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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
and Salford Business School
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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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
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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.
and Salford Business School
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
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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
and Salford Business School
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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In the know Transferring University expertise to industry In the know Transferring University expertise to industry
14
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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In the know Transferring University expertise to industry In the know Transferring University expertise to industry
16
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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In the know Transferring University expertise to industry In the know Transferring University expertise to industry
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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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