD); using the development of a new

environmentally friendly ventilation product to pilot the NPD process.

Established in 1992, Dyer supply and install ventilation products and

systems. Products range from manual remote window opening systems to

electrical motors and control systems to power-open vents and doors.

Jon Crossley, Managing Director of Dyer recognised that whilst the company

is experienced in all aspects of ventilation systems and staff have a great

deal of knowledge and experience of installing within the fabric of buildings,

what was lacking was the expertise to move the company from simply

‘supply and installation’ to incorporate the development of innovative

products and systems, specifically relating to the integration of design

development tools and procedures. The development of this NPD capacity

will enable Dyer to design and develop both bespoke and standard solutions

and bring their own new products to the market rather than rely on third

party suppliers.

The impact of the KTP in implementing an NPD Process within the company,

in addition to developing an actuating mechanism to power ventilation

systems using environmentally friendly renewable energy sources, will

enable Dyer to establish itself as market leader.

Dr Nigel Mellors and Steve Waterworth from the School of Computing

Science and Engineering are providing expertise in solar cell technology,

power storage devices, actuator design and development, embedding of

new techniques including market research, technology assessment, concept

generation and refinement, product testing and design for manufacture.

Expertise in supply chain management for both new and existing product

ranges is also being provided.

This very challenging KTP is providing a wide range of significant benefits

for Arun Kundgol the KTP Associate who said:

“My initial trip to China was a unique experience, giving us a clearer

understanding of the Chinese manufacturing process and the Chinese

products. I gained real hands-on experience of Chinese Business and Work

Culture “Guanxi”. My following visit to Dyer’s partner company D+H

Mechatronic AG at Ammersbek, Germany, provided an insight into the

high quality processes for development & manufacturing and an excellent

opportunity to improve my negotiation skills. I was also able to gain an

insight into the German culture and to practice some of the beginner’s

German I had learnt prior to my trip”.

DyerEnvironmental

Controls Ltdand the School of Computer Science and Engineering

W

There is an increasing demand by bothindustry and consumers for products to address ‘green issues’ and to be energy efficient. As a result, the ability for a product to be self-powering is becoming a significant requirement of a product’s capability.

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ousing professionals view the

sustainable retrofit agenda as one of

the biggest challenges facing the

social housing sector. Lack of funding

support is identified as the main barrier to

installing retrofit measures by 87% of housing

professionals. Whilst the primary obstacle for

tenants in terms of adopting retrofit solutions,

is a lack of resident understanding about

new technology.

Originally formed by seven Registered Social

Landlords (RSL), and now working with over 100

clients across the country, Fusion21 provides a

consortium approach to procurement and

training in Asset Management. Fusion21 is a

social business which promotes collaboration to

save money and create jobs. Created with the

aim of structuring major planned improvement

programmes to deliver efficiency savings and

community benefits, Fusion21 has achieved

national recognition. It is now working with

partners Procurement for Housing to deliver a

retrofit framework that will enable RPs to access

best-in-class products at advantageous prices.

Working in collaboration with Dr Will Swan,

colleagues from the School of Built Environment

and Professor Stephen Todd, School of

Environment and Life Sciences, this two

Associate KTP aims to increase the number of

RSLs taking up the retrofit workstream,

and enhance the ‘density’ of coverage within

each RSL.

One of the biggest challenges facing Registered Providers (RPs) over the next decades will be to retrofit its existing housing stock to meet the joint challenges of carbon reduction requirements and fuel poverty

amongst residents.

H Developing Fusion21’s knowledge of the attitude of

both RSL staff and residents is central to achieving

good market penetration. The programme for RSL

stock will take place in waves until 2050. The lessons

learned could be transferred to treating private sector

housing where the target is also to reduce carbon

emissions to zero.

Luke Smith, one of the Associates, is looking to

develop a Knowledge Base toolkit that meets the

needs of a wide range of clients. Through the work of

the KTP, Luke will develop a thorough understanding

of the current technologies and best practice

approaches; the market and potential penetration;

contextual information for stock type, location and

tenure. The resulting structured evidenced-based

approach will provide each RSL with a robust way of

identifying the business case for their retrofit and the

issues that they need to address at ‘commit to invest’

stage. Solutions developed by Luke will also have

direct application to the private sector housing stock,

where individual occupiers will be seeking independent

advice and assurance on the options open to them.

Understanding the motivations and attitudes of

residents who influence whether retrofit opportunities

are taken up and the degree of this take up will enable

Fusion21 to develop a toolkit for RSLs that will help

them increase retrofit amongst their properties. The

factors influencing the likely uptake of sustainable

retrofit are not well researched. To date, no RSL has

undertaken a large scale retrofit and so factors

affecting success/resistance from residents lack a

cogent evidence base. The core challenge of the

second KTP is concerned with developing an evidence

based approach to support behavior change.

This range of interventions, to be available to

Fusion21 RSL clients will help ensure a more

positive and higher uptake by residents, of

energy efficiency measures. Being a market leader in

understanding resident motivations and providing a

toolkit to enable RPs to deliver to this agenda will

provide a key incentive for RSLs to buy this and other

services from Fusion21.

The complexity of the retrofit agenda incorporates a

wide range of discipline areas making it a challenging

and interesting problem for the academic team

involved. The whole area of sustainable retrofit is a

far-reaching issue which is still emerging and there are

opportunities for the academics to learn and

develop. For the team as a whole the KTP

represents an opportunity to develop partnerships

which will drive impact as well as longer-term

relationships around the agenda.

Dr Will Swan, School of The Built Environment,

identified the issue of retrofit as an area of

personal interest, based on his work in Built Environ-

ment sustainability issues, and specifically the social

housing sector. Stephen Todd’s (School of Environment

and Life Sciences) research includes the development

of renewal/upgrade strategies for housing, this KTP

will contribute to this work.

Working alongside Stephen is Erik Bichard who is

working on a research project, testing various

behaviour change techniques to influence tenants and

residents to adapt their homes in reaction to climate

change. Dr Angela Lee, Programme Director,

Architectural Design & Technology, from the School of

the Built Environment, anticipates the project will help

the development of undergraduate curricula and

enable research on design and innovation with

construction SMEs.

helps Fusion21meet the retrofit challenge

KTP

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Professor Sarah Tyson of the School of Health, Sport & RehabilitationSciences in collaboration with The Greater Manchester & CheshireCardiac and Stroke Network, one of the largest in England, is looking to develop and implement a comprehensive assessment toolkit of high quality measurement tools and metrics for all the stroke rehabilitation units in Greater Manchester.

troke is a complex highly variable condition that can affect a

patient’s communication, physical and mental well being. This

makes it difficult to objectively measure the impact of stroke on

an individual and to chart recovery after a diagnosis is made.

Assessment tools, or metrics, have been developed over the last 20 years

but most are designed for research rather than for the teams who provide

rehabilitation and their adoption in clinical practice has been haphazard

and patchy.

The routine use of metrics within stroke rehabilitation is advocated to

promote evidence-based practice; effective team work and communication;

and improve patient outcomes. However clinical teams report many

pragmatic difficulties in achieving this; little is known about how to

successfully identify the best tools and how to integrate them within routine

clinical practice.

The aim of this 3 year KTP is to address these issues; developing and

implementing a comprehensive assessment toolkit of quality metrics for all

the major aspects of stroke rehabilitation and then to examine the impact

of such implementation.

“As well as the effects on the rehabilitation team’s functioning,

we will assess the quality of care including length of stay and patients’

outcome. A reduction in the length of stay would indicate a reduction in

the cost of care”. Prof. Sarah Tyson

As a result of this KTP, the Network will be able to provide best practice

guidance, which is independent of location, to both Commissioners and

providers, on how to measure ongoing and continuous improvement of

stroke rehabilitation services. This will also be shared nationally as

part of the Networks involvement in the National Stroke Improvement

Programme.

hanges in the regulatory regime of

the sector are also providing some key

challenges for the sector. Specifically

the increasing role of the customer in

scrutinising performance, and their ability to

direct concerns to the Regulator increases the

need for robust and rigorous knowledge and

performance management processes.

The KTP between Harvest Housing Group (HHG)

and Salford Housing and Urban Studies Unit

(College of Science, Engineering and Environ-

ment) will enable HHG to develop an effective

knowledge management system in relation to

customer and performance data and the basic

competencies and reporting suites that will be

required to sustain an effective service to its

customers.

With a reputation for providing excellent quality

services to all its residents and customers, HHG is

looking to raise these standards even higher. As

a result of the KTP, HHG will be better able to

respond to newly introduced national standards

which require that the sector fully understands

the needs and wants of their customer base,

works with those customers to agree local service

requirements and provide timely performance

information that can be scrutinised by customers,

management, Boards and the Regulator.

n order for any KTP programme to succeed

it is critical that the Associate closely

manages relationships within the project

team and ensures that project objectives are

met in a timely manner. However, when

undertaking a project it is easy to become

blinkered and loose sight of many of the other

benefits a KTP can bring, such as; developing

business acumen, building networks, establishing

relationships and of course, bringing new

business development opportunities.

Luke Smith, KTP Associate with Fusion21 and the

University, has taken a step back from the project,

taken stock and been able to realise all potential

benefits of the partnership.

The subject of Luke’s KTP is energy efficient

retrofit of social sector housing stock, a project

that will not only reduce carbon dioxide

emissions, but will also tackle rising fuel prices,

mitigate fuel poverty and provide more

comfortable, healthier homes. This is clearly a

subject that will affect all of the UK’s 26 million

homes in the future and an area of interest for

many of the UK’s businesses.

By searching the KTP project database at an early

stage in his project, Luke identified a number of

KTP programmes that relate to his own. He made

contact with each of the project lead academics

and soon after, he established an ‘associate

network’. This network aimed to:

• Discuss common research interests, share best

practice and knowledge

• Identify collaborative working opportunities

• Identify associated business development

opportunities

Meeting for the first time at the University of

Nottingham recently, Luke who described the

meeting as a great success said “it didn’t take

long for us all to realise how much our projects

complement each other”. As an added bonus

for all of the participants, KTP Associate,

David Tetlow who is based at the University of

Nottingham, organised a tour of ‘Green Close’ –

several innovative low carbon homes built on a

real street on the university campus.

The group will meet again, at the University of

Salford campus where Luke will provide a tour

of the universities ‘house-in-a-lab’ project. It is

hoped that with a bit more publicity, the group

will grow and prove even more valuable for its

participants.

Those attending the first network meeting were:

Luke Smith – Working with Fusion21 and the

University of Salford to develop a domestic

retrofit knowledge base toolkit. The aim of the

toolkit is to promote/encourage/advise/enable

social housing providers to undertake energy

efficient improvement works to their stock by

making technical, financial and regulatory

recommendations.

David Tetlow - David is working with the Mark

Group and the University of Nottingham

to develop internal insulation solutions for

challenging properties.

Alice Jones – Alice is with Nottingham Trent

University and Nottingham City Homes. Her

project is to evaluate the broader social impact of

the Decent Homes programme and further

retrofit works.

Gordon Keay – Gordon is with Middlesex

University. His work is to research social

enterprises who are working with environmental

awareness in order to assess their support needs

and find ways of increasing both the scope and

scale of the work.

Jonathan Nea – Jonathan is working with

Coventry University and Orbit Housing Group.

Orbit are a social housing provider that are

looking to develop low carbon energy models for

refurbishing and retrofitting alternative types of

existing social housing.

Daniel Goldsmith – Works alongside Jonathan,

Coventry University and Orbit Housing Group. His

role is to implement wireless sensing systems and

monitoring equipment in homes in order to

monitor temperature, light levels, energy use and

behaviour patterns. The data gathered will allow

Orbit Housing Group to better understand how

occupant behaviour affects the energy efficiency

of the home.

Harvest Housing Group

Greater Manchester Stroke Network Stockport

PCT

With the recent weaknesses in the UK housing market, the economic downturn, political changes and the resulting significant cuts in public funding, the social housing sector faces significant challenges.

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Better together than apartThe purpose of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is to help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity throughthe better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base.

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Knowledge Transfer:

KTP Associates tour of ‘Green Close’

Energy House, University of Salford

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knowledge transfer partnerships (ktp) in the k · for more information please contact: janet morana...

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